Willie Nelson is still going strong at 92. In fact, in a new profile for The New Yorker, Willie’s wife of 34 years, Annie D’Angelo, made a joke about her still-performing husband.
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“He just keeps going and going. He’s Benjamin Buttoning me,” Annie quipped of Willie, referencing the story about a man who ages in reverse.
Annie’s observation is certainly true in some sense. Every day, Willie does sit-ups, arm rolls, leg lifts, and jogs in place.
“I’m in pretty good shape, physically, for ninety-two,” he said. “Woke up again this morning, so that’s good.”
He did so without the help of his doctor-prescribed lung exercises, quipping simply, “Singing for an hour is good for you.”
His daughter, Amy Nelson, expanded on that thought, stating of music, “I think it’s literally keeping him alive.”
On stage, however, Willie’s show has changed over the years. His harmonica player, Mickey Raphael, described Willie’s concert as being “more like spoken word now,” likening the experience to witnessing “poetry with a rhythm section.”
Micah Nelson, Willie’s son who often shares the stage with his dad, had a different view point of the concerts.
“You never know exactly what he’s going to do,” Micah said. “You’re always present. Nobody’s phoning it in, because you never know where the spirit’s going to take him.”
When Will Willie Nelson Retire?
As for when Willie plans to step away from music, he gave a very specific answer to the outlet.
“When Trigger goes, I’ll quit,” Nelson said of the beloved Martin acoustic guitar he’s had since 1969.
Though Willie may not want to play music without Trigger, other musicians believes his talent could stand on its own, with or without the instrument.
“You can hear the sound of his voice in what he’s playing,” Bill Frisell, a jazz guitarist, said. “If I gave him one of my guitars, it would sound like Willie Nelson. It wouldn’t sound like me.”
For now, Willie continues to perform.
“People out there get to clap their hands and sing for a couple hours, and then they go home feeling better,” Willie said of why he still enjoys taking the stage. “I get the same enjoyment that they do—it’s an equal exchange of energy.”
Photo by SUZANNE CORDEIRO/AFP via Getty Images
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