Althouse: Willie Nelson cuts his hair...

May 27, 2010

Willie Nelson cuts his hair...

... but not enough.

I'm not enjoying the jaunty bob on an old man.

18 comments:

Mark O said...: I remember opening for the Jaunty Bobs in 1972.; 5/27/10, 9:23 AM
Meade said...: Red-haired stranger; 5/27/10, 9:29 AM
Anonymous said...: Did you go to the Broken Spoke when you were in Austin? There's an old photo of him as clean cut as a Mormon missionary.; 5/27/10, 9:32 AM
Wince said...: Are you sure that picture caption is not mistaken and the Dutch Boy Paint boy, like most child stars, just got out of rehab?; 5/27/10, 9:35 AM
Peter Hoh said...: It's a cute look, if you're a little Dutch boy.; 5/27/10, 9:35 AM
Ron said...: It's Jimmy Ray Buffett! A "CoyoteHead!"; 5/27/10, 9:41 AM
bagoh20 said...: I know I'm a radical, but I like me a good mullet. I think it's the perfect male long hair. Long but hassle free. I want one, but don't have the courage of my convictions.; 5/27/10, 10:29 AM
Unknown said...: Makes me think of Custer if everything had gone right at Little Big Horn (hadn't bumped into the reservation jumpers, the infantry had shown up on time, etc.) and he'd lived to retirement.

I always thought of Willie Nelson as I think of Fidel - get a shave and a haircut, lose the Communist suit, start looking like a grown-up.; 5/27/10, 11:33 AM
As my whimsy leads me.. said...: From his Red Headed Stranger album:
Bonaparte's Retreat

Kay Starr's version: Bonaparte's Retreat

But it was based on an old fiddle tune:

Bonaparte's Retreat or, "Bonypart."

which Aaron Copland used for the "Hoe Down" section of his ballet, Rodeo:
Hoe Down"

which was used in commercials such as:
Beef--It's what's for dinner

Not bad for an old fiddle tune!

Does anyone know how to find the name of a song whose tune you know but have forgotten the words or name of? My grandmother used to play and sing "Bonaparte's Retreat," but I couldn't find the name until I sang the little bit I remembered to a folk singer, who knew it. That's why I got a little obsessed with the song. It took me many years to find the name.

Toy; 5/27/10, 11:38 AM
Phil 314 said...: It looks like he's been on some alternative version of "What Not to Wear"
(new hair, new hair color, Hawaiian shirt)

(Here's the "before" picture); 5/27/10, 11:47 AM
bagoh20 said...: "Does anyone know how to find the name of a song whose tune you know but have forgotten the words or name of"

That's a tough one, but how about posting an audio clip of you singing the melody and then asking for clues? Alternatives: Sodium Pentothal or water boarding yourself. You have the answer, you need to convince your brain to give it up.; 5/27/10, 11:48 AM
As my whimsy leads me.. said...: Bago, I just learned how to link to you-tube and now you want me to do audio clips? Self administration of Pentothal would be pretty dangerous. Besides, if I'm asleep how can I sing the song to myself? The self waterboarding might be possible--a chaise lounge tipped backwards into a kiddie pool might work. Still the questioning might be a problem. I'll get right on it and let you know...

Toy; 5/27/10, 12:35 PM
charley foster said...: He looks like a Beach Boy.; 5/27/10, 12:45 PM
knox said...: Little Lord Fauntlewilly; 5/27/10, 4:06 PM
Penny said...: Delilah sure gets around.

The only place she hasn't had much of an impact is with the biker dudes.; 5/27/10, 4:12 PM
Penny said...: "He looks like a Beach Boy."

He does! And a California Beach Boy at that. If you take a peek at the link that shows Willie over the years, it's clear there was some cutting going on elsewhere, not to mention a lot of hair dying to boot.

Christ, what's the world coming to if Willie Nelson has a total makeover.; 5/27/10, 4:13 PM
Dad Bones said...: It was either too much Maui Wowee or the ghost of Don Ho.; 5/27/10, 7:49 PM
Anonymous said...: With a little gel and greasepaint, he could be Bozo the Clown's grandpa.; 5/28/10, 12:40 AM