I was really pleased to get this drawing back I drew of the absolute legend, Kris Kristofferson – singer, songwriter, musician, actor, Rhodes Scholar, army vet and all round good guy. Winner of the numerous Grammys, a Golden Globe, BAFTA and Oscar nominated, the seventy-nine year old played his only London gig on his early 2016 tour at the Union Chapel in Islington last Thursday evening. I did hover about, mid-afternoon with the hope of getting it signed in person, but time was against me so left it with a nice lady in the office who said she would make sure Kris got it. The Union Chapel working church  and an award-winning venue they call ‘the amazing space’. It was in good hands.

Back in 1991 when Kris was part of the country music supergroup, ‘The Highwaymen‘ along with Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson and Johnny Cash they performed in New Zealand’s capital Wellington. I happened to ‘stumble’ upon Johnny and Kris in a cafe… and I just so happened to have a caricature of the group on my personage, which they were both happy to sign and take back to their nearby hotel to get Willie and Waylon to do the same… as the legend goes.

His 90 minute acoustic set at the Chapel covered 30 songs. Reviews used the words ‘magnetising’, ‘sumptuous’ and ‘timeless’. One of my all-time favourite lines is from his hit which opened the evening, ” Freedom’s just another word for nothing left to lose”. It’s seems to be Kris’ guiding mantra. On his tombstone he wants three lines from Leonard Cohen’s ‘Bird On The Wire’ inscribed,
“Like a bird on the wire
Like a drunk in the choir
I have tried in my way to be free.”

If you’re free and in Dublin, Kris is playing the Olympia for the next three nights.