The title says it all. Willie was born on April 30, 1933 (too bad it wasn't 10 days earlier) and with his 80th birthday approaching he's not taking any chances with his final wishes. If you want to know the history of Willie and his music there are better books out there. Willie: An Autobiography (2000) and Willie Nelson: An Epic Life by Joe Nick Patoski (2009) will tell you just about everything you want to know about his music and incredible life.
Roll Me Up… is more of a companion piece to those books. You won't get too many insights but there are some good laughs and words of wisdom. If you're looking for secrets on how to become a good songwriter here's what he has to say - "I will never say anything to discourage a songwriter but if you're a real songwriter, nothing I could say would discourage you, anyway. If my opinion could change your mind about being a songwriter, then you weren't really a songwriter to begin with and I would have done you a favor by making you look for a different career. If a real songwriter happened to hear that I didn't like his work, he'd say 'What the hell does Willie Nelson know?'" You can apply that lesson to just about anything in life. The book is full of lessons like that plus some interesting stories from sister Bobbie. There are some lyrics and some old jokes that probably sound a lot funnier if you're burning one with Willie on his bus but it would be impolite not to chuckle at them while reading at home. Hopefully an audiobook version is coming out, it would be a great listen on a road trip.
Keep it next to your nightstand for a quick, easy read before bed or in the bathroom if you need inspiration.
--Woody
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