Willie Nelson keeps living the life he loves at 92. 'I'm not through with it yet'
Willie Nelson's 90th birthday celebration at the Hollywood Bowl could have been mistaken for a retirement party.
But two years later at 92, he's working as much as ever. Not that retirement would look much different. The life he loves is making music with his friends, even after outliving so many dear ones.
Nelson will be on the road again with Bob Dylan when the Outlaw Music Festival resumes for the second leg of its 10th year starting on June 20 in Clarkston, Michigan
Asked if he'd ever like his life to get the feature film treatment that Dylan did last year with 'A Complete Unknown, ' Nelson said, 'I've heard some talk about it. But I'm not through with it yet.'
Nelson spoke to The Associated Press in a phone interview from Hawaii's Oahu.
'Bob's a good friend,' Nelson said. 'And I'll be glad to let him headline.'
The tour is one part of a loaded year. It'll lead right up to the 40th anniversary of Farm Aid in September. This spring, Nelson released his 77th studio album. And he's added a new THC tonic, Willie's Remedy, to his wide world of weed products.
An all-Crowell album
Nelson has always loved singing the songs of his friends as much as if not more than the ones he writes himself. In 1979, he released 'Willie Nelson Sings Kristofferson,' a full album of the work of his friend Kris Kristofferson, who died last year.
He has similar love for the songs of his friend Rodney Crowell. Nelson has long performed Crowell's 'Til I Gain Control Again,' which he called 'one of the best country songs that I think I've ever heard.' Now he's released a whole album of Crowell tunes, 'Oh What a Beautiful World.'
'So far he hasn't written one that I don't like,' Nelson said.
The album comes on the 50th anniversary of 'Red Headed Stranger,' the album that many consider Nelson's masterpiece. A breakthrough for him at age 42, it took him from respected journeyman to beloved superstar.
Nelson said he's already begun work on album number 78, but declines to share its direction.
Willie's Family band, old and new, still with no set list
As Nelson returns to the road, the only surviving member of the classic lineup of his Family band is Mickey Raphael, 73, whose harmonica has duetted for decades with the Willie warble.
Bassist Bee Spears died in 2011. Guitarist and backup singer Jody Payne died in 2013. Drummer Paul English died in 2020. And Nelson's sister Bobbie Nelson, his only sibling and his piano player, died in 2022.
But the band he takes on the road now is just as familial in its own way. It often includes his sons Lukas and Micah. English's brother Billy plays the drums. The son of Payne and singer Sammi Smith, Waylon Payne, plays guitar.
They collectively keep up with Nelson's wants and whims on stage. One thing the live show never includes is a set list. He refuses to use them. Band members — and sound guys, and lighting guys — have to stay on their toes and be ready for anything.
'I'd rather play it off the top of my head, because I can read the crowd pretty good,' Nelson said. 'They jump in there.'
The list-less set lately has included classics like 'Whiskey River' (always the opener, no guessing to be done there,) and 'Bloody Mary Morning' along with newer adoptees like Tom Waits' 'Last Leaf,' a song that perfectly expresses Nelson's survivor status.
'I'm the last leaf on the tree,' Nelson sings in the song that leads his 2024 album of the same name. 'The autumn took the rest, but it won't take me.'
'My son Micah found that for me,' Nelson said. 'I really love the song, and the audience likes it, it's one of the real good ones.'
He's also been performing songs written by Micah, who records and performs as Particle Boy.
One favorite, 'Everything Is B- - - - - -t,' seems to stand in contrast to the gospel standards like 'I'll Fly Away' and 'Will The Circle Be Unbroken' that he often plays a few minutes later. Willie disagrees.
'It's all gospel,' he says with a laugh.
Farm Aid turns 40
September will bring the 40th anniversary addition of Farm Aid, the annual festival to support family farmers, which Nelson founded with Neil Young and John Mellencamp, He performs there annually. It was inspired by one-off charity concerts like 'Live Aid,' but became an annual institution, rotating each year to a different farm-adjacent city. It's in Minneapolis this year.
Asked his favorite, he said, 'They've all been good, for different reasons. The first one was great, the last one was great.'
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Runners in inflatable animal costumes are sprinting about a quarter mile (less than half a kilometer) around the square. There's also a cast party, a parade, and a scavenger hunt, among other events. Keene gets picked thanks to coffee craving Based on the 1981 children's book by Chris Van Allsburg about a mysterious jungle adventure board game, the movie version of 'Jumanji' is set in the fictional small town of Brantford, New Hampshire. Veteran location manager Dow Griffith was crisscrossing New England in search of the right spot. A coffee lover who grew up in Seattle, he recalled feeling desperate one day for a good brew. He was a bit east of Keene at the time, and someone suggested a shop that was near the square. 'I took my cherished cup of double dry cappuccino out to the front porch, took a sip, looked to my left — and by God — there was the place I had been looking for!" he told The Associated Press. 'So really, we have coffee to thank for the whole thing.' 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Runners in inflatable animal costumes are sprinting about a quarter mile (less than half a kilometer) around the square. There's also a cast party, a parade, and a scavenger hunt, among other events. Keene gets picked thanks to coffee craving Based on the 1981 children's book by Chris Van Allsburg about a mysterious jungle adventure board game, the movie version of 'Jumanji' is set in the fictional small town of Brantford, New Hampshire. Veteran location manager Dow Griffith was crisscrossing New England in search of the right spot. A coffee lover who grew up in Seattle, he recalled feeling desperate one day for a good brew. He was a bit east of Keene at the time, and someone suggested a shop that was near the square. 'I took my cherished cup of double dry cappuccino out to the front porch, took a sip, looked to my left — and by God — there was the place I had been looking for!' he told The Associated Press. 'So really, we have coffee to thank for the whole thing.' Scenes were filmed at the square that fall and the following spring. The fall scenes show a present-day town that had declined. Extras played homeless people and looters, in addition to panicked runners fleeing from the jungle animals. Joanne Hof, now 78, had needed her son's help to spot herself behind the elephants, running with her hands up. Hof, a reading specialist, bought a videotape of 'Jumanji' and showed it to the kids she worked with. 'They were very impressed that I was in the movie,' she said. The spring scenes, appearing early in the film, depict the town in 1969. Extras drove classic cars around the pristine-looking square and others walked around, dressed for that time period. 'I told the makeup person, 'Do you know how to do a French twist?'' recalled Kate Beetle, 74, of Alstead, who said she can be seen for 'a micro-second' crossing a street. 'They just found me the right lady's suit and right flat shoes, and then the hair is kind of what I suspect did it.' The city helped transform itself The 'Jumanji' crews worked well with the city in getting the permits to transform Central Square into a dilapidated, neglected piece of public property, recalled Patty Little, who recently retired as Keene's clerk. 'They brought in old, dead shrubbery and threw it around and made the paint peel on the gazebo,' she said. Items such as parking meters and lilac bushes were removed and a large Civil War-era statue was brought in to cover a fountain. Graffiti was on the walls and crumpled vehicles in the stampede scene were anchored in place. Everything was restored, and fresh flowers were brought in the following spring, she said. Crews spent a total of about a week in the city for both settings. Little, whose classic 1961 Ambassador is caught on camera, could see everything happening from her office window. 'Did I get a lot of work done? I don't know during those days,' she said. Locals watch and meet Robin Williams A crowd turned out to watch a long-haired, bearded Williams run down the street in a leaf-adorned tunic. In the movie, he had just been freed from the game that had trapped him as a boy for years. 'He's shorter than I thought he was!' one viewer said, according to local chronicler Susan MacNeil's book, 'When Jumanji Came to Keene.' Others said, 'He has great legs — muscular, isn't he? But so hairy!' and 'Isn't he freezing dressed like that?' The mayor honored him with a key to the city. Williams, noticing the mayor was a bit shorter, suddenly announced at the presentation, ''I am the mayor of Munchkinland,'' with a voice to match, City Councilor Randy Filiault recalled. He stayed in character for 15 to 20 minutes, 'just bouncing off the walls,' approaching people in the audience and pulling their hats over their eyes. Eventually, he stopped, ending with a solemn 'Thank you,' Filiault said. 'I am really seeing something cool here,' Filiault remembered thinking. 'How fortunate we were.' When Williams died by suicide in 2014 , people left flowers and photos beneath a painted 'Parrish Shoes' wall sign advertising a fictional business left over from 'Jumanji.' Former Keene police officer Joe Collins, who was assigned to watch over then-child actors Kirsten Dunst and Bradley Pierce, also died by suicide, last year. Festival organizers planned a discussion about mental health and suicide prevention to pay tribute to Williams and Collins. 'I think Robin would have been impressed with that,' said Murphy, who met Williams and shook his hand. ___ In the U.S., the national suicide and crisis lifeline is available by calling or texting 988. There is also an online chat at Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . 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