Do we ever talk about Willie Nelson?

He can't sing but he's a hell of a composer.

I don't mind his voice, R1, but then again I'm really only familiar with his bigger songs.

He's a great guy, an old, lovable pothead who was undoubtedly a terrible husband, but on the right side politically.

He has publicly endorsed gay marriage. He sang the theme to BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN. He sang at a Beto O'Rourke rally, undoubtedly angering many of his country-music deplorable fans, but Willie didn't care. His wife Annie is an ardent liberal.

The world will miss Willie when he's gone.

He has an amazing new duet with Barbra.

He appeared just the other day at a protest against Texas laws limiting voting rights. He’s a good guy.

He's done great work for agriculture with Farm Aid. He's a good man.

The grandmother of a girl I worked with years ago was a huge Willie fan. She was at death’s doorstep with some sort of cancer. Weighed next to nothing, in a wheelchair and bald from chemo. Anyway, the family was treating her to everything possible in her short time on Earth, one of those things being her first Willie Nelson concert. There was a picture of her backstage with him and she was even wearing a “Willie for President” pin. Naturally the family LOVED him for that and said she lit up like a Christmas tree talking to him. That and that alone make me love the man.

A great singer and musician. How is he faring these days?

His STARDUST album is excellent.

Oh, and he smoked weed on the roof of the White House!

[Quote] he smoked weed on the roof of the White House!

Did he?! That's awesome!

r3 Wow You learn something new every day! I had no idea Willie Nelson sang the theme tune to Brokeback Mountain.

Yes, he did - it was during Jimmy Carter's term, and in fact Carter's son Chip was with him!

Willie did NOT sing the theme to Brokeback Mountain. He included on his Lost Highway album a tune called "Ain’t Goin' Down on Brokeback Mountain," which has these problematic lyrics:

Why, I've been up the Chisholm Trail

Been through Death Valley hot as hell

I rode across the dusty plains

There's cowboy runnin' through my veins

But, I ain't goin' down on Brokeback Mountain

No, I ain't goin' down on Brokeback Mountain

That shit ain't right (that shit ain't right)

That shit ain't right (that shit ain't right)

Why, I've watched the herd from dusk 'til dawn

But I did it with my britches on

You can have a chew, you can bum a smoke

But, don't go reachin' for my rope

I ain't goin' down on Brokeback Mountain

No, I ain't goin' down on Brokeback Mountain

That shit ain't right (that shit ain't right)

That shit ain't right (that shit ain't right)

What you do is your business, Hoss

You can buy me a beer and then buck off!

But, I ain't goin' down on Brokeback Mountain

No, I ain't goin' down on Brokeback Mountain

That shit ain't right (that shit ain't right)

That shit ain't right (that shit ain't right) [etc.]

But on the same album, he also sang “Cowboys Are Frequently, Secretly Fond of Each Other,” which contains the lyrics:

Well, there's many a strange impulse out on the plains of West Texas

There's many a young boy who feels things he can't comprehend

And a small town don't like it when somebody falls between sexes

No, a small town don't like it when a cowboy has feelings for men

And I believe to my soul that inside every man, there's the feminine

And inside every lady, there's a deep manly voice loud and clear

Well, a cowboy may brag about things that he's done with his women

But the ones who brag loudest are the ones that are most likely queer

Cowboys are frequently secretly fond of each other

Say, what do you think all them saddles and boots was about?

And there's many a cowboy who don't understand the way that he feels for his brother

And inside every cowboy, there's a lady that'd love to slip out

And there's always somebody who says what the others just whisper

And mostly that someone's the first one to get shot down dead

So when you talk to a cowboy, don't treat him like he was a sister

You can't fuck with a lady that's sleepin' in each cowboy's head

Cowboys are frequently secretly fond of each other

What do you think all them saddles and boots was about?

And there's many a cowboy who don't understand the way that he feels for his brother

And inside every lady, there's a cowboy that wants to come out

And inside every cowboy, there's a lady that'd love to slip out

Is Willie homophobic? Who knows?

R13 how is this homophobic?

[quote] That shit ain't right (that shit ain't right)

Did you even read the lyrics?

Cool Water

Here's what he said in 2013.

Willie also recorded "Cowboys are frequently, secretly fond of each other".

Willie's always been on the right side of history. He took part in the Rally for Voting Rights in Austin last week.

My favorite Willie quote; "I wish the young people today would take good care of this planet they're going to leave to me and Keith Richards."

As long as you don't care about hearing him sing live now, he's a cool guy. I wish I'd seen him 30 years ago.

I thought he'd be loaded from his song catalog alone, but didn't he have tax troubles for a long time?

Willie recorded a lovely rendition of “He was a Friend of Mine” for the Brokeback Mountain soundtrack.

Patsy did well by him.

Willie donated $10K to Beto O'Rourke's fundraising drive for the Texas democrats who broke quorum and went to DC to stop a voter suppression bill. Beto's raised $700K so far to cover their flights and living expenses.

He was interviewed for Terry Gross' NPR Fresh Air program, in 1996 and 2006 and other times as well I think. He's an interesting guest, very quick with a thoughtful answer on anything related to music, with expansive interests as you might guess.

He has 25 #1 hits and 337 published songs or more. Gross likes to ask musical guests to "redeem" a song thats underappreciated; in his case she asked about overlooked songs or songs that he wasn't quite happy with and he could immediately launch into decades old songs changing lyrics and music as he spoke. He's very impressive, a d equally humble and soft spoken and gracious.

And I love a good broken voice.

He's an fantastic musicians and a pretty good person to boot. I've been lucky enough to see him in concert about half a dozen times and hope to again.

He’s a national fucking treasure.

Fun fact: when the city of Austin unveiled his statue at the Moody Theatre (where ACL tapes), it was at 4:20 PM on…yes…4/20.

he certainly is a good advertisement for pot - the man's 88 and still going strong

Willie had an affair with Amy Irving when she was married to Spielberg.

Red Headed Stranger is great.

R13 Nelson recorded a version of the traditional folk song "He Was A Friend Of Mine" for the "Brokeback" soundtrack. It's my favorite offering on the album (outside of the gorgeous, Oscar-winning score). And for the record: it was NOT written by Bob Dylan (who did at one time do his own version).

This reminds me off-hand that Dolly wrote "Jolene" & "I Will Always Love You" IN THE SAME DAY.

He loves giving oral sex to the ladies.

I learned about Willie, and the history of country music, from Ken Burns’ documentary Country Music in America. I was very impressed with Willie, because he left the Nashville music machine, and all its pressure to conform, behind - it wasn’t right for the music he wanted to write and perform.

Wow, I'm surprised there are so many responses here and to learn all this. I thought Willie Nelson would be someone on a "People DL Will Never Discuss" thread.

Seven Spanish Angels with Ray Charles is amaaazeballs.

Love Willie. Pot smoker. For gay rights. Voted for Biden. Hates Trump. Records with Babs. Stars in movies with Jane Fonda and Dyan Cannon. Records duets with Dolly.

He's almost a DLer!

Lots of love and respect to Willie.

Love Willie, right up there with Johnny Cash and Dolly for national treasures

At the Austin Voting Rights rally, Willie sang We Shall Overcome with Bishop Barber, Beto O'Rourke and LBJ's daughter Luci.

Can’t have a Willie thread without this!

I actually don't think Willie's a bad singer at all - maybe not on the level of Jones or Haggard, but his singing and guitar playing both have a jazzy phrasing that's totally unique to him. He played with the same band for decades so they all developed a really comfortable groove. He was one of the first guys to establish that you could be a country star without conforming to the Nashville establishment.

Now Kristofferson - he was a pretty bad singer. He showed up on that Joni Mitchell tribute a few years ago singing "A Case of You" with Brandi Carlile and it was just painful. Good songwriter and actor though, and he was a great presence in the Ken Burns doc. Like Willie, he brought some of the 60s counterculture into country music.

What's the best Willie song? Any standouts that you guys like?

Though named for penis slang, he looks more like the hairy yak

Loretta and Willie's likely swan song together...

every time I go for a long drive, I've always got On the Road Again playing on a loop in my head whether I want it to or not

He stole my life!

R41

Whiskey River Blue Eyes Cryin’ in the Rain Pancho and Lefty On the Road Again

His sons are pretty talented too.

Waylon Jennings stole my life!

They should play this on July 4 instead of the puke fest Proud to Be An American!

Willie wrote "Crazy". At first, Patsy Cline declined the offer because she wasn't gonna sing a corny song with that statement, "I'm crazy", in it. Cline made that corny song perfection with her phrasing.

Willie Nelson's speaking voice is monotone.

I love Willie. It will be a very sad day when we lose him.

Me and Willie go way back.

His eldest son Billy hung himself on Christmas Day or Christmas Eve while living in Tennessee . This was either 1990 or 1991.

We must be really getting old!!

In OP photo Willy almost looks 'interesting'

What's the last thing you want to hear while blowing Willie Nelson?

"I'm not Willie Nelson."

Some songs he wrote were "On The Road Again", "Night Life", "Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain", "Always On My Mind". Willie wrote a butt load of songs. I think he is a much better song writer than anything else.

My dad was friends with him in the 1970s. He was a guest at my 8th birthday party and sang a song.

That's cool. Nice memory for you. Do you remember what he sang?

R58 "If You've Got the Money, Honey, I've Got the Time". I vaguely remember it.

I really wish we had smart phones back then and someone recorded it.

That's one I remember. Great song. Mom would sing it.

And if you've got the money honey and I've got the time We'll go honky tonkin' and we'll have a time We'll have more fun baby all the way down the line If you've got the money honey and I've got the time There ain't no need to teary' lets start out tonight We'll have fun oh boy, oh boy and we'll do it right Bring along your Cadillac leave my old wreck behind And if you've got the money honey and I've got the time Now we'll go honky tonkin' make every spot in town And we'll go to the park where it's dark and we won't fool around But you run short of money and I'll run short of time And you got no more money honey and I've no more time If you've got the money honey and I've got the time And we'll go honky tonkin' and we'll have a time And we'll have more fun baby all the way down the line If you've got the money honey, I've got the time

Producers wanted the movie's hairdresser to chop Willie's locks when he played Doc Holliday in Stagecoach.

She wasn't comfortable with that and said to him "what do you think about it?" and he agreed that it was a bad idea. I think maybe they compromised and that's when he had a mullet for a while.

They married in 1991 and are still together.

This is from his Wikipedia entry. Some Crazy stuff.

[quote]Nelson has been married four times and has seven children. His first marriage was to Martha Matthews from 1952 to 1962. The couple had three children: Lana, Susie, and Willie "Billy" Hugh, Jr. The latter killed himself in 1991. The marriage was marked by violence, with Matthews assaulting Nelson several times, including one incident when she sewed him up in bedsheets and beat him with a broomstick.

[quote]Nelson's next marriage was to Shirley Collie in 1963. The couple divorced in 1971, after Collie found a bill from the maternity ward of a Houston hospital charged to Nelson and Connie Koepke for the birth of Paula Carlene Nelson. Nelson married Koepke the same year, and they had another daughter, Amy Lee Nelson.

[quote]Following a divorce in 1988, he married his current wife, Annie D'Angelo, in 1991. They have two sons, Lukas Autry and Jacob Micah.

Here's a fun song about Wilie

My favorite.

He did a great cover of a Pet Shop Boys song, not as good as the original though...

"Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground", at r63.

*sigh*

Haven't we all been, at one time or another, the "Angel"? Or, the Rescuer?

Willie and Amy Irving started their affair while filming Honeysuckle Rose and continued for quite some time well after his current marriage.

Yes r65, both. It's heartbreaking to be on either side.

A truly great Texan, beloved by deplorables and decent people alike.

My favorite Willie Nelson song is "The Troublemaker," which is about Vietnam War protestors but also clearly about the story of Jesus. It's amazing.

Annie Nelson is a Facebook friend of mine - a staunch and vocal liberal.

I always thought it would be so strange to be a family member of a famous musician like Willie or Mick Jagger - guys that go on an on siring kids into their dotage.

What must it be like to have 10 half-siblings, some of whom you may have never met, or a brother or sister 50 years younger than you are, or an half-uncle half- aunt decades your junior?

But in Willie's case, all his kids really seem to love and adore him.

Is he still with us?

I heard Annie Nelson owned or was part owner of a Montesorri school near Spicewood, TX. I believe that is where her and Willie's boys got their education.

I love going to his shows.

R50, the way Willie tells it on the MTV Storytellers album he did with Johnny Cash the lyric was “Stupid.” Patsy hated it and changed it to “Crazy”.

I love when he talks about switching to pot and says even Hitler quit drinking because it made him too damn mean

He's okay, but he kind of gives me the willies.

With Beto & his kid on the 4th

Q: What looks like a vagina with teeth? A: Willie Nelson's beard.

He’s been recording like 2-3 albums per year since the ‘60s.

Indefatigable.

Willie Nelson and his two young sons singing "Can I Sleep In Your Arms?". The song, written by Hank Cochran, shares its melody with the traditional cowboy song "Red River Valley".

Aretha sang the hell out of Night Life!

Willie Nelson and his sons singing "Healing Hands of Time"

His son Lukas was the lead in the band in a Star is Born. I thought he was cute.

There was a fun episode of Monk featuring Willie.

His son Lukas wrote the song, "Turn Off The News And Build a Garden".

I was in my early 20s and was having a hot and heavy affair with a married man / we took a road trip and spent a few nights together .... he played red heaade stranger, phases and stages and the outlaws on the 8 track. / 1976. Its been 50 years almost, and I still miss that guy. He died of HIV. Anyway, Willie still gets me horny.

Great Live 1979 Concert. Willie co billed with Leon Russel / both at their peak / 2 hour audio only