Synopses & Reviews
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.
Review
"A fabulous biography of one of country musics most colorful characters." —Tatler
Review
"Thomson makes the most of the access granted by Nelson, his friends and relatives." —Q Magazine
Review
"Sharp writing, astute observation . . . make for a lively read and a vivid portrait of an often baffling talent. Recommended." —Observer Music Monthly
Synopsis
In this intimate and engaging biography, Graeme Thomson interviews Nelson himself, his band and those who knew him best en route to discovering the real Willie Nelson.
The Outlaw brilliantly describes a complex and compelling man whose life and music reflect something fundamental at the heart of twentieth-century America. Thomson's revealing portrait is a timely reminder of the stature and achievements of a true living legend.
Covering everything from dirt poor beginnings in Texas, global fame in the 70s, four marriages, the death of a son and affairs with Amy Irving and Candice Bergen up to his current position as a 73-year-old pot smoking man of the road, Thomson's account emerges as the first detailed, clear-eyed account of Nelson's fascinating life.
About the Author
Graeme Thomson is the author of Complicated Shadows: The Life and Music of Elvis Costello. He has written for WORD, the Observer, Time Out, MOJO, and the Herald.