To come home and have The Townes Van Zandt sitting on your couch waiting for you... I can't even begin to fathom how lucky or important you'd have to be for that to happen in your life.
Townes van Zandt is one of those guys that real professionals revere and that very few in the listening public even know about. A book titled 'The Untold Truth of Rock n Roll' had a comment about The Velvet Underground that could equally apply to van Zandt... "[They] didn't have all that many fans, but almost every one of their fans formed a band because of them..."
@@camerondodge2070 I submit that a lot of people have heard OF Velvet Underground, but very few people have listened to a whole VU album. That's still something that only real audiophiles do, I think. It's like having a collection of records that aren't made up of hits, but of influential arrangements, or techniques, or artists. The trick is to not act like you're oh-so-superior to people who've only been influenced by radio. They gotta learn about it just like you did.
@@carlhicksjr8401 No, a lot of people have listened to some of the full albums. As the legend grew more and more started to do so, especially those involved in any facet of punk. Either way, VU's fanbase has soared in the passing years, while Townes' has slowly trickled larger by comparison, even though he had just as much influence as VU, if not more. Also, as a punk, I know that no one is superior or better. And anyone who thinks so may need to be knocked down a peg.
@@camerondodge2070 No question VU has a larger fan base, but Townes's has grown, not trickled. Americana had a huge upsurge in the 2000s, and many of those artists look back to and have recorded Townes's music. He is more broadly known, not less, but still nowhere near that of VU.
@@darlincommitme When I said trickled, I said it in a way that implied growth. Not even implied really, as the next word I used was 'larger', as in his fanbase has slowly grown. This means that knowledge of him has seen an upsurge, and the resurgence of interest in Americana and classic country sounds has helped in this, but not as much as one would think. Yes, the new pioneers were influenced by him, they talked of him, and recorded his music, but that's in the Americana music circle. Let me ask: How many rock fans like his music? How many even know him? How many pop fans know him, or rap, or electronic, metal, reggae and ska? How many of the average listener who is most likely not part of any group and just listens to what's on the radio and what's popular? Maybe about 1% - 5% of them, 10 if we're generous and hopeful. Yes, he's probably more well known in the country, western, Americana, and folk circles, but even then, how many? Do you think the inflow of new fans increases with each successive generation, or do you think the same amount comes in that we received the last time? For example, do you think that if one year we got 2 new fans, do you think that number would increase during the next generation to gaining 4 or more new fans, or do you think we'd still get 2 new fans?
he"s got a lot of energy...a lot of energy...not like when he was on dope back in the 80s and 90s when I saw him, but his grasp on the whole thing is incredible.
You guys rule, I am talking You, Lucinda, James, and of course Towns. And so many others. Thanks so much for the music and keeping it real. I am a fan for life. steven
I know Mr Mudd and Mr Gold and I used to play it. It is the story of a poker hand and extremely wordy. Great Song. I grew up in Houston and would go to the Old Quarter Those were special days.
My wife and I met at the Old Quarter in late 1968. She was singing there and hanging out with her friend "Ruther" (Ruth Cole Hammet). I was in the Air Force. Great memories of the folks we met there (Guy, Townes, Rex, Dale, Lightning Hopkins, and the dog Rex & Dale had. Also the old Cadillac limousine named 'zine' . In Aug '69 we held our wedding reception at the Old Quarter. Guy laughed and said she was marrying me for my motorcycle, as if the bike really mattered. We still have the guitar Guy built for her 50 years later. Still plays nicely, even though she plays a Taylor acoustic now.
In 68 I was thirteen. Even in 72, appx time of Live at the Old Quarter, I was 17. Really too young to be into blues master Lightnin' Hopkins. My brother was 6 years older. He was at the Old Quarter many times. I didn't get into TVZ or LH, until after my brother died, in 03. I wished he was around to chat about those days at the OQ. You and he probably crossed paths. The building that housed the Old Quarter still stands. It looks like a law firm now has it
Van Zandt's lost memory, with episodes of depression, was admitted to the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, where he was diagnosed with manic depression. He received three months of insulin shock therapy, which erased much of his long-term memory. Afterwards, his mother claimed her "biggest regret in life was that she had allowed that treatment to occur!" Possibly Van Zandt forgot more then most will ever know or remember!
Steve earle always seems out of breath or agitated hahaha. I love how lucinda williams said "nowadays he wears a tweed jacket like some university teacher who runs courses on songwriting" hahahaa
I met my wife at the Old Quarter . I didn't know at the time that Susan was Guy Clark's ex-wife. I had met Guy earlier, and he took me on as his first sideman when he decided to present his tunes in an ensemble format. I guess we just missed each other.
I just finished reading Steve Earle's novel "I'll Never Get Out of this World Alive." He's an amazing singer and songwriter and ALSO an excellent writer of fiction.
STEVE, THANK YOU FOR THE GREAT STORY, ABOUT A GREAT MAN.. I NEVER GOT TO SEE TOWNES. BUT I HAVE MANAGED TO SEE STEVE EARL, 10 TIMES SINCE YOU OPENED UP FOR BOB DYLAN AT NEW MEXICO STATE UNIVERSITY IN 1990 I THINK IT WAS. THE LAST TIME I SAW YOU WAS IN DURANGO COLORADO AT FORT LEWIS COLLEGE , IN 2014 OR 15 , I CANT REMEMBER, PLEASE COME BACK TO DURANGO SOON MAN, WE MISS YOU AND THE AWESOME SHOW THAT YOU DID, THANKS, MY BEST, COUSIN FIGEL
I was at a party in Austin. Townes walked into the kitchen and said that Blaze Foley was on his way. Half the party cheered. The other half groaned. That's how I met Townes and Blaze. They were both unique talents and people Back in the hill country now, but so many have passed or moved.
I knew Townes and did a few years of growing up around him when I was a young child in Smyrna Tn. you can only imagine the stupidity and excitement I felt just a few weeks ago when my parents told me he wrote one of my favorite songs "poncho and lefty".
I hear Jerry Jeff’s name mentioned a lot throughout Townes’ documentaries and Without Getting Killed or Caught but there’s not a lot information about him.
I yell "Play the Wabash Cannonball" at live shows as a joke now because of this interview. Yes I do fingerpick and no I do know how to play Wabash Cannonball... Yet
Thanks kill.many..im not judging my freind.but kinda interested.if you dont mind As ive known a few vets.N.Z.Maori Batt.Hope got us thru.that we'd get free.in This World..thank you Sir.❤😊
Yes, he was Waylon. I read a biography of him, "The Life and Near Death of Steve Earle", and he lived the life. The singer of this fella's Seattle band had just died of an overdose. The fella told Steve "I know where he got it"; Steve said "I have $200". Married five times, same woman two of those times, last I saw.
I was hooked on pills for years and I just kept fighting it. But I did heroin in Vietnam and started smoking Cambodian Red. I just like the music business end of it and some just hate it.
What about the heroin?I say the heroin made him better as a songwriter.i could be wrong but Delta mama is what gives u flying shoes.dont do heroin I gusee
What the hell is he on about.... I have a recording of Townes playing Mr. Mudd and Mr. Gold at a bar in Austin in 1991. So clearly he knew it until 5 years before he died...
Keith Kafe He's telling a story about someone being a smarta** and then said something smarta** about them while recounting the story. It's something smarta** friends and family do to each other even when the friend/family is dead. What you are witnessing is sullen endearment disguised with exaggeration.
I think he has ADD or the equivalent - always hyper. I also suspect he has been dressed by the women in his life, which accounts for some pretty big stylistic shifts, since the women change often. I blame the jackets on Allison Moorer, though he still mostly wears pearl snaps and jeans onstage.
that makes a lot of sense ... I am ADHD and I know we ADHD people have a particular vulnerability to all kinds of addictive behaviours, because our brains are constantly seeking intense stimulation. especially at low points in my life, when I didn't have some intense stimulation to keep my mind calm, I would just do anything and everything that came into my mind without thinking about it, and eventually I developed some pretty dysfunctional "go-to" solutions for those situations (compulsive eating, picking my skin, getting really angry/sad about something that popped into my head for no reason) ... I am glad that in my case I didn't turn to drugs and alcohol (for the most part), but I know that many people with ADHD do turn to those things, especially when those things are normalized or widely available in their environment.
one of my favorites- till he starts in on the political bullshit- then the sharks are ready to jump- when are these singers going to understand #1 virtually every politician is a crook #2 behind the scenes both dems and rep. are a helluva lot more alike than their acolytes could possibly imagine #3 nobody gives a shit what guitar pickers think about it anyhow
He always had progressive views, but it's reductive to call him simply "a lefty" - do you understand that many people who consider themselves left-wing probably have the same core values as you? I'm not talking about Democrats or liberals, I'm talking about people with independent political views who identify as left-wing or socialist. Like Steve Earle. Just as a side note: if you think that a socialist is basically the same thing as a liberal, which I know many people do believe, I don't really know what to tell you except that it isn't. There's a world of difference between liberal and socialist attitudes. Liberals also fear socialism just as much as conservatives do, but they deal with it by co-opting it and diluting it down instead of openly fighting it. Liberal parties try to swoop in and steal the momentum of radical social/political movements, while at the same time neutralizing the potential threat posed by those grassroots left-wing movements. That's why liberals might APPEAR to be "allied" to socialists, or to support socialists, if you're looking at them from "the outside". But just about every socialist I know HATES the Democratic Party and liberals more than you would ever imagine, because liberals are just as much, if not more so, the enemies of socialists, just as they are the enemies of conservatives. When Steve Earle came out about his socialist political views, he still said that he understands why much of the American working-class was drawn to Trump, and he said that he felt the left needed to fix itself because it had become out of touch with many of the people. He is clearly listening to people like you who are not drawn to the left. He believes his views would also appeal to many people who are now against the left *if* those views were presented in the right way - and I don't think he's wrong. Many of the intensely "red" parts of the U.S. were, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, hotbeds of radical organizing (especially areas with growing industry, including Appalachia) - because at those times, those people's idea of "socialism" appealed to the community values and way of life they wanted to protect. If you think Steve Earle is bad, read more about Woody Guthrie and his views. Guthrie was a card-carrying Communist Party member in the 1930's and he wrote plenty of songs reflecting that. Guthrie believed that the CPUSA, not the Democrats or Republicans, were the ones who really cared about doing something for working-class people. Maybe he was wrong, but he was a Communist Party member for the same reason that many working-class people have become right-wingers and/or Trump supporters today. They feel listened to and seen by the side they support, and abandoned/hated by the side they're against. Part of the reason why politics have become so horrible in North America right now is because people (on both sides) have learned to see people on "the opposite side" as literal forces of evil (or idiots serving those forces of evil). That's *at least* as true for the right-wing as it is true for the left-wing in the U.S. There are now millions of people in the U.S. who have been radicalized into believing that their political opponents are so evil or so stupid that they don't deserve basic respect or human rights anymore. People of all ages, even people who are old enough to know better, are beginning to behave as if supporting a political party is the same thing as supporting a football team - but they're getting hateful and violent about it, and communities are falling apart. That's extremely dangerous. What if Steve Earle isn't a leftist for the reasons you think? What if his political views are informed by the same concerns and values which inform yours? Read what he has said about his politics. You don't have to agree with him or convert to his side, but you should understand him. You should know that you're probably *not* on "opposite sides" ... and question why we're beginning to think this way in the first place.
plenty of country musicians from the opposite end of the political spectrum do that constantly ... people single out Steve Earle for criticism just because he's left-wing. would you care if he happened to be saying things you agree with, or do you only think he should stop because he's saying things you don't agree with?
Steve Earle is a legend in his own mind. I made the mistake of trying to listen to his show on Sirius-XM a couple times. The liberal, loudmouth can't shut up about politics. I cannot understand how he gets that gig.
Heh Bubblegum music......Stick it up your liberal, hippy, pot smokin' ass. Nobody wants to hear your bilge. This guy doesn't know you, and doesn't need you to defend him.
I can love their music and not their politics. Lots of drug addicts are left wing in their politics. Gives them an excuse for their mistakes.But I still love the heartfelt music of so many with whom I am completely on the opposite side of politics. Prine, Nancy Griffith,Earle...
I used to love Steve Earle. Then, about 12-12 years ago, he drank the liberal Kool-Aid and seems to be battling Bruce Springsteen to be the artist that has alienated the most fans with leftist dogma.
@@swfcocs1 -- Free market capitalism never killed anyone that wasn't threatening to take something that wasn't theirs. - Capitalism is about free choice. Socialism is about gunpoint equalization. Kind of like the difference between social justice and real justice.
@@2ManyNamesTaken the thing is you're not playing fair-according to you anyone who dies of war or hunger under what you regard as socialism is the fault of socialism but if ppl die in the same way under capitalism you dont blame that ideology in the same way.I sense youre an Ayn Rand worshipping "libertarian" which would likely be even worse than the current corporatist nightmare.you'd end up with one or two monolith companies more powerful than any govt who controlled every aspect of consumer "choice"
He was a drunk, a junkie, but also a schizophrenic, among other things that were poorly diagnosed. I have more sympathy for such individuals. He also underwent the now unthinkable electric shock therapy as a youth in an attempt to cure his rowdy tendencies. His parents were conservative, well-to-do professional people and in their eyes he always had something wrong with him--something in need of being cured of. They of course came to be remorseful for their son's 'afflictions' though he still chose bedlam and squalor. So, it's like the chicken or the egg paradox: Was he a lousy person most of the time because he had psychological issues or was his over-indulgent, hell-raising lifestyle stock to the brim with vices the cause for his psychological decline?
![fellow fellow - Proud [OFFICIAL MV]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/9uZF7BlUQPE/mqdefault.jpg)
"Play the Wabash Cannonball" is the country version of someone in the crowd yelling "Freebird" at a rock show.
To come home and have The Townes Van Zandt sitting on your couch waiting for you... I can't even begin to fathom how lucky or important you'd have to be for that to happen in your life.
One paid a price for his friendship though, let's take off the rose colored glasses. He was brilliant and sick and those folks ain't easy
To come home to Townes Van Zandt telling you, youbare fucked up should be a wake up call.
If you can't be an inspiration be a warning...
Townes van Zandt is one of those guys that real professionals revere and that very few in the listening public even know about.
A book titled 'The Untold Truth of Rock n Roll' had a comment about The Velvet Underground that could equally apply to van Zandt...
"[They] didn't have all that many fans, but almost every one of their fans formed a band because of them..."
Except that now tons of people know and love VU, while Townes is still barely known.
@@camerondodge2070 I submit that a lot of people have heard OF Velvet Underground, but very few people have listened to a whole VU album. That's still something that only real audiophiles do, I think.
It's like having a collection of records that aren't made up of hits, but of influential arrangements, or techniques, or artists.
The trick is to not act like you're oh-so-superior to people who've only been influenced by radio. They gotta learn about it just like you did.
@@carlhicksjr8401 No, a lot of people have listened to some of the full albums. As the legend grew more and more started to do so, especially those involved in any facet of punk. Either way, VU's fanbase has soared in the passing years, while Townes' has slowly trickled larger by comparison, even though he had just as much influence as VU, if not more.
Also, as a punk, I know that no one is superior or better. And anyone who thinks so may need to be knocked down a peg.
@@camerondodge2070 No question VU has a larger fan base, but Townes's has grown, not trickled. Americana had a huge upsurge in the 2000s, and many of those artists look back to and have recorded Townes's music. He is more broadly known, not less, but still nowhere near that of VU.
@@darlincommitme When I said trickled, I said it in a way that implied growth. Not even implied really, as the next word I used was 'larger', as in his fanbase has slowly grown. This means that knowledge of him has seen an upsurge, and the resurgence of interest in Americana and classic country sounds has helped in this, but not as much as one would think. Yes, the new pioneers were influenced by him, they talked of him, and recorded his music, but that's in the Americana music circle. Let me ask: How many rock fans like his music? How many even know him? How many pop fans know him, or rap, or electronic, metal, reggae and ska? How many of the average listener who is most likely not part of any group and just listens to what's on the radio and what's popular? Maybe about 1% - 5% of them, 10 if we're generous and hopeful. Yes, he's probably more well known in the country, western, Americana, and folk circles, but even then, how many? Do you think the inflow of new fans increases with each successive generation, or do you think the same amount comes in that we received the last time? For example, do you think that if one year we got 2 new fans, do you think that number would increase during the next generation to gaining 4 or more new fans, or do you think we'd still get 2 new fans?
Mr. Gold and Mr.Mud is an amazing song!
he"s got a lot of energy...a lot of energy...not like when he was on dope back in the 80s and 90s when I saw him, but his grasp on the whole thing is incredible.
He knows how lucky he is that he figured it out, he's buried a lot of friends
and a son. 😓
I was redirected 8 times untill I got to watch this.
You guys rule, I am talking You, Lucinda, James, and of course Towns. And so many others. Thanks so much for the music and keeping it real. I am a fan for life.
steven
Love your FUC&%$# lyrics. You have given me so many hours of pleasure over the years. Thank you Steve.
Carl stop your fecking cursing, it is not right and should not be allowed so go and wash your mouth out right now
I know Mr Mudd and Mr Gold and I used to play it. It is the story of a poker hand and extremely wordy. Great Song. I grew up in Houston and would go to the Old Quarter Those were special days.
Great story made to s song lol
It's sad when your Heros turn out to be human.
Profound indeed.
Play the Wabash Cannonball!
No it's not.
why sad? part of the human condition is being flawed in some way or another, for most people a great many ways: that's where the music comes from
but seriously, play the Wabash Cannonball!
My wife and I met at the Old Quarter in late 1968. She was singing there and hanging out with her friend "Ruther" (Ruth Cole Hammet). I was in the Air Force. Great memories of the folks we met there (Guy, Townes, Rex, Dale, Lightning Hopkins, and the dog Rex & Dale had. Also the old Cadillac limousine named 'zine' . In Aug '69 we held our wedding reception at the Old Quarter. Guy laughed and said she was marrying me for my motorcycle, as if the bike really mattered. We still have the guitar Guy built for her 50 years later. Still plays nicely, even though she plays a Taylor acoustic now.
In 68 I was thirteen. Even in 72, appx time of Live at the Old Quarter, I was 17. Really too young to be into blues master Lightnin' Hopkins.
My brother was 6 years older. He was at the Old Quarter many times. I didn't get into TVZ or LH, until after my brother died, in 03. I wished he was around to chat about those days at the OQ.
You and he probably crossed paths. The building that housed the Old Quarter still stands. It looks like a law firm now has it
thank you for sharing
Charming story. Thank you.
The down to earth types,yet the radio wont recognize much if any, half of em will never know about these fellas,worth a listen all those from that era
Allyn Howell hating ass bitch. Where's your story? Miserable.
Van Zandt's lost memory, with episodes of depression, was admitted to the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, where he was diagnosed with manic depression. He received three months of insulin shock therapy, which erased much of his long-term memory. Afterwards, his mother claimed her "biggest regret in life was that she had allowed that treatment to occur!" Possibly Van Zandt forgot more then most will ever know or remember!
Thats fucked up!! What a shame! :(
@@triplesevensix291 But the shock treatment came long before most of his best work. That's the thing that I don't get.
Changed who he was. Made him the Townes will all know love. It also made him the tortured Townes who slowly killed himself.
Hell I saw this man play at the Ryman a few years ago and he’s telling me he didn’t know the wabash cannonball? Blown away
Steve earle always seems out of breath or agitated hahaha. I love how lucinda williams said "nowadays he wears a tweed jacket like some university teacher who runs courses on songwriting" hahahaa
You don't get how addictive personalities work... folks use it to self medicate be it slow down or speed up
I met my wife at the Old Quarter . I didn't know at the time that Susan was Guy Clark's ex-wife. I had met Guy earlier, and he took me on as his first sideman when he decided to present his tunes in an ensemble format. I guess we just missed each other.
The best film i ever seen - Be here to love me. See it!
This is great. Thank you.
Pope Steve speaks of Saint Steve.
LOL . good one .
"Dale's dog fell in love right in front of me." LOL
Steve looks like an older Jack Black in this interview.
I just finished reading Steve Earle's novel "I'll Never Get Out of this World Alive." He's an amazing singer and songwriter and ALSO an excellent writer of fiction.
I'm intrigued. Time to go drunk shopping! 😁
@Allyn Howell why are you even here?
@Allyn Howell go listen to garth brooks and shut the fuck up
STEVE, THANK YOU FOR THE GREAT STORY, ABOUT A GREAT MAN.. I NEVER GOT TO SEE TOWNES. BUT I HAVE MANAGED TO SEE STEVE EARL, 10 TIMES SINCE YOU OPENED UP FOR BOB DYLAN AT NEW MEXICO STATE UNIVERSITY IN 1990 I THINK IT WAS. THE LAST TIME I SAW YOU WAS IN DURANGO COLORADO AT FORT LEWIS COLLEGE , IN 2014 OR 15 , I CANT REMEMBER, PLEASE COME BACK TO DURANGO SOON MAN, WE MISS YOU AND THE AWESOME SHOW THAT YOU DID, THANKS, MY BEST, COUSIN FIGEL
hate all caps, your shouting like trump
Steve just amazing
Townes just amazing too
Love S E...............Just outstanding..!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I was at a party in Austin. Townes walked into the kitchen and said that Blaze Foley was on his way. Half the party cheered. The other half groaned. That's how I met Townes and Blaze. They were both unique talents and people Back in the hill country now, but so many have passed or moved.
Whereabouts in hill country? I lived a long time in Comfort. Loved biking all over the place, shopping for guns and hats at Gibson's Discount, etc.
@@Vesnicie Midway between Fredricksberg, Mason & Marble Falls. Gibsons used to be everywhere... I think there are 2 now.
the wicked king of clubs awoke, it was to his queen he turned... Please count me among those who can.
heckled by my hero... sweet
That's a crazy story.
I love this mn
I knew Townes and did a few years of growing up around him when I was a young child in Smyrna Tn. you can only imagine the stupidity and excitement I felt just a few weeks ago when my parents told me he wrote one of my favorite songs "poncho and lefty".
steve agostino that's obviously fake
How old are you
steve agostino you are lying
Why would someone lie about not knowing such an obvious thing?
TylerDavis you skipped the 1st question:
"How does one spend 50 some-odd years not knowing anything about their "favorite" song?"
so honest about his younger life, no fear of trying to hide it. He really is a "fearless heart"❤
thats a different side of SE ive never seen/heard. i like that side...
I love Steve Earle...he has gladded my heart and I hope he goes on another 30 years singinig.
I hear Jerry Jeff’s name mentioned a lot throughout Townes’ documentaries and Without Getting Killed or Caught but there’s not a lot information about him.
I Love Dan Harmon!
This guy was in the wire
So was his son
And in "Treme" (also on HBO)
It is hard to see this guy singing copperhead road or the rains came down. But he did.
why would it be hard to see him having done that?
Get those boots on and get on that table
What a grass.?
Fuccin love him
Like tick on arm
"you look like shit. your arms look like shit"
townes always had a way with words
He was referring to his arms looking bad due to intravenous drug use.
@@KD_1989 well yeah
I yell "Play the Wabash Cannonball" at live shows as a joke now because of this interview. Yes I do fingerpick and no I do know how to play Wabash Cannonball... Yet
Well dammit now 2 of us are gonna be doing that!
See Theo Von interviewing Bill Burr and the reaction. Modern day same thing. Never, ever, try to meet your heroes.
Served two tours of duty in Vietnam
And I came back with a brand new plan....
thank you for your time, help and service- Never Forget
Thanks kill.many..im not judging my freind.but kinda interested.if you dont mind As ive known a few vets.N.Z.Maori Batt.Hope got us thru.that we'd get free.in This World..thank you Sir.❤😊
Awesome
👍👍👍
Didn't this guy play on the Wire ? He was Bubbles sponsor .
Yea I think he was. Sang down in the hole for one of the season openers too.
@@dirtytruck4536 So you call your self Mr.America ?
Mr America He’s a guy that led a hard life and actually beat the devil drug. You’re a poser for turning this into petty politics.
@@dirtytruck4536 Fuck You fucktard!!
Yes, he was Waylon. I read a biography of him, "The Life and Near Death of Steve Earle", and he lived the life. The singer of this fella's Seattle band had just died of an overdose. The fella told Steve "I know where he got it"; Steve said "I have $200". Married five times, same woman two of those times, last I saw.
TVZ and Earle are interconnected as history goes. What an apprecentionship lol. I swear Earle lost more hair the smarter he got 😂
I know it!!
I know it!
i know it, and recorded it, twice (MR Mudd and MR Gold)
Recorded it? Tell us about it.
How do you not know the walbash cannonball ! My mudd and mr gold is a very hard song
I want to know who has the jacket now....
I was hooked on pills for years and I just kept fighting it. But I did heroin in Vietnam and started smoking Cambodian Red. I just like the music business end of it and some just hate it.
Play the WOMBAT CANNONBALL!!!!!!
Steve fucking earle. thanks bro youre just a straight up dude.
weknow
Never meet your heroes.
Yeah Id bet Trump would be someone like that >I like him as an asshole he is but would'nt want him to berate me like he does everybody else .
you know
Townes was one talented guy it's just too bad he let the booze get the best of him
What about the heroin?I say the heroin made him better as a songwriter.i could be wrong but Delta mama is what gives u flying shoes.dont do heroin I gusee
@@BH-cr5uo Heroin is dumb
He looks like Dan Harmon in this.
I know a dan Harmon from Oregon
This absolutely slayed me 😂
Heckled by TVZ - wow! Cool as fuck 😎
What’s the Townes song that no one knows?
Mr. Mudd and Mr. Gold.
Steve very important talking about... i like his music much more comparing to his talk. No worry, just an opinion.
why? Steve Earle is incrediblel.
Mary Casey
Your my man, I love you
weallknow
the fourth guy is your son
This was filmed about 11 years, when JTE was in pretty bad shape. He may have known the song, but was not performing regulalry.
Kinda didn’t want to hear that about Townes but maybe he must of had a good side?
He was a brilliant poet and songwriter.
What the hell is he on about.... I have a recording of Townes playing Mr. Mudd and Mr. Gold at a bar in Austin in 1991. So clearly he knew it until 5 years before he died...
Keith Kafe He's telling a story about someone being a smarta** and then said something smarta** about them while recounting the story. It's something smarta** friends and family do to each other even when the friend/family is dead. What you are witnessing is sullen endearment disguised with exaggeration.
Steve has enough breath for us all and Lucinda Williams, although a great singer, doesn't know the real Steve Earle.
I think he has ADD or the equivalent - always hyper. I also suspect he has been dressed by the women in his life, which accounts for some pretty big stylistic shifts, since the women change often. I blame the jackets on Allison Moorer, though he still mostly wears pearl snaps and jeans onstage.
that makes a lot of sense ... I am ADHD and I know we ADHD people have a particular vulnerability to all kinds of addictive behaviours, because our brains are constantly seeking intense stimulation. especially at low points in my life, when I didn't have some intense stimulation to keep my mind calm, I would just do anything and everything that came into my mind without thinking about it, and eventually I developed some pretty dysfunctional "go-to" solutions for those situations (compulsive eating, picking my skin, getting really angry/sad about something that popped into my head for no reason) ... I am glad that in my case I didn't turn to drugs and alcohol (for the most part), but I know that many people with ADHD do turn to those things, especially when those things are normalized or widely available in their environment.
Steve Earle knows better but will he admit it
This is depressing.
I bet you’re a real scholar and gentleman...
I'll walk on Steve Earles table and tell him george jones is the best songwriter of all time or hank sr.
Dang, when people you admire turn out to be assholes what do you do?
Write a country song about it.
LOL
WM; MW, WV.
Mr mud!!!
This guy has the brain power of a salamander and I apologize to salamanders everywhere.
one of my favorites- till he starts in on the political bullshit- then the sharks are ready to jump- when are these singers going to understand #1 virtually every politician is a crook
#2 behind the scenes both dems and rep. are a helluva lot more alike than their acolytes could possibly imagine
#3 nobody gives a shit what guitar pickers think about it anyhow
Don't tell me Steve turned into a lefty?
He always had progressive views, but it's reductive to call him simply "a lefty" - do you understand that many people who consider themselves left-wing probably have the same core values as you? I'm not talking about Democrats or liberals, I'm talking about people with independent political views who identify as left-wing or socialist. Like Steve Earle.
Just as a side note: if you think that a socialist is basically the same thing as a liberal, which I know many people do believe, I don't really know what to tell you except that it isn't. There's a world of difference between liberal and socialist attitudes. Liberals also fear socialism just as much as conservatives do, but they deal with it by co-opting it and diluting it down instead of openly fighting it. Liberal parties try to swoop in and steal the momentum of radical social/political movements, while at the same time neutralizing the potential threat posed by those grassroots left-wing movements. That's why liberals might APPEAR to be "allied" to socialists, or to support socialists, if you're looking at them from "the outside". But just about every socialist I know HATES the Democratic Party and liberals more than you would ever imagine, because liberals are just as much, if not more so, the enemies of socialists, just as they are the enemies of conservatives.
When Steve Earle came out about his socialist political views, he still said that he understands why much of the American working-class was drawn to Trump, and he said that he felt the left needed to fix itself because it had become out of touch with many of the people. He is clearly listening to people like you who are not drawn to the left. He believes his views would also appeal to many people who are now against the left *if* those views were presented in the right way - and I don't think he's wrong.
Many of the intensely "red" parts of the U.S. were, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, hotbeds of radical organizing (especially areas with growing industry, including Appalachia) - because at those times, those people's idea of "socialism" appealed to the community values and way of life they wanted to protect. If you think Steve Earle is bad, read more about Woody Guthrie and his views. Guthrie was a card-carrying Communist Party member in the 1930's and he wrote plenty of songs reflecting that. Guthrie believed that the CPUSA, not the Democrats or Republicans, were the ones who really cared about doing something for working-class people. Maybe he was wrong, but he was a Communist Party member for the same reason that many working-class people have become right-wingers and/or Trump supporters today. They feel listened to and seen by the side they support, and abandoned/hated by the side they're against.
Part of the reason why politics have become so horrible in North America right now is because people (on both sides) have learned to see people on "the opposite side" as literal forces of evil (or idiots serving those forces of evil). That's *at least* as true for the right-wing as it is true for the left-wing in the U.S. There are now millions of people in the U.S. who have been radicalized into believing that their political opponents are so evil or so stupid that they don't deserve basic respect or human rights anymore. People of all ages, even people who are old enough to know better, are beginning to behave as if supporting a political party is the same thing as supporting a football team - but they're getting hateful and violent about it, and communities are falling apart. That's extremely dangerous.
What if Steve Earle isn't a leftist for the reasons you think? What if his political views are informed by the same concerns and values which inform yours? Read what he has said about his politics. You don't have to agree with him or convert to his side, but you should understand him. You should know that you're probably *not* on "opposite sides" ... and question why we're beginning to think this way in the first place.
Steve Earl took a shower...
Terrible Father, but an Incredible guy
Steve “I have to spew my lame ass politics at every show of mine” Earle
plenty of country musicians from the opposite end of the political spectrum do that constantly ... people single out Steve Earle for criticism just because he's left-wing. would you care if he happened to be saying things you agree with, or do you only think he should stop because he's saying things you don't agree with?
Steve Earle is a legend in his own mind.
I made the mistake of trying to listen to his show on Sirius-XM a couple times. The liberal, loudmouth can't shut up about politics. I cannot understand how he gets that gig.
BubblegumShallow, Thank you
Heh Bubblegum music......Stick it up your liberal, hippy, pot smokin' ass. Nobody wants to hear your bilge. This guy doesn't know you, and doesn't need you to defend him.
His guitar kills fascists.
That statement says a lot more about you than Earle, shithide.
I can love their music and not their politics. Lots of drug addicts are left wing in their politics. Gives them an excuse for their mistakes.But I still love the heartfelt music of so many with whom I am completely on the opposite side of politics.
Prine, Nancy Griffith,Earle...
The great socialist Steve Earle - a NY Yankees fan. lol Classic Leftist.
Horrible story teller
submit to Jesus that is your only hope and you know it, your popular and or talent based songs won't hold water in the afterlife
tony roy
Fuck jesus
Fuck all religions
And...wait for it...
Fuck you
I used to love Steve Earle. Then, about 12-12 years ago, he drank the liberal Kool-Aid and seems to be battling Bruce Springsteen to be the artist that has alienated the most fans with leftist dogma.
yeah, must really alienate people to see musicians who look beyond their own wealth and position and want a fairer society
@@swfcocs1 -- And he looked straight at socialism, which has killed over 100 million people this century.
@@2ManyNamesTaken even if you take that highly dubious figure as true its still way way less than killed by capitalism
@@swfcocs1 -- Free market capitalism never killed anyone that wasn't threatening to take something that wasn't theirs.
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Capitalism is about free choice. Socialism is about gunpoint equalization. Kind of like the difference between social justice and real justice.
@@2ManyNamesTaken the thing is you're not playing fair-according to you anyone who dies of war or hunger under what you regard as socialism is the fault of socialism but if ppl die in the same way under capitalism you dont blame that ideology in the same way.I sense youre an Ayn Rand worshipping "libertarian" which would likely be even worse than the current corporatist nightmare.you'd end up with one or two monolith companies more powerful than any govt who controlled every aspect of consumer "choice"
Van Zam had one hit and every needle stabbing junkie is jubilant for this guy, like he was a messiah. Wasnt he a drunkard?
He was a drunk, a junkie, but also a schizophrenic, among other things that were poorly diagnosed. I have more sympathy for such individuals. He also underwent the now unthinkable electric shock therapy as a youth in an attempt to cure his rowdy tendencies. His parents were conservative, well-to-do professional people and in their eyes he always had something wrong with him--something in need of being cured of. They of course came to be remorseful for their son's 'afflictions' though he still chose bedlam and squalor. So, it's like the chicken or the egg paradox: Was he a lousy person most of the time because he had psychological issues or was his over-indulgent, hell-raising lifestyle stock to the brim with vices the cause for his psychological decline?
@@Garrett1240 I thought it was bipolar disorder, not schizophrenia.
@@nilradem Maybe I mixed it up
I love Steve... but the H turned him into a socialist.
The H?
Heroin