Mr.Wizard
1,000+ Posts
The Link
There was an uncomfortable silence when the subject of Willie Nelson came up. The conversation was about the song Luckenbach, Texas. Waylon Jennings talked about Nelson's proposal that the two of them purchase the town. Jennings said he wouldn't if Nelson had anything to do with the bank or the town's finances. He called his old friend and Luckenbach duet partner a "crook."
I laughed.
"No, I'm not kidding," Jennings said.
Then the silence.
Jennings made a few complimentary concessions to Nelson's unique spirit. But he seemed deadly serious. He said he'd had his fill of business dealings with Nelson.
Seven years later, I brought up that conversation to another Nelson friend, Ray Price, who seemed convinced it was a joke.
"Waylon was pulling your leg," he said. "Willie's no crook. (Pause.) He's just surrounded by them."
Who knows who's right. Certainty would make Nelson less interesting.
He turns 75 today (some sources list his birthday as April 30, but most suggest he was born before midnight on the 29th), which seems remarkable given some of the myth and facts about his life. I could putter on about his discography, which I've owned in every format, from 45s and LPs to 8-tracks and cassettes to CDs and downloads.
There was an uncomfortable silence when the subject of Willie Nelson came up. The conversation was about the song Luckenbach, Texas. Waylon Jennings talked about Nelson's proposal that the two of them purchase the town. Jennings said he wouldn't if Nelson had anything to do with the bank or the town's finances. He called his old friend and Luckenbach duet partner a "crook."
I laughed.
"No, I'm not kidding," Jennings said.
Then the silence.
Jennings made a few complimentary concessions to Nelson's unique spirit. But he seemed deadly serious. He said he'd had his fill of business dealings with Nelson.
Seven years later, I brought up that conversation to another Nelson friend, Ray Price, who seemed convinced it was a joke.
"Waylon was pulling your leg," he said. "Willie's no crook. (Pause.) He's just surrounded by them."
Who knows who's right. Certainty would make Nelson less interesting.
He turns 75 today (some sources list his birthday as April 30, but most suggest he was born before midnight on the 29th), which seems remarkable given some of the myth and facts about his life. I could putter on about his discography, which I've owned in every format, from 45s and LPs to 8-tracks and cassettes to CDs and downloads.
