An Epic Life:Willie Nelson

An Epic Life: Willie Nelson ( A biography by Joe Nick Patoski, published in 2008)

I’m always game for a good biography. This one stretches for about 500 pages, but it’s worth every word. Patoski must have poured months and months of work into the volume which contains extensive detail and numerous quotes from direct interviews. As a country music fan, I find the life of Willie Nelson and his interactions with other greats like Merle Haggard, Kris Kristofferson and Waylon Jennings as gripping as any thriller novel I've read. This book brings to life the songs I've grown to love over the last few years, and introduces me to songs I've yet to hear.

The world that Patoski reconstructs is so distant from my time and my life that I can’t help but see it as some grand, incredibly strange and chaotic fantastic land, where people play their music like it’s their life, and live their lives like they've got nothing to lose. When I see how hard Willie Nelson worked to get where he is, all those years he spent struggling to get to the top and to get creative freedom, it makes me ashamed of how lazy I can get when it comes to my writing.

I’m awestruck by the way Willie Nelson has lived and still lives. He’s not afraid to hit the road, to go where he wants to go, or to do what he wants. Although I may not agree with his excessive use marijuana, or his numerous marriages, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that he is anti-war, and an advocate for peace. Around the time that country star Toby Keith wrote his fiery and highly offensive “Courtesy of the Red White and Blue,” which supported America’s so called right to kick everybody’s ass, Willie wrote, “What Happened to Peace on Earth?” a song pleasantly reminiscent of the peace anthems of the 60’s and 70’s.

I also found myself in awe of how many albums he’s recorded and how often he to hit the studio. I admire his dedication to music in its pure form. For Willie Nelson, it’s not about loud drums and guitars.  He doesn't record fluff songs to make it to the top. It’s about his voice, the bare beauty of just a few instruments, and the story.

With so many shallow songs on the radio these days, I can appreciate the music of Willie Nelson. Reading this book brought the ideals of music closer and made them clearer to me. I have loved Willie’s music, but now I respect him as a dedicated artist. With the recent passing of George Jones, I've begun to wonder if I will ever get the chance to see the greats, like Willie Nelson, before they play their final songs. It’s something to think about. As Eric Church says in one of his songs, “we've still got a lot of boot left to fill.”