Three-time Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Kris Kristofferson takes five with Newcastle Weekly ahead of his Australian tour with The Strangers, showing at the Civic Theatre on Sunday 29 September.
1. What are you anticipating most about returning to Australia?
Australian audiences are special to me and we’ve had great audiences there. They’re always looking forward to us coming; the last tour was in 2014 and I think we played to full houses just about everywhere.
2. What is it about playing live and travelling that inspires you to keep doing it?
Playing with Merle Haggard’s band, The Strangers, has brought new life into the tours. It’s fun for me to have a band on stage with me again, especially Merle’s band.
3. You won a Golden Globe for your role in the original A Star is Born in 1976. What did you think of the remake?
I think it holds up. It was popular with people; I can still look at it today and feel good about it. I love the remake and think Bradley Cooper, Lady Gaga and Lukas [Nelson] all did a great job with the story and music.
4. Your songs have been covered by everyone from Janis Joplin and Elvis Presley to Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson. Do you have a favourite cover of any of your songs?
I love all of them. For the Good Times, the Ray Price song; I think that was the first I remember when he cut it. A lot of them happened around the same time there. Sammy Smith cut Help Me Make it Through the Night, and Johnny Cash was doing his television show at the time and did Sunday Morning Coming Down, and used the recording from the television show. Then, Roger Miller did Bobby McGee and I never had to work again.
(Note: Kristofferson’s answers have been abbreviated for publication.)
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