Happy Birthday Willy Nelson

[Chaz Longue]

Last night's Willy Nelson's 70th birthday tv show was a hoot.
I dunno exactly why the lineup was as it was, but it was pretty amusing. Things were rolling along fairly smoothly (a high point early in the show was Willy and Paul Simon singing Simon's Homeward Bound) until Bill Clinton came on to tell a story about Willy. Things got weird from there. At one point Wycliffe Jean came on and did a reggae version of All The Women That I've Known Before, or whatever that song's called. - W.J. started "freestylin" about how "Willy Smokes More Weed Than Cheech and Chong" - Which was presumably a lot more interesting that if they'd trotted out Julio Iglesias to do it.
There was another singer who did a pretty amusing number he'd written for the occasion about how he'd "never get high on Willy's bus again" or words to that effect. Ali Mcgraw (!) appeared as an MC a coupla times. Ray Price sang. I didn't know Ray Price was alive, fer chrissakes.

Willy - here's a guy who is an ACE songwriter, has the oddest vocal phrasing this side of Jimmy Scott (even though he grew up liking Sinatra,) and who it seems to me listened a lot to Django. The Django influence on his guitar playing didn't hit me until I saw Willy Nelson live one time and then it seemed blindingly obvious. Has he mentioned this in interviews as he has his fondness for Sinatra?

Anybody catch the show?

cHaZ

[Monte Smith]

Missed the show, but love the guy.

The VH-1 Storytellers he did with Jonny Cash has an amusing vignette where Willy admits that "crazy" was not the first adjective that he used as the lyric for his famous song of that name. Originally, for a little while at least, the song declared, "Stupid. I'm stupid for feeling this lonely...."

Willy said he substituted "crazy" because it was more euphonious.

Happy birthday you great Texan!

[Chaz Longue]

Yeah - and I'll bet Krall hadn't heard a pedal steel in her band in a good long while.

Another odd moment: Kris Kristoferson and Sheryl Crow singing a duet of Me and Bobbi Mcgee on which he was nearly inaudible and all she could think to do was try to recreate every mannerism from the Joplin recording.

I sort of liked the Eric Clapton number, (Nightlife) and I'm not a Clapton fan.

And how about Leon Russell and Willie attempting to do that Leon Russell song? They both sort of just gave up and watchged Ray Charles. I was sure Willy Nelson was going to start weeping any moment just watching Ray Charles.

The shoulda had Junior Brown in the show. He'd have been fun.

[Chris D]

You're making me very sad I missed it.
Phases and stages, circles and cycles....
Is there some point that hole in the body of his guitar will cause the whole thing to implode as it loses structural integrity?

[Chaz Longue]

The guitar ("trigger" he calls it) has been rebuilt so it doesn't collapse. He probably plays a Godin thin body electric classical guitar at home when nobody's looking ;-)

How about the ZZ Top number? Them guys are lookin' a little crispy around the edges, eh?

[clinthopson]

They had recorded a duet of Willie and Norah Jones singing one of my son's songs, they cut it for a Waylon Jenning tune instead.

Fortunately, my son called me before the show started so we didn't have to suffer through two hours of shitkick.

[Ron Thorne]

Damn, I'm sorry I missed the show! Sounds like it was a hoot, alright.

Happy Birthday, Willie! Smoke 'em if you've got 'em.

[Monte Smith]

It is also Henry Kissinger's birthday today, I heard on NPR. He's 80. But where is his two hour televised musical tribute? Do you see ZZ Top performing an homage to him? Noooo.

[Squaredancecalling Steve]

Maybe the show'll make it to video and I catch up with it then. He's really carved out a unique place for himself in music, hasn't he? Did anybody do that great Townes van Zandt song, "Pancho and Lefty"? Willie's duet with Merle Haggard on that one is my favorite of all his records.



Pancho And Lefty

by Townes Van Zandt
Proofread and authorized by Jeanene Van Zandt


Living on the road my friend
Was gonna keep you free and clean
Now you wear your skin like iron
Your breath's as hard as kerosene
You weren't your mama's only boy
But her favorite one it seems
She began to cry when you said goodbye
And sank into your dreams

Pancho was a bandit boys
His horse was fast as polished steel
Wore his gun outside his pants
For all the honest world to feel
Pancho met his match you know
On the deserts down in Mexico
Nobody heard his dying words
That's the way it goes

All the federales say
They could have had him any day
They only let him hang around
Out of kindness I suppose

Lefty he can't sing the blues
All night long like he used to
The dust that Pancho bit down south
Ended up in Lefty's mouth
The day they laid poor Pancho low
Lefty split for Ohio
Where he got the bread to go
There ain't nobody knows

All the federales say
They could have had him any day
They only let him slip away
Out of kindness I suppose

The poets tell how Pancho fell
Lefty's livin' in a cheap hotel
The desert's quiet and Cleveland's cold
So the story ends we're told
Pancho needs your prayers it's true,
But save a few for Lefty too
He just did what he had to do
Now he's growing old

A few gray federales say
They could have had him any day
They only let him go so wrong
Out of kindness I suppose

[moneyp]

Originally posted by Chris D
You're making me very sad I missed it.
Phases and stages, circles and cycles....
Is there some point that hole in the body of his guitar will cause the whole thing to implode as it loses structural integrity?

It's on USA, so they'll probably re-run it a hundred times. Check your local listings.

[cookie]

Wish I had seen it. Willie's one of my all-time favorites and not just for his music.

Don't like his latest single "Beer for My Horses" so much though. Maybe it'll grow on me.

[Chaz Longue]

Hiya Squaredancecallin' Steve!

I love that song.

A long time ago I used to sing it.

Then I heard Townes Van Zant sing it.

Now I don't sing it.

cHaZ