May 9, 1997: Willie Nelson

Country music legend Willie Nelson joins Art Bell for a wide-ranging late-night conversation from his tour bus in Atlantic City. Nelson reflects on his early days playing with a Bohemian polka band at age nine, the devastating $32 million IRS battle, and his tireless advocacy for American family farmers through Farm Aid.

The discussion moves through the crisis facing small agriculture, with Nelson detailing how corporate interests and predatory lending have reduced family farms from eight million to fewer than two million. He makes an impassioned case for hemp legalization, explaining how petrochemical lobbyists engineered its prohibition to eliminate competition. Nelson also shares his views on reincarnation, his four marriages, life on the road, and what it takes to perform 200 shows a year.

Callers from across the country phone in with personal stories about Nelson's concerts, his charitable prison performances, and his impact on their lives. From songwriting advice to his thoughts on world government, Nelson reveals himself as both a deeply philosophical thinker and a man who found freedom by simply letting go of expectations.