“He’s Kind of Like a Gypsy”: Toby Keith’s Deep Appreciation for Willie Nelson’s Nomadic Lifestyle

Before his passing, Toby Keith was a great friend of Willie Nelson. Behind the public eye, the two spent quite a bit of time together. In the public eye, the two as a collaborative pair are best known for their 2002 no. 1 hit single, “Beer For My Horses”. Though, more importantly, Keith praised Nelson for his ability to live optimistically, minimally, and ultimately, like a nomad or traveler.

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Willie Nelson is seemingly just about the most relaxed, nonchalant, and happy individual in the music business. Frankly, that is probably the reason he’s able to tour the world and still play music at 91 years old. With all that in mind, Keith admired Nelson’s lifestyle and his ability to let optimism beat every single melancholic situation. A habit we could all probably use our wheelhouse of mental health tools.

Toby Keith Admired Willie Nelson’s Minimalistic and Optimistic Lifestyle

Everyone fortunate enough to call themselves a country music star has praised Willie Nelson in one way or another. However, their comments always seem brief, a bit shallow, and mainly just pertain to the man’s illustrious music career. Though, when Toby Kieth gave his piece on Willie Nelson, he went far deeper and didn’t even mention Nelson’s career. Rather, he mentioned his grade A character and personality.

“Willie don’t sit around and stew on the day-to-day,” Toby Keith once said, per AARP. “He never gets too low on anything, Willie just liked to stay high, you know. Like everybody else, he’ll have a bad day, but he doesn’t like to wallow around in that.”

“He’s kind of like a gypsy,” said Keith. “He lives better in that bus than he lives, I think, anywhere else. He loves to perform, he still does more shows than all of us. It’s crazy how much he works, but I think staying busy and not staying stressed out over the little stuff keeps you rockin’.”

Per Toby Keith’s comments, it seems Willie Nelson has figured out the key to longevity in this business. That key seemingly consists of minimalism, optimism, and a greater sense that anything and everything will turn out okay in the end. We should all learn to live like Willie Nelson in some fashion, as the man evidently has figured out how to stay content. Which, these days, is pretty hard to come by in a person.

So, above all, live like Willie Nelson. It surely wouldn’t hurt to try.

Photo by Ebet Roberts/Redferns