Johnny Cash Talks Pill Addiction, God And Dressing In Black During Blank On Blank Interview

Johnny Cash Discusses Painkiller Addiction In Lost Interview
**FILE** Country music legend Johnny Cash, performs in Nashville, Tenn., in this 1996 file photo. A concert marking the 40th anniversary of Cash's famous concert at Folsom State Prison scheduled for Sunday, Jan. 13, 2008, has been scraped, with the prison and the promoter blaming each other for the cancellation. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey, File)
**FILE** Country music legend Johnny Cash, performs in Nashville, Tenn., in this 1996 file photo. A concert marking the 40th anniversary of Cash's famous concert at Folsom State Prison scheduled for Sunday, Jan. 13, 2008, has been scraped, with the prison and the promoter blaming each other for the cancellation. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey, File)

PBS' Blank on Blank series repurposes rare interviews with legendary figures using stop-motion animation. The latest superstar to get the treatment is Johnny Cash, whose 1996 interview with rock critic Barney Hoskyns finds the singer discussing the pill addiction he faced during his early career, why he dresses in black and whether he'd considered becoming a preacher.

"It's like an alcoholic," Cash said of his experience with pills. "He can't drink, and I can't take painkillers. I'm not very brave. For five years I didn't try to take them. I fought it. I have a total of 34 surgical procedures on my left jaw. Every doctor I've been to knows what to do next and to relieve me of pain. I don't believe any of them. I'm handling it. It's my pain. I'm not being brave either. I'm not brave at all. After what I've been through, I just know how to handle it."

Watch the revealing interview below.

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