Smoking Willie

I have been a big fan of Willie Nelson since I’ve had ears. I don’t even listen to country that much but I listen to Willie every chance I get. I went out and bought a copy of his album Heroes, and was amazed and also amused to see that the second song down, Roll Me Up And Smoke Me, also included a diverse group of music  legends in Snoop Dog, Kris Kristofferson, and Jamey  Johnson.

This is one of the things that I have always liked about Willie Nelson is his ability to not only think way outside the box , but to be also able to throw the box away entirely  so as not to be trapped within set confines , be it musically or in his private life.

You can see the wisdom and contentment these days in Nelson’s eyes,  and when he is seen hand in hand with his wife Annie D’ Angelo;  his tax problems with the IRS seem to be a past crisis that has been put aside for the happier things in life.

Willie Nelson is still on tour like he was a young rock star rather than a country legend. He tours constantly to venues that vary from large stadiums to casinos and resorts, he of course is also a strong advocate of Farm Aid and played a live rendition of Roll Me Up And Smoke Me to a roaring thankful crowd in 2011.

I think Willie Nelson appeals to the rebel in all of us who envy his tireless perseverance throughout the years to absolutely not back down when face to face with established conformity. This idealistic stamina was again in play when Nelson was busted with marijuana in 2010 at the age of 77, on the way to his Texas ranch in Austin.

There has never been a blatant condoning of the use of hard drugs in his ideology, and he has not been perceived as such by the general public or his adoring fans. Willie Nelson seems to work his magic of standing by both his ideals and integrity when talking about his marijuana use that seems to justify our sympathies for him.

Whatever the magic Willie Nelson works on the hearts of Americans from all sorts of walks of life, age, and gender,  there is no doubt in my mind that it will keep on working long after he stops working. He is and always will be one of my favorite musicians of all time.