We caught up with Willie Nelson on June 20 for an interview on The CelebStoner Show. The focus of the interview was Nelson's new album, Band of Brothers. We also touched upon a variety of subjects related to marijuana.
It's a good time for country music as far as marijuana advocacy, isn't it?
I think so. I think it has a lot to do with Colorado and Washington, all the states that have legalized it. That's a big deal. I probably was one of the most surprised. I didn't think it would happen in my lifetime, but here it is. The future looks good.
Have you been to Colorado since they started selling marijuana legally?
No, I haven't been there.
I read that the governor's office in Colorado contacted you to do a PSA about marijuana.
Yeah, we've talked about doing a couple of things. I don't know, I may or may not do it. I haven't decided yet.
What do you attribute to all these changes happening as far as marijuana laws?
One word: Money. There's a lot of money in selling marijuana. If you can do it legally, that's good. Why should all the criminals make the money? This is what people are thinking. If it's happening, if it's going to be legal, let's tax it and regulate it, like we do with everything else and make some money off this. I think that's one reason why people are talking this a little more seriously.
That's what you said when we started the Teapot Party. What kind of message do you have for Teapot Party people out there who are looking for advice from you about what the Teapot Party should be doing at this point?
Voting. Find out who in their area believes the way they do and vote for them. Get out and go vote. If it's the day to go vote, make sure you go vote before you burn one down. Don't get high and forget to vote.
You're supporting Wendy Davis for the governor of Texas. You've faced some backlash because of her support of abortion. Have you felt any of this negativity from some people?
No, I haven't. Maybe some people feel that way, but they haven't said anything to me. She came out in support of medical marijuana. That was the issue. I'm not really familiar with the other issues.
Some states have legalized hemp. Are we moving in the right direction as far as making hemp available to people?
Yeah, we are. More and more people are finding out the benefits of it - hemp and marijuana. The more they delve into it and research it, the more they realize, Hey wait a minute, we should give this another look.
'Get out and go vote. If it's the day to go vote, make sure you go vote before you burn one down. Don't get high and forget to vote.'
How's your biodiesel company, BioWillie, doing?
Right now we're sending out trucks to a lot of the restaurants around gathering up vegetable oil and taking it to our plants and turning it into biodiesel. That's working very well.
As far as your personal smoking habits, are you vaporizing? Are you dabbing using concentrates?
No, I don't really like any of those things. But vaporizers are good for your lungs. Cigarette smoke will kill you. I never heard of anybody dying from marijuana smoke. Vaporizers I think are smarter.
Do you use a vape pen or an old-fashioned vaporizer?
There are a few of those little pens going around. I see them around California, those e-cigarette type pens. They're all right.
The latest thing is states are passing new medical marijuana laws that don't allow for smoking. What do you think of that?
I don't think much of them. I'm not a huge advocate of edibles. There are people who do find it beneficial. There are kids who are benefiting from it medicinally. The Charlotte's Web folks - they've found ways to use it where it's helpful. As far as me personally, I don't do the edibles because it's a different type of high and I just don't like that.
When you go home, do you go to Hawaii or do you stay in the continental U.S.?
It depends on how much time I have. If I have enough time I like to go to Hawaii and hang out for a few days. or I'll go to Austin. I've got a couple of good horses down there I like to ride.
What's happening with your daughter Paula's pot-bust case?
They dismissed that. The judge threw that out and took it off the record. She's fine.
How's the current tour going?
Working with Alison Krause + Union Station and Kacey Musgraves and these great musician and singers, it's really a lot of fun, we've had a good tour. I look forward to touring with those folks again one day. Kacey and I are planning on doing a song together, an old song I wrote called "You Sure This Is Where You Want to Be." We're going to do some recording together and that's going to be cool.
I hear you have another album in the works called December Day.
It's just with my band and my sister Bobbie. It's mostly me and sister with a little harmonica and a little bass in there. We're doing nine songs that I wrote and a couple of Irving Berlin songs - "Alexander's Ragtime Band" and "What'll I Do." It's coming out sometimes before the holidays, maybe October.
Your drummer Paul English was injured last year in a bus crash. How's he doing?
Everybody's fine. We've got a pretty good little band going. We're having some fun out here.
