John Hinckley Jr., who attempted to assassinate President Ronald Reagan in 1981, is now trying to make his name as a country music singer.
Hinckley has been posting his original songs on YouTube for the past 10 months, but joined Spotify just this past week, a fact he noted on Twitter, which he also just joined.
Some of the titles, which are also on Apple Music and other streaming platforms, include “We Are Drifting on the Sea,” “The Majesty of Love” and “Roses and Laces.”
Most are just Hinckley and his guitar, but “We Have Got That Chemistry” was recorded with a full band. Although he doesn’t have the vocal chops of Merle Haggard or the songwriting prowess of Hank Williams, the songs are well-constructed and his voice sounds similar to that of the late alternative singer-songwriter Daniel Johnston.
None of the songs mention Hinckley’s shooting of Reagan, which hit the then-president in the lung and wounded three other people — including press secretary James Brady, who was partially paralyzed and ultimately died from the wound 33 years later, according to the Daily Beast. His 2014 death was ruled a homicide, but Hinckley was not charged.
Hinckley was found not guilty by reason of insanity in 1982 after arguing he was mentally ill and obsessed with the movie “Taxi Driver” and actor Jodie Foster, whom he had stalked.
Hinckley was held in psychiatric detention until 2016, when he was released to the care of his mother in Virginia, subject to court-imposed restrictions. Those restrictions were lifted this September after a federal judge found he had “no symptoms of active mental illness, no violent behavior and no interest in weapons since 1983,” according to an Associated Press report.
Hinckley avoided mentioning his past on Twitter, preferring to pontificate about his career goals and favorite country musicians.
Hinckley did not immediately respond to HuffPost’s request for comment.
As you might expect, news that a former would-be assassin is now attempting to pursue a music career attracted lots of attention, but few were exactly singing Hinckley’s praises.
You can see and hear Hinckley sing one of his originals below.
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