Outside of his music, Waylon Jennings is best known for his uncensored mouth and brash humor. It’s part of what makes Waylon, Waylon, and he featured this part of himself unapologetically on several occasions. Speaking of which, one of the more notable instances was when he walked out of the “We Are The World” recording in 1985 after refusing to sing in Swahili.
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You might not like this side of Waylon Jennings, as you might find it a bit rude and crude. But to a true Jennings fan, this is one of his greatest attributes. It’s an attribute that showed the world that nobody could dictate how he lived his life and what words he would utter. He again proved this in a televised interview with The Highwaymen back in the 1990s.
How a Rude Question Led to a Humorously Threatening Waylon Jennings Response
When the Highwaymen got together in 1985, Waylon Jennings, Kris Kristofferson, and Johnny Cash were certainly at the back half of their careers. Consequently, people speculated that the group got together solely for financial benefit and to stay relevant.
Of course, true Highwaymen fans don’t believe this to be true. However, critics believe that it was the only reason they were together, and when one journalist asked them this very question, he evoked quite the response out of Waylon Jennings.
In 1991, the Highwaymen toured overseas and sat down with a British broadcasting network for an interview. During the interview, the reporter asked, “Why [are you] teaming up together? At least one critic, probably more, suggested it’s because none of you can fill the halls anymore on your own, and it takes four of you.”
“How kind of you to point that out,” Kristofferson replied quite sarcastically.
“That’s not a true statement you made there,” said Cash.
Willie Nelson just sat there smiling and seemingly preparing for the statement Waylon Jennings was about to drop.
After Kristofferson had given his last rebuttal, Jennings jumped to the point and said, “I tell ya, one more point too… If you ask another question like that, we’ll burn your home.”
The band broke out into laughter, but it seems the British reporter was taken aback by Jennings’ humorously morbid threat. Of course, at least on the surface, Jennings was kidding. But the musician claimed to be a man of his word, so maybe that reporter did have to call the fire department after that interview. Hopefully not.
Photo by Tom Hill/Getty Images
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