In all my years of crafting mix tapes, I’ve only ever included one Willie Nelson song: Half a Man. He’s usually associated with “tear in my beer” country music (I grew up with it, but I also grew up in Massachusetts, so…), but this one’s a real gem. Go listen to it and tell me that it isn’t smart and timeless and a little bit funny and a little bit sad. Because it is.
This prompted me to do a little internet sleuthing on ol’ Shotgun Willie (I just googled him. Don’t tell my coworkers. It was…inelegant). Anyhow, there are a million interviews with Willie Nelson detailing his storied career and tragic personal life, his extracurricular activities, and his issues with the IRS. Easy enough to find. But then I found this. It’s a documentary about his guitar, Trigger.
Please enjoy:
Put yourself on the hold list for his forthcoming biography, It’s A Long Story: My Life, or pick up some of his very excellent albums (and some of them are on vinyl, if you’re so inclined) at the library, or check out the offerings on Hoopla.
