Rolling Stone By Patrick Doyle 9/19/2018
The 85-year-old legend also sounds off on Trump’s zero-tolerance immigration policy and the first thing he’d do if he were President “We’ve never had so much attention,†says Willie Nelson. He’s sitting on his bus, the Honeysuckle Rose, parked outside the Late Show With Stephen Colbert. Nelson, animated and full of laughs, is killing time hitting a weed pen and sipping coffee before performing “Summer Wind†from My Way, his moving new Sinatra tribute album. But the attention Nelson is referring to is his endorsement of Texas Senate candidate Beto O’Rourke, who stands a real chance to unseat Ted Cruz in November. Nelson, 85, will play a rally for O’Rourke on September 29th at Austin’s Auditorium Shores, alongside his sons Lukas and Micah, Leon Bridges, Carrie Rodriguez, Tameca Jones and Joe Ely. Some Nelson fans were upset about the singer’s endorsement; right wing sites quoted a select few commenters saying things like, “I adored you – but no more†and “I always thought you were a patriot.â€
“People will sometimes get upset because I’ve got a vote, too,†Nelson says, before breaking out an old saying: “Opinions are like assholes, everybody’s got one.â€
For anyone surprised by his endorsement, Nelson says he’s been on campaign trails doing fundraisers ever since cowboy singer Tex Ritter (who was born in 1905) ran for Senate in Tennessee in 1970. “I’ve endorsed a lot of people: Jimmy Carter, Dennis Kucinich, and Hillary and Bill, Obama,†Nelson says. “A lot of people seem surprised that I’m backing a candidate, but it ain’t my first rodeo.â€
Nelson has even written a new song he plans to play at the O’Rourke rally, called ‘Vote ‘Em Out.'†He starts singing: “If you don’t like who’s in there, vote ’em out / that’s what Election Day is all about / the biggest gun we’ve got is called the ballot box / if you don’t like who’s in there, vote ’em out.†He already recorded the track, and his sons Lukas and Micah are going to add their parts when Nelson returns to Texas.
More:
https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/willie-nelson-talks-beto-orourke-ted-cruz-726684/
