Willie Nelson: very much the Paul Newman of his market segment

Willie Nelson Is Planning His Own Brand Of Weed And Shops Named 'Willie's Reserve'

Of course he is. Of course.

Guitarobit: Jody Payne

Jody Payne, who played guitar for Wille Nelson's The Family across four decades, has died.

Payne retired from touring with the band in 2011, choosing to settle down in Stapleton, Alabama:

“I always said that if I could live anywhere it would be in the middle of Baldwin County, and that’s just about where I am,” the easygoing Payne said with a chuckle. “I really like it here. It’s a small town with friendly people.”

Jody Payne was 77; he died of cardiac problems on Saturday, 10th August.

Steve Grand comes out; NME promotes idea that "that shit is wrong"

You know, if you're going to come out, and you're a country musician, you might as well really come out.

Steve Grand's done it by releasing this:

... and then saying 'oh, and that's autobiographical'.

It's just a bit grim that it's 2013, and an out country (as opposed to alt country) artist is a rarity. uproxx.com provided some context:

Before country musician Steve Grand uploaded “All-American Boy” to YouTube, the most prominent Google search result for “gay country song” was a link to Yahoo! Answers. Three years ago, “Gex” asked, “Is their any gay country song?” to which “ihatebho” replied, “Another song dealing with homosexuality: Ain’t Going Down On Brokeback Mountain by Willie Nelson,” which, yes, is a real song, with the refrain “That sh*t ain’t right.”

I'm sorry, Willie Nelson did what? (He even works in a gag about bumming, like he's seven years old.)

Even more surprisingly, the NME is hosting the video. Yes, that's the NME with a page dedicated to a song which says that homosexuality is wrong.

Obviously, it's been somehow auto-generated and the paper tartly disclaims any responsibility:

DISCLAIMER: The video content provided on this page is generated by YouTube and consequently features user-generated content. While we do our best to stop offensive material appearing, NME.COM cannot be held responsible for all of the material that may be displayed on this page. If you object to any video, please visit the YouTube Abuse and Policy Centre

- but, frankly, that's not good enough. What actions have the NME taken that it feels is "doing our best"? And why on earth should someone complain to YouTube because the NME has embedded something homophobic on it's site?

24 Hours from David: 3. To All The Girls I've Loved Before

One of Hal David's collaborations with Albert Hammond, here rendered in rough-with-the-smooth pairing of Willie Nelson in a pair of shorts he stole from a Hooters waitress and Julio Inglesias at Farm Aid II.

[Buy: To All The Girls I've Loved Before]
[Part of 24 Hours from David]

Countryobit: Bee Spears

Bee Spears, long-time bassist for Willie Nelson's band, has died.

Spears started working with Nelson in 1968, and has played with him on record and stage pretty much ever since. The 62 year-old slipped and fell outside his home in Nashville; temperatures dropped to minus three while he was outside overnight.

Willie Nelson busted again

Well done, Texas police. Arresting Willie Nelson for possessing a bit of dope. That's some sort of proof of the power of your detective skills right there. It's like pulling Chewbacca over on suspicion of possessing hair.

Given the amount of scary, hard drugs being poured across the borders by scary, hard men, wasting time shaking down Nelson for dope suggests a law enforcement team incapable of prioritising.

Darkness at 3AM: Mirror gets the scoop of the century

Prepare for a shock from the Sunday Mirror:

Country singer Willie Nelson reveals he regularly smokes dope

I know. Legendary pot-head, known for campaigning for the legalisation of marijuana, busted for cannabis on his tour bus actually smokes the stuff? I'd always assumed he was using the hemp to weave tote bags.

Glastonbury 2010: Police rub hands at first certain drug arrest

Willie Nelson has just confirmed he's playing Glastonbury this year.

Actor Billy Bob Thornton quits

Well, it wasn't going well, was it? The actor Billy Bob Thornton has pulled the remaining support dates on Willie Nelson's Canadian tour.

Because all of Canada hate him.

Or, officially:

[D]ue to "one band member and several of the crew having the flu".

Flu that, magically, cures itself when you leave a country where you've called the audiences "mashed potatoes with no gravy". Funny that.

It is a lovely little thing, isn't it?

The delightfully nuts "are you the butler" knockabout Bing and Bowie take on Peace On Earth and Little Drummer Boy is being recreated for a single featuring Aled Jones and Terry Wogan. While might be somewhat eclipsed by the Colbert/Willie Nelson version, it's got to be better than the X Factor winner trumpeting to number one, surely?

Costello feels he gets no respect

In a thinly-veiled suggestion that he doesn't feel he's treated well enough in the UK, Elvis Costello has said he wouldn't be bothered if he never played Britain again:

"I don't care if I ever play in England again. That [Glastonbury 2005] gig made up my mind that I wouldn't come back. I don't get along with it. We lost touch. It's 25 years since I lived there. I don't dig it, they don't dig me."

But not playing a country because you stank up the festival is a little short-sighted, isn't it? After all, the audience at an expensive festival is hardly going to be your core audience, is it; to go into a big grump and wipe an entire nation - especially one which has been enthusiastically supportive of you for so long - is a little bit crabby.

Costello then suggests that the real reason is the young folk don't treat him like a god:

"British music fans don't have the same attitude to age as they do in America, where young people come to check out, say, Willie Nelson. They feel some connection with him and find a role for that music in their lives."

Really? I somehow doubt there's very much crossover between Hannah Montana's audience and Willie Nelson's; and it's somewhat flip and dismissive to suggest that Britain's young people have a gerontophobic attitude to anyone older than them - Oasis still pull a crowd; the Sex Pistols have sold out as much to misguided young persons as to old punks; Prince and Macca generate excitement whenever they take to a stage.

Maybe Costello's really annoyed that he never got the call for Grumpy Old Men.

Nelson pushes blow

Clearly, then, his most recent run-in with the law didn't stop him: Willie Nelson is setting out on pro-cannabis tour across the US today:

Nelson did not respond to a request to discuss the concert, but Rob Kampia, executive director of the Marijuana Policy Project, said the funds will be used for legalization efforts around the country. At least a dozen states allow people to use marijuana to relieve pain or treat other ailments, and Kampia said his group is helping to push ballot initiatives making medical marijuana legal in several other states.

“The goal is to end marijuana prohibition in the US” Kampia said.

We're not sure why Willie Nelson wasn't available to talk about the positive aspects of cannabis use - rumours that he was hiding under his bed muttering something about "the man" couldn't be confirmed, etc etc...

Free Willie

Willie Nelson has avoided prison after cops discovered dope on his tour bus. Appearing in court Tuesday, he was fined $1000 and put on probation for six months.

When he emerged, Nelson shook hands, signed scraps of paper and posed for photographs.

The BBC missed it, though, as they were showing EastEnders.

Sorry... wrong Nelson.