Dream Chasers

A Road Less Traveled: The Inspiring Story of "Almost Willie"

• Eric Heidrich

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Imagine giving up the security of a full-time job to become an impersonator of a country music legend. That's the road Almost Willie, an award-winning Willie Nelson impersonator, chose to travel, and he's been living his dream for close to 40 years! His tale of transformation, courage, and chasing dreams is as inspiring as it is entertaining, and we're thrilled to share his journey with you.

From his passion for country music that fueled his dream, to the remarkable day he spent in the company of his hero, Willie Nelson, Almost Willie's story is a testament to the power of following your heart. He shares his experiences of life on the road, the challenges he's overcome, and his simple yet profound definition of success - happiness. We'll also hear about his memorable performance in front of thousands of fans alongside Willie Nelson, a day he describes as 'incredible'.

Life as a traveling musician isn't all smooth sailing. Almost Willie recounts the days of breaking down on the highway, and how he stays positive despite life's curveballs. His advice to anyone wanting to become a traveling musician is both practical and encouraging. As we wrap up this episode, we delve into his belief in finding purpose in God's plan and using our talents to reach our goals. Almost Willie's journey has the power to inspire us all to pursue our passions and find what truly makes us happy. Tune in and let his story remind you that it's never too late to chase your dreams!

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Almost Willie:

The main thing is to you know you gotta keep a positive attitude. Some people try to knock you down, you know, and oh, you never do this, you never do that. I mean you gotta be inspired. You gotta wake up every morning and say, hey, I'm gonna do something good today and I'm gonna make people's day today. I know I am.

Eric:

This is the Dream Chaser Show. Hey guys, welcome back to the show, where our mission is to inspire and improve the lives of those who dare to chase their dreams. In today's episode, I got the opportunity to interview a man whose dream it was to be a Willie Nelson impersonator. He looks just like him, sounds just like him. It's totally awesome and crazy, but I actually met him at a campground in South Dakota and I'll tell the story a little bit more in the show. But I met up with him and had an interview right here in our own RV, and so throughout the interview he tells us stories about what it's like being on the road for 30 plus years, some of the things that he's seen and done. He's met Willie Nelson several times and you'll get to hear about that as well, and I dive a little more deeply into what it was like for him to quit his job that he had at the current time where he was guaranteed pay and all these things to chase his dream of becoming Willie Nelson.

Eric:

Well, a Willie Nelson impersonator. And that always intrigues me and it always resonates deeply with me, because I know that that takes a ton of courage and for those of you out there that are listening to this, where you're thinking about maybe quitting the job that you have now to dive into something that's a dream of yours, or maybe you're not even sure what it is, but you feel a little bit unsettled with what you're currently doing and you know that there's something else out there for you. I want to give you hope and that's what I hope to do and that's kind of what this show is all about. So let's get into this interview where we talk to this guy who is chasing his dream. Hope you guys enjoy it.

Eric:

Welcome back to the show. Everybody, my name is Eric with the Dream Chasers and today I'm really excited to bring to you a man named Almost Willie, and the story on that was we were pulling into Mitchell, south Dakota, and I see this huge red, white and blue van and it says Almost Willie on the side with a picture of Willie Nelson, and I'm like what's going on here? I got to see this, so of course I met up with him and I've got Willie with me here today. And Willie, I'm so glad that you're here.

Almost Willie:

Thanks for having me. Yeah, you got everything right, except that's not Willie Nelson on the side of us, it's me, it's you. Yeah, oh, I can put a picture of Willie on the side, that's true, it might be like a copyright thing.

Eric:

Yeah, okay, which is crazy because it looks just like him.

Almost Willie:

Oh, they think he looks all like me.

Eric:

There you go, All right, All right. Well, Willie, I know that you've won awards and stuff. You kind of filled me in on your background and some of the travels that you've done and I'd be really curious to know if you can kind of give us a little bit of a background story on your history and how you got started doing this Almost Willie thing. For what is it going on 39 years? Is that what you said, Going on 39.

Almost Willie:

Okay, Okay. Well, first of all, I was born in Missouri, Charleston, Missouri, and I stayed there and I got married and had kids. I got a job when I got out of the Army and when I come back home I look for a job. And I didn't have any schooling or anything, but I was a medic in the Army so I figured I could drive an ambulance so you know who's an ambulance business back then, Funeral homes Okay, they had the big wagons, you know, and they put a red light on top. So I went down, I got a job and that afternoon, the first day, I was dressing a body, I thought, man, what have I got myself in for, you know. But anyway, I got my funeral director's license and I was a funeral director until 1983. Okay, and I quit funeral business, started selling cars in Columbia, Missouri, and then that's when I dressed up the first time I'm alive.

Almost Willie:

When I started selling cars I could grow a beard Okay, Because funeral director's can handle beard, you know, along here, Sent with military, yeah, you know. So I started going to this beard and by Halloween time of 1985, me and my wife was going. Yeah, I was married and had a wife and six kids. I still got six kids and we was going to out country dancing. You know we got pretty good. We was winning contests and stuff Two stepping and walls and cognac Joe stuff like that. And so we was going to Halloween contest at the country bar. My wife said why don't you paint your beard white and I'll make you some braids and sew them on a bandana? You go with Willie Nelson. Oh, that's right, Because Willie was big back then 85. And I said, oh, all right, because I had to do everything. She said anyway. So I get home at night and she's got these braids laying out on the bed for me. I had some clown white makeup. I had to put some white in my beard then because I don't need more. But I put that on and I put the braids on. I went to contest. I won first place. So I thought man, I must look a lot like Willie Nelson.

Almost Willie:

So people started calling me after that saying, hey, get you Willie's stuff on and come on over. We're having a barbecue and you get free food and drinks. But I couldn't play guitar or anything. So I'd go over and tell stories or jokes and stuff like that. And then after about six months of that I said, man, I got to learn a couple Willie songs. So I went down to pawn shop and bought a guitar and I put a friend of mine in town, Doc Shane. He's a veterinarian and he played guitar. I said, Doc, would you come over Monday night and teach me a couple Willie songs? He said, yeah, Well, he'd come over every Monday night for two years and I learned about three Willie songs. It was hard, I mean, if you're not musically inclined and it didn't come natural to me. I mean it took a long time and I practiced, practice and by 92, I'd learned 30 songs. And then it started going in my mind, hey, I can do this, I'm getting pretty good, I look like Willie.

Almost Willie:

So by 94, I was throwing asphalt off the back of a truck in Kansas City. That was your full-time job, that was my full-time job and it's hot in Kansas City 93, 4, and July Asphalt's 240 degrees, it is hot. So I was essentially on money. I was going down the city market every Saturday and there are about 8,000 people come through the city market and I got a contract to set up front of Winslow's Barbecue and play. I had my amp out there and I said there's my mic and people go by, they listen to the song or two and then throw a 5M. I was making $400 to $500 a day In 94?

Almost Willie:

In 94. So I just don't know all that money in my drawer and decided my bed and then finally I told the boss. I said, boss, Friday's going to be my last day here. I said I made up my mind. I'm going to buy this $1,000 Winnebago down the street it was a 71. And I'm going to paint it up red, white and blue and I'm going to get the road as almost willy. And that's exactly what I did. He said good luck, and I had to make a living out of it then and it was tough sometimes but I kept on persisting. I'm the number one willy impersonator in the country. Yeah, and so that's what I'm doing. I go to Sturgis every year. That's where I'm on my way to now.

Eric:

Oh, I was going to ask you about that Because that's where Kate and I come out of as Rapid City. So Sturgis is 35 minutes away or whatever. So you go down there and play quite a bit in Sturgis.

Almost Willie:

I'm not quite a bit now. I used to do one every night, but now I'm 75 years old and if I do four gigs three or four in 10 days, that's enough for me, and I got Social Security coming in. Now I'm a VA check, so I don't have to make a living there, I'm having fun. Yeah, that's the thing about life you got to have fun, or it's not worth it.

Eric:

Yeah, absolutely, absolutely. You made a comment about what it was like jumping from a full career in the asphalt, where you have a steady paycheck.

Eric:

And you always know where that meal is coming from to basically the unknown and a lot of my listeners the show is called Dream Chasers, and that's what we talk about oftentimes is going out for that dream, finding that one thing, taking a chance. Yeah, taking a chance. I'm curious to know what went through your mind when you were making that transition, because I think a lot of listeners might be on the cusp of leaving their job to start something that they really love.

Almost Willie:

Well, I thought I'd end up homeless. My rig break down and I'll be desolate. I ain't got no money, but when I break down, there's always somebody there who lives. God takes care of you. He does.

Eric:

He does and you're kind of right now, or you got someone coming to work on a rig right now, right.

Almost Willie:

Yeah, I got a good old boy and I met Adlon Road here. He called his mechanic, he come out, he got it fixed, but the next morning it wouldn't start. So something more close or something, or night, you know, sure, so, but he's going to get started tonight, I'm sure. Ok, yeah, he's shown up tonight like six or something. Yeah, ok, when in the morning when it starts, I'm going to be on a road again. You're out of here.

Eric:

Yeah, because I asked you. I said hey, can we do this interview tomorrow? And we're like, well, when my rig gets fixed I'm out. That's right, I've got a way to ram for nothing.

Almost Willie:

Yeah, but I don't book in in advance, ok, just because of stuff like this it happens. Yeah, if I'd have booked in there for last night, I'd have missed it. Yeah, you know, and I don't want to be at no Show. Jones, right, that's true, george Jones, he was a junk alcoholic and he wouldn't show up at eight up 10 gigs.

Eric:

Oh, wow, yeah, Wow. So anyone if he did show up, it was like a surprise.

Almost Willie:

Yeah, oh wow, that's how you got to handle.

Eric:

No Show Jones All right, yeah, you don't want that.

Almost Willie:

No, and I just doesn't show up and tell hey, I'm here, but I mean, I do do some gigs, once a fall, ok, you know, that's the month or six weeks in advance.

Eric:

Ok, and for anybody that's listening to this and not watching it I mean it looks like I'm having a conversation with Willie Nelson. I mean it's just like them, sound like them. It's phenomenal, it's really cool. Well, thank you, I appreciate it.

Almost Willie:

Of course I know it. Yeah, you already know.

Eric:

You already know, so I wanted to ask you a couple more questions. Willie, it's now that I have you, and again I appreciate your time and stuff, and what makes you so passionate about what you do? Is there something that you just love about?

Almost Willie:

being Willie. I like country music. To start out with, back in the 70s I'm taking my wife. We went to the Gardendale and I saw Merle Haggard and you know just one year in a concert with somebody big like that it just gets in you, yeah, and I just always like. And then when I started on the road I had some trips, once while being in funeral business and on the road again. It would come on On the road again. Yes, can't wait to get on the road again. And I mean it's just I said, man, that guy's all right, yeah, and then he came out with everything else you know Blue eyes coming in the rain and whiskey rarer. Mama, don't let your babies go to the cowboy. They had the movie. My heroes have always been cowboys and Honey Sucker Rose, that's about his life on the road.

Almost Willie:

And I got all those on VHS tapes. Oh, wow, vhs, yeah, and I got. I haven't been home and I'd watch it, probably two months or something like that. Sure, and I got to meet Willie in 03. You want to hear about that?

Eric:

That was one of my next questions Because I remember you had told me when I first met you you said, yeah, I've met him and I kind of want to hear that story.

Almost Willie:

Yeah, well it was well. I started in 85. So I went to 03, 2003 without meeting him 18 years, yeah, wow. And I was down at Curveville, texas, that's about 100 miles from his ranch, and my phone rang that afternoon. I picked up. He says Willie Nelson. He said I know you're in there, can you come up to the house? I'd like to meet you? I said yes, sir, yes, sir, I'll be there. So I get up early.

Almost Willie:

Next morning A friend of mine, gene, goes up there with me and we get up at about 10 o'clock and the guard at the gate said that Willie wasn't up yet, said you all want to play around the golf course. What he said yeah, he's got a nine over there. Okay, and he's got about 25 condos up and down the fairways, you know. So if you're a kind of Willie or work for him, you get a condo up there. So we're there on the fifth hole petting and his daughter, susie, lives there. Her back door is about 30 feet away from the green. So yeah, she came out of her back door and she called me by my first name. She said hey almost, almost.

Almost Willie:

She said my daddy want me to give you this. And I looked up, took it over the head. It was a lifetime backstage pass. Whoa, yeah. So you know. All night long I was thinking, oh, he's going to shut me down, he's going to shut me down, Something's wrong, I don't know. Yeah, you know already. Want to cut up my T-shirts and CDs and stuff.

Almost Willie:

Yeah, I mean this is if I was going to my head, be down and give me a lifetime backstage pass. Oh yeah, no kidding. So we get through playing golf and go back to the clubhouse. And they said, well, willie hadn't up yet, it was about noon. They said you want to go through the recording studio? I said, yeah, what? So we go to the golf cart and go up to the recording studio and oh, it's about us. You know 60 by 100 foot building you got go records on the walls and pictures of Dolly and Merlin Wayland. You know it looked like a country music museum. Yeah, you know all his awards and stuff and I spent about an hour there looking around. He had everything in there and he gave you the tour personally.

Eric:

No, no, oh, oh, oh, he wasn't up yet. Oh, got you, he was so clean.

Almost Willie:

Yeah, they were letting us go there. Okay, wow. And so we got through with that. And oh, it was about five minutes before we was going to take off and the guy at the sound booth said, hey, almost Come on up here, I got something why don't you listen to. I said, oh, okay, so I go up to the sound booth. He's got this CD. He says the guy was in here yesterday putting down his half on this song. I want to see what you think about. Okay. And he shoved it in. It was whiskey for my men, beer for my horses, and he said you think it's going to be a hit? I said I know it will be Wow. And it was the number one hit. And Toby Keith was in there the day before putting down his track. Really, yeah, I'm always a day late.

Eric:

Yeah, no kidding, that's incredible though.

Almost Willie:

I mean. So we got outside and we're smoking and my phone rings again. It's about two o'clock and he says Willie. He said let's meet up the Red Head stranger lot. We'll meet up there. And I said, oh, okay, so we get the golf cart and go up. The red is training lot. Come in by the bar.

Almost Willie:

It's a block long Western town, you know. Bar one end, church at the other. Okay, then sheriff's office and the windmill and everything, the windmill Willie built in the movie. And I see Willie come out of the church with another guy and block away. It's dirt street, you know, and I'm starting to get nervous and sweaty. My knees are getting weak and I'm shaking and I'm sweating. Finally I started walking straight for him. He come walking straight for me. I got up to him and I said I will. I said I'm almost, willie, glad I finally got to meet you. He says yeah, I'm.

Almost Willie:

Mostly I've been hearing about about 15 years. I thought it's time we met. I said oh, I hope you're good. He says yeah. He said I heard you put on a pretty good show. I said I heard you did too. I could have thought something better. To say you, you laughed about it, put his arm around me and said come on, let's go get a drink.

Almost Willie:

So we go in the bar and he's all cruising there you know roadies and some and he gets behind the bar and gets a bottle of Jack out, pull everybody drinking him, and then then it's got these papers out. I don't know what to do. There's rolls, so sometimes yeah Well, willie's yeah. So anyway, we stayed in there. It was about 630. Willie turned to me. He got me by my first name too. He said almost. He said I got a gig in Austin tonight. It's Stubbs Barbecue. Did you want to go in there with us? I said yeah. So we all load up on the bus driving about 25 miles into Austin About our full show. But it says almost, you want to go out there in front of the state and sign some autographs from him? I said yeah, there's about 3000 people there. I get off his bus and go down the stage. They all come running down, I get my Sharpie hat and I start signing ticket steps Almost Willie, almost Willie. Yeah, almost Willie, almost Willie. I was the size of 150, 200. Oh, they had no clue.

Eric:

Yeah, I bet, because you looked just that's crazy.

Almost Willie:

I was one of the best days of my life.

Eric:

I bet. I bet that just makes it all worth it. And that was after you said like 15 years, 18 years, you finally called me up.

Almost Willie:

Wow, I knew you would one these days. Yeah, because I get around.

Eric:

Yeah, did you ever use the backstage passes? I mean you were hanging out with him?

Almost Willie:

Oh yeah, I've used it eight or 10 times, okay, yeah, you know, willie was 14 years older than me when I started 85, he was 14 years older and still is. He's 90 now. Yeah, I'm going to be 76 next month, in August. Is he still doing shows? Yeah, is he? Of course he don't do it, but around 20, 30 minutes, okay. And lucky gets on stage at all. Right, you know, we were wailing out in the wheelchair for three years before he died, wow, but Willie gets up on stage and he can do it. The end is still going.

Eric:

Well, I want to ask you a couple more questions and kind of dig a little, peel back a little bit more layers. What's, what's something that most people don't know about you?

Almost Willie:

Oh, I was counting corners of 76 to 80. Okay you know my kids. They grew up around it. You know 70, 70 to 80. Yeah, and my middle daughter, lisa, she tells about a story about me picking them up in the hearse at school. Yeah, you know, I mean, it's always I had, you know.

Eric:

Oh, really, that's what you were driving.

Almost Willie:

Oh yeah, and when I was County Coroner I had a Station wagon with cotton back and you know I'm transport bodies and stuff. She don't want story about Transporting the body. And then we get to our dissipation and she said, oh, you better call mom, tell her we got here. So I called my wife. She's okay, let me talk to Lisa. I Gave phone to Lisa and that she said, yeah, fun. She said yeah, she's a boy. Yeah. She said, oh, I'm in the kitchen, so let me talk to daddy. And they wouldn't the kids, and it was in bombing. She got his old life. She thought, yeah, and she said get your daughter out that Nightmares. Yeah, but they, they ride their hot wheels down in the casket room. You know we Three-oldest, you know there's all about semi, five, six, seven, eight ride hot wheels down the casket yeah, that's crazy.

Eric:

I mean, that's what it is at the funeral it's caskets and yeah, it's kind of.

Almost Willie:

I mean they all know about the funeral business.

Eric:

Yeah, hope they learned something. Are they, as any of them, doing that business? No, you kind of all we have a ways.

Almost Willie:

Yeah, okay, but they're all in the Columbia Missouri. Oh, I try to get by the same as much as I can. That's one of the good I have. Still get see my kids, much as I ship now, sure, but we're getting. We get better now.

Eric:

Yeah Well, you live in a.

Almost Willie:

you know you got a full-time move, moveable house Right, it's a little bit easier to pick up and see them, it's yeah, yeah, well, when I had, when I was in Arizona, you know, 2000 miles from oh yeah, it's a pretty long trip and my age you know, you can't just pick up and drive and they, they all got jobs. They can't come to see me. Take a week, yeah, you know, to come see me at a price of dance.

Eric:

Especially lately it's coming down.

Almost Willie:

Yeah, when I left Arizona it was like four, seventy nine. And then I got the. I granted Mexico when it was three, eighty nine, filled up there and said, oh, this is good. And then I go to Albuquerque the next night and it's three, sixty nine. I get the amaryllis. The next site is two, ninety nine.

Eric:

Oh yeah, I've seen that happen too, because we drive around a lot. I got a full tank, that can't do nothing.

Almost Willie:

Yeah, there's nothing you can do right.

Eric:

Just build another tank on the back. Fill it up as a preserve take a thousand gallon tank. Yeah, just pull it behind you. Yeah, no, I mean, that is that's one of the the things about RV and you know people ask me about it. What's it cost to fill it? That's a big one, or or. The other one is how much miles to the gallon you get, and I think I Haven't really the one time they kill. Today I think I got six, yeah.

Almost Willie:

I get six point one. Okay, I just run it the first time, but I don't care anymore. I mean, I got to fill that I have gas.

Eric:

Usually don't purchase a big RV and expect to get with gas mileage.

Almost Willie:

But in your house you got gas bill, electric bill, trash bill, you know cable TV. So I mean I don't have all the expenses now. So the only expense I got is eats and gas.

Eric:

Yeah, yeah. What about your park stays though, right? I mean, they give me free. Oh, do they worry?

Almost Willie:

Yeah that's what I put on show. They give me free night.

Eric:

I'm gone in the morning. Well then, that pays for itself. Yeah, yeah, it all helps out. Yeah, everything helps. And just the fact that you, kind of you got it on the side of your vape.

Almost Willie:

You know it's, it's there. When I pull up, you know you start looking, yeah, yeah that's smart to the white and blue.

Almost Willie:

Yeah, genius. Well, you don't know the story. You're a young guy, you know I'd forgive you. Okay, Honey, sucker rose, willie had a bus as a whole, wonder lodge bus, you know, it's almost like school bus and it was painted red, white, blue, like a Texas flag. Oh, you know, texas flag. It's got a star on the boy. Yeah, so that I've had four winter bagels to Graham buses and now this one. This is my seventh vehicle, okay, and I Didn't pay my great hands that color, but I did all the way back goes. And this one I got a down pat.

Eric:

Now, you know yeah, you've done a couple.

Almost Willie:

Yeah, that's the paper. This is my fifth one that I painted. You get three gallons of house paint red, white, blue, okay, and I painted it, tape it up and everything and did myself, okay, and it lasts for four or five years, oh, I'm sure yeah.

Eric:

Yeah, just covers the outside. So then you've had a couple other ones when you saw it. Then do you have to sell it, or do you keep them, or what I mean? What happens to know they're on the side?

Almost Willie:

of.

Eric:

Somewhere.

Almost Willie:

I got one. This didn't life. California, oh, I was over in the Courtside, one of them put that on me and I bought another there from a dealer. Well, but we're talking about 96, 97, gotcha, yeah. And it poops out on you and I mean they're just $500, a thousand dollars, gotcha. So why get anything fix? Sure, when it really blows up.

Almost Willie:

So I go back to the dealer and he's, he's all excited. I'm seeing Willie, you know, and everything. I said I'm looking for RV. He said, oh, yeah, I'll show you. And I said well, you got any in the back that you've traded for it as old one, you know. He's, oh, one of those guys, yeah, something like five or eight hundred, something like that. And he said, yeah, he's, I got about five back there. That was gonna wholesale Mexico. He said you go back and look at them.

Almost Willie:

I went back and I found one and it was a 28 foot Champion and he said the generator was pooped out, it was locked up, would start, and I said well, how much it is? I was seven, five hundred. Okay, I didn't have the 300. I survived me back then the week. I give you hundred dollars down, okay, so I come back then the week I had my 500 and he made all papers up. They come to 588. I said I said, man, I ain't got the $500. He's just all, willie. He said I'm gonna have to do all this paperwork. Yeah, you did it. You done it and made like 412 and $880.

Almost Willie:

Yeah, so it's $500 even. I took him back to RV Park right there in court side and he bought my paint red, white, blue and painted up there and I was on the road again. Oh, and then this old guy come over you knows the old guy and he said well, is that dinner? I said no, I said he was locked up. He said you know, sometimes you put some WD-40 down. It's a purple thing, you know. Oh sure. So he put it in there that you come back the next morning, put a little WD-40 back in there. That thing cranked up and he run for three years. Wow, yeah, so I had a little thing those probably worth 500 alone.

Eric:

Yeah, yeah. I got a deal man, you can't not have it on top of that one.

Almost Willie:

Nice.

Eric:

That's awesome.

Almost Willie:

Well, I fell into some good deals. Let me tell you.

Eric:

Yeah, no, I believe it. That's crazy. I thought that was the main one and you'd always used it.

Almost Willie:

Oh, oh, here's story now. I had a boat in the bagel and I was going down through. Yuma has gone from the foot foothills to Dampan and it's five o'clock. Traffic, you know cars, you know two lane on both sides of me. Now I'm in the middle late night and the paint truck in front of me and I had buckets hanging off side of me, five. One of them got away from me, fell down. I couldn't go to either side. I was man over and knocked my pooper cap off. Oh, so for the next mile I have to just use turds coming off.

Eric:

Yeah, yeah, yeah, oh Jesus. Then you just didn't see it. I suppose when did you catch it? Like, how did you catch the turns? Like you just kept driving Turds. Well, you said, dr Black, oh yeah, Dr, Back Cap off.

Almost Willie:

It did just all come down. Oh, it did. I ain't going to clean it up. Yeah, just kidding. That's why we got highway department. Oh, my goodness Geez. And so if I'm in on it, I couldn't use the thing unless we were someplace where you could urinate, Hook up. But for pooping I put a Walmart bag in there. After using it, you know, just get outside.

Eric:

Where you going. Oh my God, hopefully you got the fence after that, right?

Almost Willie:

No, I was lucky to buy a dollar hamburger bag in. You know, yeah, wow, everybody starts off over. Willie's told some stories about him and the man going in an old station wagon, like a 62 station wagon someplace Well, he was in his 50s, yeah, and he'd break down and so they'd all have to get back to their gig, you know, and everybody could get a good ride, except the drummer. He had too much stuff. You know, oh, what the he had to wait for pickup to come by and he's always late getting to the gig Because he's the last dude. Yeah, yeah, everybody else takes it all and gets it in the car. They got a guitar or something like that.

Almost Willie:

Yeah, yeah, you can do that.

Eric:

Yeah.

Almost Willie:

That's his stories. Okay, that's crazy.

Eric:

I wanted to ask you a couple more because I know we're probably starting to wrap up, so I wanted to ask you a couple more questions. Do you have any advice for anybody that wants to become a traveling musician?

Almost Willie:

Musician Mm-hmm. What's the coordinate for a musician now or not? I mean, if you're not a musician, you got to learn first, you know, and that's not easy, but you can do it. You can do it. I mean, I didn't have any music ability and I learned how to play guitar and sound a little bit like Willie.

Eric:

Yeah, how old were you when you started playing guitar?

Almost Willie:

I think it was 43. Okay, and that's pretty much a little years older than you.

Eric:

Yeah, and that's when you started that you play guitar. I don't. I wish I was more musically inclined.

Almost Willie:

I wanted to learn how to play guitar. You can learn, yeah, you can learn.

Eric:

Yeah.

Almost Willie:

But the main thing is you know you got to keep a positive attitude, because ain't nobody? Some people try to knock you down. You know, and oh, you never do this, you never do that. You just if you listen to Ziggler, that's a motivation thing. And Tony Robbins, yep, I mean you got to be inspired. You got to wake up every morning and say, hey, I'm going to do something good today. You know, yeah, and I'm going to make people's day today. I know I am yeah, and I know people come up and they just some of them are all over me and your life's an adventure. I mean, it really is. Oh, yeah, I don't know what's going to. You know, I didn't know I was going to break down here, right, but I dealt with it. I met some good people while I was doing it and me and Bob would probably be friends the rest of our life now. Wow.

Eric:

And then I'm actually I'm glad that you did, because that's how I met you and I was talking to another lady who actually kind of introduced us. She said you should really interview. I think that'd be a great interview and then you came to my door. What's up? What do you think so far with the interview? I love it. I think it's awesome.

Eric:

I'm going to do more of these Are you yeah, because I'm sure nobody wants to hear me blab all day and I, you know my stories probably get kind of old and you guys, you have much better stories than I do. So I just got two more questions for you and then I'll let you get out of here. I'd like to know the first one what's a favorite place that you've been? Oh, I read your bio. You've been over 4500 places. Your dad was 20 years old. Okay, so it's been much more than that. Yeah, what's a favorite place if you can just mentally say through all of it.

Almost Willie:

My favorite place is Sturgis.

Eric:

Oh really, it's your favorite.

Almost Willie:

I mean I've been doing MSI 95. And I mean you get a million bikers together. You think there'd be fights and shootings and everything. I've never seen a fight since I've been going Right and all the guys are good. You know, they're doctors and lawyers and a professional guy. You got to have some money to have a Harley, you know, true. True, they're not cheap. So I mean I had the best time up there. You know I go in and out of bars and taking pictures and stuff. You know never have to buy a drink.

Eric:

Yeah, that's all I bet.

Almost Willie:

It's a fun time.

Eric:

Yeah, sturgis is a good time, I think. I think what's funny about Sturgis is it started out as like a week long and now it's like kind of morphed into three weeks, because people will show up a week before and stay a week off.

Almost Willie:

Well, the whole month of August. It's pretty much Sturgis, yeah, but the actual rally is 10 days or 12 days, but it's a fun time you made a good point.

Eric:

It's not what a lot of people haven't been there.

Almost Willie:

They don't think it is. It's not that Right.

Eric:

I mean, there are definitely some craziness going on.

Almost Willie:

You know, in the campgrounds down town I mean, they got four cops on every block. They do. Yeah, you know. So there ain't nobody going to mess up. The only violation is parking violations. Yeah, exactly.

Almost Willie:

So they haul all the bikes and stuff. But I mean, it's just a good time, do you ride motorcycle 302, or just Well, once in a while a gal would get me on the back of hers. Okay, and I made Sturgis amazing in 95. This gal had a red, white, blue bikini on, she had her own sports shirt and I was friends with her husband and he said, yeah, take Willie up down the street. So we'd go down the street and I'm tied her top. You know I was holding like a horse, get it, get it. And then he's all taking pictures, willie, drop it, drop it. You know they just want me to drop the reins. Yeah, let's go. And then we made Sturgis magazine. So anybody seeing me they're going to want to meet me.

Eric:

Oh yeah, photos, pictures and sign, because you handed me a signed picture, you must have a stack of them. Yeah, I do, I do, okay, I love how there's a story on the back too.

Almost Willie:

Yeah, yeah, I've been doing that since 89, I think Okay, got a story in the back.

Eric:

So one thing I wanted to do is say you got a quote here and that it's part when you're singing and I'd like to hear you sing that if you could. I mean, we don't have a guitar.

Almost Willie:

I'm going to do the song I wrote. Okay, I could do it. I felt this happened down. Oh, it's been 20 years ago and I was in Fort Worth and I had the third best band in Texas. Oh, wow, I mean, we was doing a gig together and I wrote a song back then about almost Willie and someday I was videoing videoed eight songs, okay. But here's the song. Let's hear it. I'll sing it. I could tell it was the best I can. Okay, I'm almost remembered Things I've almost forgot. I'm almost persuaded to do the right thing. I almost went to jail and I almost made bail and I almost wrote all the songs that I sang.

Almost Willie:

This might sound silly, but I'm almost Willie, been on the road for some 30 plus years. I've been around, broke up and broke down. I'll tell you my story. For a shot and a beer, a shot and a beer, a shot and a beer. Long as you're buying, I'm staying right here. A shot and a beer, a shot and a beer. I like Jack Daniels, but I'll drink ever clear he's saying it was. I got drunk and lost and wound up down in Austin having a good time on Capitol Hill. There were troopers and crazies and mamas with babies all gathered around me, frozen stone still. This might sound silly, but I'm almost Willie, been on the road for some 30 plus years. I've been around, broke up and broke down. I'll tell you my story. For a shot and a beer, a shot and a beer, a shot and a beer. Long as you're buying, I'm staying right here. A shot and a beer, a shot and a beer. Roll me a lifty and I'll pass out right here.

Eric:

Yes, oh, perfect, that's awesome. And you wrote that. Yep, I love it. I love it Certainly. Well, nice thing. I want to ask you, willie, and then we'll get you out of here, I appreciate your time again. In your opinion, how do you define a successful life?

Almost Willie:

Successful life is being happy. I mean, it's not money, it's not a job, it's. You know, as long as you're happy, you can't worry about stuff unless you can do something about it. And most unlike me being broke down, I can't do nothing about it. I got to wait on somebody else to come fix it. You just got to be happy and do what makes you feel happy.

Eric:

Yeah, happiness is a choice. Yeah, it is. You got to make that choice every day.

Almost Willie:

Yeah, you can be sad if you want. You know I lost my wife. I'm not sad for a while, but it's over and, like Willie said, nothing I can do about it now. So you just keep it as a motto nothing I can do about it now. If it's already over with it, it's done. So make the life the best you can be. It's incredible, it's good, Willie. Where can people learn more about you? On Facebook. It's almost Willie on Facebook and you see where I'm at and where I'm going or whatever, and I put pictures on there and I love to interact with people. I've had people from you know 98, you know, call me up. Oh, we found your picture today, Willie, and we just wondering how you was doing you know 25, 30 years ago. Wow, they don't throw that picture away, They'll put it in the door someplace or in the girl. They get it out when they're painting or moving or something and that's when they call me Awesome how you doing. Yeah, I'm having people from all over.

Eric:

Awesome. Well, we appreciate it. I appreciate you being here. I know my listeners do and it's been a great chat with you.

Almost Willie:

You should have told me to bring my guitar. I could have done one anyway.

Eric:

What I'd like to do, if you're all right with it, is maybe film a song out there and just touch it to the thing. Yeah, Throw it at the end of the, at the end of this interview, so people can see it.

Almost Willie:

But you get a good song and the one you like or thank your listeners like Sounds good.

Eric:

Do it Awesome. Well, I appreciate it. Thanks a lot, Eric. Yeah, thank you so much.

Almost Willie:

It's been great. We'll meet folks out there and Facebook-Lanner or TV-Lanner where you are. Yeah, there you go. Okay, this is a good song. I like it.

Almost Willie:

I've got a long list of real good reasons and all the things I've done Got a picture in the back of my mind of what I've lost, what I want. I've survived every situation no wind to freeze. When to run, yeah, get up here close, come on. Third day was just a memory written on my brow. There's nothing I can't do about it now.

Almost Willie:

I've got a wild and restless spirit, held my price through every deal, seen the fire of a woman scorned, turn her heart to gold, to steel. I've got a song of a voice inside me, said to the rhythm of a wheel. I've been dreaming like a child since a great old broke the bow. There's nothing I can't do about it now. Going through the changes, going through the stages, run around the corners in my life, leaving out the fate, saying out too late, waiting for the moon to say goodnight. I could cry. I've got a time. I'm wasted. That's a waste of time and tears. I know just what I'd change if I went back in time somehow. But there's nothing I can't do about it now, forgiving everything that forgiveness will allow. There's nothing I can't do about it now, alright. Nothing I can't do about it now, alright thank you.

Eric:

Alright, guys, hopefully you enjoyed that interview that I had with Almost Willie. I loved his story and I really loved how much wisdom the guy had. I think he had been to almost 5,000 different places, so of course he's seen a bunch of things, met a whole bunch of new people, including Willie Nelson himself, which those stories were fun to hear. But I really loved it the way. And when I asked him what his definition of success was, that kind of caught me off guard, because usually when I think success, oftentimes, if we're just being honest, I think of people that have a lot of money, people who have made it really far in their career and stuff like that. But his answer was just to be happy.

Eric:

And man, I started thinking about that and I'm like how simple that is. Right, it sounds so simple, but I know that sometimes in our lives it's not that easy. Right, it's simple, the concept is just be happy, but it's not always that easy to just be happy, especially when life hits us and we're going through some stuff. So I really really like that and I hope that that's something that you can kind of take from this video and just do what makes you happy, because there's something out there for everybody. We all have a purpose. God placed us on this earth for a reason, and a big part of that is to find out what makes you happy, find that purpose and use your talents to achieve God's plan for you. So again, I hope you enjoyed the interview. Share it with somebody that you know. Maybe we can help other people and just give out some good entertainment. You guys, take care and we'll see you next time.