I never had strong feelings about John Denver or his music. "Country Roads" is a decent song. "Leaving on a Jet Plane" isn't bad. I never bothered to catch him performing in an era when I saw almost everyone perform. His voice was a bit shrill. As for his acting chops, Elvis probably wasn't jealous. In his movies, Denver generally managed to come off as likable. I guess that's a talent in itself — the major talent of several stars. But I doubt there will ever be a John Denver film festival.

His career raced from budding talent to success to genuine star. Just as quickly, he became something of a parody of himself — and, unfortunately, of the values he was rightly or wrongly associated with. Those of us who might have related to "Rocky Mountain High" were hardly fans of gun violence, but we laughed when Doonesbury's Uncle Duke, hungover in Aspen, heard Denver singing next door and reached for his shotgun.

Then there was all that gas Denver hoarded during a gas crisis. "Thank God I'm a Country Boy" was a hit, but not with his country neighbors in his wildfire-prone area. They were livid at the potential gas firebomb. And how "country" was Aspen, anyway? Denver's songs told stories, but the stories didn't exactly resonate like "Hamlet" or "Remembrance of Things Past" or "Horton Hears a Who!"

People like to point out that after stockpiling gas, Denver died when his plane ran out of fuel. Not quite. The plane — homebuilt, but not by Denver — had had two small gas tanks. One was almost empty. Witnesses heard the engine sputter. The other tank was full. But the fuel selector that switched tanks was unmarked and weirdly positioned behind the pilot's left shoulder. The NTSB concluded Denver lost control trying to twist around to work it. The plane plunged into the ocean.

He'd been warned about the fuel system. It was a stupid, senseless way to die. I suppose those of us who've never done anything dumb enough to get ourselves killed might take comfort in that. It certainly wouldn't be the kind of thing they might do. I couldn't say, not being one of those people. My stupidity has almost killed me so often, I'd be convinced it was working for the other side — if there actually was another side.

My verdict on John Denver — not that anyone has ever asked — is that he was a reasonably talented journeyman singer, songwriter and performer. One who got a lot of success out of a limited amount of ability. That's another talent in itself. And more power to him. "Ain't much a country boy can't hack." Though flying could certainly present issues.

Still, journeyman songwriter or not, John Denver wrote a line which, to me (a not exactly widely accepted authority), is as good as any line ever written. Anywhere. By Anyone — Shakespeare, Proust or Dr. Seuss. How many people can make that claim? Singing of natural beauty in "Rocky Mountain High":

"Talk to God and listen to the Casual Reply."

To me - a spiritual skeptic that I am — that line is damn close to perfect. You know exactly what it means, and at the same time, you're not quite sure what it means. Which strikes me as an excellent definition of mysticism. Poetically, it says far more than the meaning of the words. "Talk to God and listen to the Casual Reply."

I don't envy John Denver's success. I've been luckier myself than I ever had any right to expect. I do envy his musical talent. Not of the first order, perhaps. But not bad. I'd love to be a musician — even a far less talented one. I think I write because I can't play music. Music is the best thing. Like sex, it's direct communication. Writing is at least once removed. (That's why you might not be sure exactly what I mean by "once removed.") Nothing I ever write is likely to affect as many people as deeply as any number of John Denver's songs.

Then there's that one line: "Talk to God and Listen to the Casual Reply." Damn, I sure as hell envy him that.

Check out Barry Maher's dark humor supernatural thriller, "The Great Dick: And the Dysfunctional Demon" on Amazon. Sign up for his Substack at www.barrymaher.com.

To find out more about Barry Maher and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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