Willie Nelson: The Outlaw

by Graeme Thomson, Keith Richards (Introduction)

With a face that wouldn't look out of place carved into Mount Rushmore, Willie Nelson has done and seen it all. A dope-smoking, whisky-drinking, latter-day cowboy with Native American blood, four wives, and seven children, Nelson has a career that spans half a century of American music. In this revealing, intimate, and insightful biography, Graeme Thomson goes beyond the myths, talking with Nelson himself, his band, and those who know him best to discover the real Willie Nelson. Nelson's life has been a journey of incredible highs and crashing lows. The armfuls of awards, huge record sales, famous friends, and creation of Farm Aid and his annual Fourth of July picnics have been achieved in the shadow of his mother's early desertion, penury, three turbulent marriages, drug busts, drinking, bankruptcy, and his son's suicide. This biography brilliantly describes a complex, compelling man, whose life and music reveal and reflect something fundamental at the very heart of 20th-century America, explaining along the way why Willie Nelson is nothing short of a living legend.

Genres: Music, Biography

272 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

Reviews

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Judge the artist or the art ?

He's written great songs ("Hello, Walls", "Crazy"), had a bunch of marriages, a bunch of kids, and some high old times.

He's been a pretty poor husband - but then a musician who spends most of his time on the road (and puts his career first) is rarely going to be an ideal husband.

Best anecdote from the wild bunch in Nashville - Roger Miller (famous for "King Of The Road" amongst others") advises the rest of the party to make sure they keep their pills in a different pocket from their change "because I just swallowed a quarter".

The art is sublime, and Willie is still ramblin' on. This is a reasonable book on a great artist, with an awkward recurring undertow of how badly he has treated his ex-wives and children. I would rather have had more road anecdotes.

[Anni Kramer · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting biography of a vibrant personality in the entertainment world. The book about the life of country and western singer Willie Nelson was an eye-opener, both regarding his work and the period during his heyday. The book is well-constructed, spattered with statements made by various people and by Willie Nelson himself. I found out some surprising elements in his life (like his enormous generosity) and some less desirable elements (like his attitude towards the women in his life and towards his children), but all in all, Nelson comes across as a deep human being, with weaknesses and enormous talents. There is a tendency to forgive him his weaknesses and chaos, like his failure to declare his earnings, resulting in a 16 millions dollar debt to the IRS (which he apparently paid back in due time). But the book makes no attempt to hide anything and offers an honest opinion about any less desirable traits of Nelson's character.
Not a great literal achievement, but an interesting account of a well-known artist, and certainly worth reading.

[East Bay J · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've read a Willie bio or two in my time, so I'm pretty familiar with the story. Willie Nelson: The Outlaw stands apart, more or less, because it avoids mythologizing its subject. Thompson is not afraid to question the morality of Nelson's choices, the poor judgement in many of his decisions. Although the tone is somewhat gossipy at times, the end result is a far more human portrait of Willie Nelson than I've seen put forth elsewhere. He's an amazing songwriter with a whole mess of mediocre albums, a pothead who used to be a mean drunk, a man full of love and an semi-absentee father. Thompson pays Nelson no disrespect in being honest about his story but he doesn't pull a lot of punches.

There were little things, minor errors that could have been avoided through research. Like, Yakima, Washington is not "right on the Pacific coast," it's hours away (page 7). Chicago is in Illinois, not Michigan (page 45). "Smokin' In The Boys Room" was a Brownsville Station song, not an Aerosmith song (page 189). I can't help but question the veracity of other information presented in a book with even these small errors.

All the same, I came away from this book with what I feel is a better sense of who Willie Nelson is. As I said, the portrait is more human and it's easier to relate to a man than a legend. Willie may be both but it's the man that made the legend, with a little help from his friends.

[Pete daPixie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The music of Willie Nelson has never been up high on my playlist. Country music had a definite lack of cool back in the days of my musical youth. Only comparatively recently has the sound of Lucinda Williams tempted me to join the good ole boys, with the exception of short sojourns into Gram Parsons, Dead and Byrds fayre.
So the life and career of Nelson was largely a blank prior to reading Graeme Thomson's 2006 publication of 'The Outlaw'. Perhaps Nelson is as close as anyone can get to the shape shifting and never ending tours of Bob Dylan. Through six decades 'the outlaw', red-necked Texan cowboy, part native American, dope smokin' hippie, has rode his own trail. With a rebel yell, four marriages, seven children, a son's suicide, whisky, more grass than the Ponderosa, an IRS tax bust the size of a small country, Farm Aid and perhaps the only person in the world to have smoked a big one on the roof of the White House!
Thomson has written a good biography. The text is interspersed with contributions from the man himself, family members, fellow musicians, band members etc., so much so, the author almost vanishes at times, but this is still a definitive and well written account. Along with his battered old Martin, 'Trigger', Nelson looks like he should have retired way back, but with various substances added, he's got it flowing in the blood.

[Steve · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well researched and written biog benefitting from (a little) face time the author had with the great man himself and separately, with many of his friends and acquaintances. Written by someone who comes across as a fan, although in truth the occasional slightly syrupy descriptions of his work are more than balanced by honest descriptions of Nelsons weaknesses and failings, the serial adulteries, tax evasion, hard drinking and dope smoking. Bit of a slog towards the end for the non country music lovers.

[Justin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting and sad. Willie seems like he was ridden hard and put away wet for most of his life. But what a great musician. It's hard to believe his career spanned so many decades, from just getting by in the 50's, to being a jobber musician thru the 60's and 70's, and finally having money when he got a bit older, only to find the problems are never over.

[Kitty · Rating 3 out of 5]

You have to admire a man who garnered as much popularity as he has over the years and who "did it his way". He's really worked at his music, it's not just standing up and singing. But he's not without flaws and those, too, are revealed. Very balanced biography.

[Ian]

Recommended

[Renee' Williams]

Excellent