John Denver: Dig Him or Diss Him?

By John Smistad

If you remember his heyday in the 1970s, you likely either love or hate pop music legend John Denver.  There simply seems to be little sentiment in between.

Yet, for all the slagging he took, Denver sold 33 million records, many certified Gold and Platinum. He hosted a popular TV show and his 1977 film, Oh God, was considered one of the best movies of the year.

So, he clearly had some major appeal.

I came of age with Denver’s songs.  In fact, it was my dad (hardly a fan of contemporary music) who turned me on to the promising singer/songwriter by way of an 8-track tape of 1971’s Aerie.

The 2013 BBC documentary John Denver: Country Boy delivers a brief but informative look at the life of a man whose personality was — despite being called “Sunshine Boy” by some — at once magnetic, magical, and moody.  The highlights of Denver’s remarkable rise to superstardom are given their just due here as well as the downside of becoming world famous.

However, short shrift is dedicated to his issues with depression and alcohol, in particular, the years leading up to Denver’s tragic death in 1997.  The news that an experimental aircraft helmed by the avid pilot went down off the California coast was shocking.

Over the course of his career, Denver was constantly dismissed as “lightweight” and “inconsequential” by the too-hip-for-the-room critics.  But then again, other popular performers of the day took their share of harsh hits. Included in this bunch were the likes of Santana, Led Zeppelin, and Funkadelic. Industry bible Rolling Stone was a chief culprit in criticizing those deemed to be “uncool.”  Denver stood front and center among the mag’s invalidated. Providing further context, RS writers even trashed The Beatles’ swan song, Abbey Road, and The Jimi Hendrix Experience’s electrifying debut, Are You Experienced.

Besides his obvious talent as a singer, songwriter, and guitarist, it’s also worthwhile to credit Denver’s commitment to humanitarian and environmental causes. He was ahead of his time, genuine and impassioned.  His songs, immortalizing the beauty of the outdoors, captured people’s imaginations. In 1972, “Rocky Mountain High” soared to number 4 on the charts.

Among his other endeavors was his award-winning membership in the Presidential Commission on World and Domestic Hunger.  Denver was also actively involved in The Cousteau Society, working closely with its founder, oceanographer Jacques Cousteau.  In fact, the 1975 hit song “Calypso” was composed in tribute to his friend’s storied research vessel and the royalties were donated to further ocean work.

You might say that these efforts fall firmly into the category of “consequential,” especially these days when climate and sustainability are on everyone’s mind. Decades before, Denver put his time and money where his mouth was.

It’s more than a little unjust to consider John Denver an innocuous nerd.  Still, if that’s the prevailing opinion, he was unquestionably one hell of a gifted geek.  And a guy who gave a damn.

—

This post was previously published on CultureSonar.

***

You Might Also Like These From The Good Men Project

Compliments Men Want to Hear More Often

Relationships Aren’t Easy, But They’re Worth It

The One Thing Men Want More Than Sex

..A Man’s Kiss Tells You Everything