She Likes to Watch

I talked to the ’70s icon about music, movies and being a star

Who is Kris Kristofferson?

A country icon? An acclaimed singer-songwriter? A screen idol? Whatever he is, he’s most certainly a star.

Kristofferson made his big break into film in 1971 with Dennis Hopper’s “The Last Movie.” He played the title role in the crime drama “Cisco Pike,” appeared in two Sam Peckinpah films (“Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid” and “Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia”) and teamed up with Martin Scorsese for “Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.”

But it was Kristofferson’s turn in the 1976 remake of “A Star Is Born” cemented his career as an actor. He won a Golden Globe for his role as a washed-up rock star who falls in love with a beautiful, talented singer on her way up (Barbra Streisand).

Hollywood saw his star fall with 1980’s disastrous “Heaven’s Gate” and rise again in 1996 with John Sayles’ “Lone Star.” Kristofferson’s more recent roles include the “Blade” trilogy, “Planet of the Apes,” “The Jacket” and “Fast Food Nation.”

According to Kristofferson, acting came naturally.

“I didn’t pay my dues in that field at all. I hadn’t been hanging around Hollywood trying to get work,” Kristofferson told The Tribune earlier this month. “The next thing I knew, I was working with people like Sam Peckinpah and Martin Scorsese and Barbra Streisand. Just looking back on it, it seems pretty amazing, almost like something you make up.”

Kris Kristofferson performs tonight at the Performing Arts Center in a solo show that features both his classic tunes (“Me and Bobby McGee,” “Help Me Make It Through the Night”) and newer material.

You can read the bulk of my interview with Kristofferson here.

Below are some tidbits that didn’t make it to the printed page:

Do you have any favorite memories from your time as a member of The Highwaymen? (He started the country supergroup with Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson.)

I have all kinds of memories. Waylon and I were always battling about political things but we all respected each other and I can’t right now think of any of the funny things but we were laughing hard all the time.

Willie and I still laugh. Of course, he’s one of the funniest human beings on the planet.

I’ve heard that your beard inspired Willie Nelson’s.

Not just Willie’s. Everybody’s.

In those days nobody had any beards back in the day. I was on the road and I got pneumonia and I had to go to the hospital and just let it grow. The girl I was going out with at the time said it made me look like Warren Beatty, so I said “Wow! That’s great.” So I just kept it.

And it happed that they were doing a magazine cover story on me and they called it “the new face of country music.” And the next thing you know, Waylon, Willy and all those guys were growing beards.

Why do you think they did that?

I think they did it ‘cause they wanted to. Because they could. They’re not really followers, those guys.

When I went into Nashville you had to be clean cut. And people wore those Nudie suits. And all of the sudden, we found out you didn’t knew to. Then they became the guys who were identified as the outlaw movement. I went my own way and spoke my own words and they did as well.

How is your current tour as a solo artist going?

Something is working. For about the last five or six years, I’ve just been (touring) without a band – just my guitar and harmonica. It puts a focus on the songs that seems to be working. Also, the things I’m singing about, more people have been exposed to the same things I was complaining about before…

What do you mean?

When I was first complaining about what our government was doing down in Nicaragua, there weren’t so many people who were receptive to that. I think more people are against our preemptive military strikes today than in that day, because we’ve seen it happen more.

I think it’s always been my feeling that my responsibility was to tell the truth as I see it. If I were just a poet I’d be doing it that way, or a novelist or whatever. I’ve always felt that I just had to be telling the truth whether it was popular or not. (laughs)

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Kris Kristofferson performs tonight at 8 p.m. at the Cohan Center, 1 Grand Ave. in San Luis Obispo. Call 805-756-2787 or visit the PAC’s Web site for more information.

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Photo courtesy of KrisKristofferson.com.