I stopped outside a church house Where the citizens like to sit They say they want the kingdom But they don't want God in it – Johnny Cash

Johnny Cash... it's a name that, as a youngster, I used to make sure never got passed the act of hearing. There was an automatic buffer set-up to make sure no more attention was paid to the mention of this type of name, a regulator to protect me from what I took to be not relevant or enjoyable to me. Other items on this list regulated by my buffer mechanism were things like: Beetroot (still on the list), Beethoven, anything Afrikaans, Ballet, jeans, pesto and right up until two weeks ago - Mango's.
Everyone will have their own list. My items were chosen with the briefest consideration and were avoided at all costs with great joy and dexterity. As the birthdays piled up though and the head brain develops, or at least changes, the buffer fades away like the hairline on my forehead.
Already I enjoy a dose of old Ludwig, had the most meaningful relationship with a beautiful Afrikaans angel, enjoyed the best days of my life so far at Stellenbosch University, was hypnotised by the genius of the Bolshevik Ballet, have four pairs of jeans, am trying to nick my little brothers basil plants to make some pesto and as I mentioned, have begun to enjoy the odd messy mango.
Johnny Cash, with his poignant lyrics and powerful sublime sound, is now one of my favourites. He came to my attention before his Bio movie Walk the Line was released. It was U2's lead singer and Africa's do-gooder Bono who did some meaningful collaboration with Johnny C. I watched an interview with Bono who explained that Johnny Cash had a huge influence in the development of U2's music. It turns out that was the case for many of the successful pop and rock musicians out there. Kind of like a white mans version of Stevie Wonder. Now when I listen, I can here a bit of Johny Cash is many a modern tune.