Willie Nelson

I just checked out Willie Nelson's forthcoming album, Moment of Forever, and the preview clips on Amazon made me a little teary. I'm sad that he's getting older, but still inspired that he continues to write and adapt songs so beautifully. (Video of his cover of Gravedigger here)

I grew up listening to Willie Nelson's music (No road trip went by without my parents playing every single Willie tape they had) and have come to love and appreciate it more than I ever thought I would. And even beyond his music, I respect him as an advocate for family farms and a peace activist.

This latest album is no Countryman, which was fun, if a bit nostalgic for youth (check it out if you haven't...reggae versions of classic country songs...seriously). Instead, it seems like an album put together by someone who has lived a remarkable life and is making his peace with it all.

In a review of the new album, a SF Gate reporter asks 73 year old Willie if he works to improve his craft, and per usual, his response made me smile:

"No," he says, thinking over the question. "I don't think so. I work on my health and that reflects on my craft. That's not the only reason I work on my craft, I do it for my health also. That's selfish and staying alive at the same time. At the same time, I'm also healthy enough to do 250 days a year, which is not bad. So is Paul over there, and he's older than I am."