Kenny Rogers, 1938–2020

Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2020/03/21/kenny-rogers-1938-2020.html

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:notes:You picked a fine time to leave me, Lucile :notes:

Rest in peace, other Mr. Rogers.

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And this song, later featured in “The Big Lebowski”

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“You’ve painted up your lips and rolled and curled your tinted hair
Ruby are you contemplating going out somewhere?”

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Adios mi amigo, vaya con dios.

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Kenny was a talented singer, but he falls into that more rarefied category of a poet songwriter IMHO. Someone who enriched not only his own song but the song of so many others.

RIP in the tower of song, Kenny.

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ken

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We used to stop at Kenny Roger’s Roasters on the regular during road trips. Cause we thought it was hilarious. Good chicken though.

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And somewhere in the darkness
The Gambler, he broke even

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I guess it was time to fold ‘em.

Good travels Kenny.

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I’m sure that’s how he would have wanted to be remembered…

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Felt obligated to post a link to this clip, which I recall vividly after 40 years:

RIP.

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My mom had several of his albums, so I’ve heard quite a few of his songs back in the day. I remember seeing 6-Pack in the theater - a rare movie outing as a kid.

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  1. Kenny doesn’t look completely comfortable singing along with Muppets.
  2. I’d never before realized the gambler dies at the end of the song. (Maybe haven’t listened to the whole thing since I was a child, so I’ve got an excuse.)
  3. Needs some pig saloon girls to get that chorus over the top.
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I’ve got a friend who’s (in part) a professional puppeteer. It’s pretty unnerving interacting with the puppet.

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An anecdote:

When I was in Ethiopia 16 years ago, I kept hearing a cover version of “Islands in the Stream,” but in Amharic, with a reggae-ish beat. Heard it at the airport, from a passing car etc. One afternoon we were getting coffee somewhere in the Piazza neighborhood. In the cafe, on the wall behind the counter, was a giant oil painting of Kenny Rogers giving a “thumbs up,” probably based on this photo:


I concluded that “Ethiopians love Kenny Rogers.”

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It looks like he’s thinking to himself “this song isn’t really for children, it’s got booze, gambling, and death in it.”.

In my mind the song always took place in a boxcar and the characters were a couple of vagrants.

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I was wondering if anyone would post his most on-topic song for this situation!

Here’s the ‘normal’ version:

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Someone should have told him that The Muppet Show wasn’t really for children either. Family friendly, yes but not a strictly kids show.

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