Willie : After the IRS and on the road to 60: a time to look back and ahead

On the road again

I just can’t wait to get on the road again

The life I love is makin’ music with my friends

And I can’t wait to get on the road again.

--Lyrics by Willie Nelson, 1980

Willie Nelson has been on the road during five decades, singing his songs of heartache and desire everywhere from honky-tonks to the White House.

From hits like “Crazy,” which he wrote in the early ‘60s for Patsy Cline, to his own vocal performance on “Always on My Mind,” which earned him a Grammy nomination in 1983 for best record of the year, Nelson has helped define contemporary country music.

Still playing more than 200 shows a year, the grizzled Texan has a legacy of songwriting and vocal excellence that is rivaled in his generation of country music only by Merle Haggard and Johnny Cash--and untouched by anyone since.

Nelson, who will turn 60 next year, seems puzzled that anyone would even ask if he sees a day when he’ll park the customized bus in the garage, set down his faithful guitar, Trigger, and just smell the roses.

“Quit the road?” he says, repeating the question almost instinctively. He laughs--and no further answer is necessary.

Because of the warm, outgoing nature of his performances, the public image of Nelson for years was one of a carefree spirit who indeed loves nothing better than making music with his friends.

But that changed in the fall of 1990 when the Internal Revenue Service charged that Nelson owed $16.7 million in back taxes, interest and penalties. The IRS later seized most of his assets, including considerable real estate, and sold them at auction.

Nelson, who released a mail-order album titled “The IRS Tapes” to help pay off the debt, subsequently filed a $45-million suit in Dallas federal court against the accounting firm of Price Waterhouse, which he said invested his money in bad tax shelters in the late ‘70s. The firm has denied blame, saying that it only provided tax and accounting services and didn’t act as Nelson’s financial adviser. Trial is expected to begin next year.

It’s easy to picture Nelson singing the blues these days with extra conviction, but he is relaxed and upbeat during an interview. He’s especially excited about his next album, working with such pop notables as Paul Simon and producer Don Was, who helped revive Bonnie Raitt’s career.

“The thing people don’t realize is that the whole IRS thing didn’t just fall on top of me one day,” he says matter-of-factly. “I knew all these events were going to come down before everybody else did, because it was happening to other people (who invested in the same shelters). We knew the dominoes would start falling pretty quick and eventually they would fall on us.”

On this night, Nelson is in Columbus, Ohio, as part of a brief Midwestern swing with the Highwaymen--the name Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, Kris Kristofferson and Nelson give their touring partnership.

Most nights, however, he’s touring with his own band, the Family, which has been at his side since the early ‘70s, when Nelson rebelled against the country music establishment in Nashville and moved to Austin, Tex. It was there he launched the “outlaw” movement that modernized country music without sacrificing its integrity or heart.

Nelson, whose vocal style brings together everything from pop to blues, and the Family band will be at Universal Amphitheatre on Saturday and the Celebrity Theatre in Anaheim on Nov. 29.

Question: What was your reaction to the IRS action: anger, humiliation?

Answer: Oh, it was anger for sure--much more than humiliation or feeling sorry for myself. That’s why I decided to sue. I wasn’t angry at the IRS, but the people who were supposed to have been advising me on tax matters--and angry that I went along (with the advice), even though I had a gut feeling that it was the wrong thing to do.”

Q: What about “The IRS Tapes” album? Was there a bit of bitterness in that title?

A: No, not at all. I was just trying to test the IRS’ sense of humor with the title and they thought it was a great idea--at least that’s the feedback I got. They want us to keep promoting the album because the more albums we sell, the more money they get. The funny thing about the album is I’ve never had an album promoted as well as this one. Everybody heard about it. So far, we’ve raised a little over $1 million and now CBS is going to sell it in the stores, which should mean a lot more sales.

Q: What about the public reaction to the whole tax business? You must have done hundreds of benefits over the years, from “Farm Aid” on down. How did it feel having the tables turned--and have people want to help you?

A: The response was overwhelming. I got phone calls and letters from people wanting to do this and that. People would just come up at shows and try to give me money. In fact, some farmers went down (to Texas) when they auctioned off my ranch, and they bought it and they are holding it for me so that when my problems with the IRS are over, I can get it back from them.

Q: Didn’t former University of Texas football coach Darrell Royal do the same thing with your golf course and recording studio in Austin?

A: What happened was the IRS put the property up for auction and Darrell went in and bought it, but then the IRS decided that he didn’t pay enough and they sold it to another guy. But then another friend bought it from him, so it’s in friendly hands and I’ll eventually get it back. In fact, I’m already leasing it. The recording studio is open and we’re using it.

Q: Were you touched by the response from fans?

A: Of course, but the truth is . . . I wouldn’t want to diminish any of the stuff people did, but by the time they heard about (the tax problems), I had been living with it for so long and things were already being worked out. So when they came up, it was like someone calling up to say they are sorry about the death of a loved one 12 years after the death. I really appreciated the thoughts, but it was a little embarrassing when they send you the money and don’t leave a return address so you can send it back. I started trying to tell people (at shows) not to send me money, that I am OK, that I am still able to make money.”

Q: What about the Highwaymen tour? What’s the difference between playing with Johnny, Waylon and Kris and headlining your own show?

A: I enjoy both very much. The Highwaymen tour is like a vacation mainly because I’m only (at the microphone) a quarter of the time. Doing my own shows is enjoyable in a different way. There’s probably more personal gratification because you know the audience came there to see you and if they like what they see, it’s because of what you did.

There is a tendency in the Highwaymen for your mind to (wander) because Johnny Cash is up there singing his greatest hits and so is Waylon and Kris and some nights I really get into watching them that I forget that I am supposed to be putting on a show myself.

Q: In your own shows, you tend to have a familiar routine--doing mostly the same songs in the same order year after year. Why don’t you change it more?

A: When I began putting the show together, it was trial and error . . . trying to figure out just which songs the audience likes the best and where to put them in the show. So, the sequence that I have been using for several years is the one that works the best. I guess I could change my whole format around and do something different, but I think I would disappoint some people who came there to hear some of the songs that we did together the last time.

Q: But doesn’t the format get too predictable for the audience? Wouldn’t it be better having fans come to the show wondering what they were going to hear rather than, for the most part, always knowing?

A: I am changing it a little because I guess I got sort of bored with the show being so much the same myself. There are a couple of new songs I have been doing in the show that haven’t been out on record yet and I’m going back and doing things like “Shotgun Willie” and “Me and Paul” and “Mr. Record Man” and “Touch Me.”

Q: How about the election? You endorsed Perot, right?

A: Yeah, I did. I felt he was saying what I wanted to hear. I thought it was time for a change because as far as I am concerned, the guys who are in there haven’t done a damn thing. I’m leaning toward Clinton now, but I want to wait and see how his farm policy stacks up. I’ve been listening to all the speeches, trying to hear the word farmer and I haven’t heard it enough.

Q: What are your feelings about the sudden commercial explosion in country? Have you seen Garth Brooks live?

A: I saw his show on TV. He’s a great showman--a combination of rock ‘n’ roll and country . . . swinging on ropes, breaking guitars. All that has little to with music, but you combine that with talent and good songs and good musicians and you’ve got a good show.

Q: What’s the best song you ever wrote?

A: I don’t know . . . maybe “The Healing Hands of Time.” I like it because it’s a positive message in a negative situation.

Q: What’s the best song you ever heard?

A: I’d have to pick songs in different categories. Some that come to mind in pop music are “Moonlight in Vermont” and “Stardust” and “Autumn Leaves.” The list grows from there. In country, I think “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry” by Hank Williams may be just about the best.

Q: Who’s the best singer you ever heard?

A: All I can do is tell you some of my favorites and there, too, we have to talk about different categories . . . from Ray Price to Ray Charles . . . Merle Haggard and Lefty Frizzell . . . Frank Sinatra. Those would be near the top.

Q: What about the album with Paul Simon and Don Was? You seem to enjoy working with musicians from other fields.

A: I’ve already cut one track with Paul Simon . . . “Graceland.” It’s a great song. We did it in New York and Paul put together a band that included some musicians from Africa as well as some members of the Highwaymen band. Don Was is doing a lot of tracks with me for the album, and I’m excited about that too.

I do like working with all sorts of musicians. To me, I don’t really feel there is that much difference between a rock musician and classical musician and country. As long as there’s an honesty there, the rest is just wrapping.