Willie Nelson
loading...

Willie Nelson has had a long and successful career. He is now going to be honored in Austin, Texas with an eight foot tall bronze statue.

This Friday, April 20th, marks a very special day for stoners. So it is the perfect day to honor the notorious pot smoker-Willie Nelson. And the best part is they are going to unveil at 4:20 pm.

The statue was created by the non-profit group Capital Area Statues, Inc. They wanted to make sure that it reflected a little something for every age group of fans. In an statement made by the sculptor, Clete Shields, he said:

"Creating a sculpture of such an icon while he is still living presents its challenges. For many, the Willie they connect with is the Outlaw Willie of the Seventies, or the influential advocate for Farm Aid in the Eighties, while others – especially a younger generation – grew fond of him during his more mature years. The sculpture needed to appeal to a broad audience and conjure up the fond memories of so many different people."

I never really understood huge statues.  Did Nelson do something special for the city of Austin?  It would make sense to honor him if he helped rebuild the city after a natural disaster struck.  Or if  he donated millions to help a sick children's hospital.  But I have no idea why they are honoring him.

How would you feel if Amarillo decided to create an eight foot, one ton bronze statue of a random performer?  Every time I passed it I would wonder, "why on earth is that statue here?"

Since Austin worked so hard to make sure they could reveal this thing on 4/20 at 4:20 pm, maybe they are honoring him for being such a devoted stoner.

But all jokes aside, Willie Nelson has contributed a lot with his music.  Kudos to him.  He will be in Austin to perform for ACL Live at the Moody Theatre as part of the We Walk the Line show celebrating the music of Johnny Cash, so that means he will be at the big statue unveiling.

 

More From 101.9 The Bull