Episode #128 | 5.2.23
Willie Nelson (Part 2): Grifters, Con Men, Thieves, and the Reinvention of the Outlaw
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In this episode
Willie Nelson left Nashville and reinvented himself in Austin, Texas as the ultimate outsider. It was a metamorphosis from freak flag flier to mainstream mainstay that is rife with tales of drug smuggling, arson, and international run-ins with Johnny Law. Not to mention a lifelong association with grifters, con men, and thieves, and how that led not only to one of the most publicized busts of a superstar in the 20th century, but also to an extended family fueled by karma and loyalty.
Sources
It’s a Long Story: My Life, by Willie Nelson with David Ritz
Willie Nelson: An Epic Life, by Joe Nick Patoski
Watching Willie's Back (The Oxford American)
Willie Nelson and His Famous Guitar: The Tale of Trigger (Rolling Stone)
A Q&A With John Spong (Texas Monthly)
"That's Just the Way Willie Rolls" (Texas Monthly)
Poor Willie (Texas Monthly)
That '70s Show (Texas Monthly)
Willie Nelson: 'Marijuana Saved My Life' (Rolling Stone)
Willie Nelson's Heartbreak (People)
The Fascinating Story Behind Willie Nelson's 'Red Headed Stranger' (Wide Open Country)
Willie Nelson and the 1974 Austin Music Scene (WFAA)
Disgraceland is a podcast about musicians getting away with murder and behaving very badly. It melds music history, true crime and transgressive fiction. Disgraceland is not journalism. Disgraceland is entertainment. Entertainment inspired by true events. However, certain scenes, characters and names are sometimes fictionalized for dramatic purposes.
Credits
Hosted by Jake Brennan.
Written by Zeth Lundy.
Copy editing by James Sullivan.
This episode was mixed by Matt Beaudoin.
Score by Jake Brennan.
Mixed and Engineered by Sean Cahalin.
Additional music and score elements by Ryan Spraker.
Additional music services by Bryce Kanzer.
Ad music composed by the late, great Ian Kennedy.
Disgraceland theme song, "Crenshaw Space Boogie" written and produced by Jake Brennan. Performed by Jake Brennan, Bryce Kanzer, Jay Cannava and Evan Kenney. Mixed and engineered by Adam Taylor.Score by Jake Brennan.
*illustrations by Avi Spivak @avispivak