I don’t know about you but one of the things I love about John Mellencamp (aside from the fact that he seems to have a perpetual chip on his shoulder) 😉 is that he’s stayed close to his roots (after the ‘Johnny Cougar’ NYC experiment that wasn’t his idea in the first place).
And I actually think his song writing got better with age.
Here he is, in all his bibbed overalls glory, reluctantly accepting the Woody Guthrie Prize.
The prize is given annually to an artist who:
 best exemplifies the spirit and life work of Guthrie by speaking for the less fortunate through music, film, literature, dance or other art forms and serving as a positive force for social change in America.
I can think of no one more deserving than you Mr. Mellancamp.