Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die:
Musings from the
Road
by Willie Nelson
Review by
Tom Schulte
Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die is a road
journal that has the feel of Reader’s
Digest and the faint aroma of ganja. Half road diary, half autobiography,
half lyrics reprints, this ManBearPig tome can be read anywhere. The jokes, thoughts
(including some on Occupy Wall Street), and memories range from the wry
observations (“do it wrong until it feels right”) to enlightened advice (a
vaporizer is better on a singer’s lungs than smoking marijuana).
Yes, Willie
beats the re-legalization and Farm Aid drums (as well he should) and also waxes
wistful about a spiritualized Christianity and how things were better when he
was young. But, even in this mode, Willie never sounds like an old man telling
stories. However, he does repeat himself, as on poker with Ziggy Marley and
Woody Harrelson in Edenic Maui.
Many of the vignettes
that introduce us to Willie’s family and organization are written by others,
which adds variety and often seem to shed more light on Nelson than he himself
will reveal. Introduced by Texas troubadour Kinky Friedman, this small
whimsical and wise review of Willie’s greatest influences (Django Reinhardt!) and
journey will fit in the smallest room of your house for regular reading.
Harper Collins sent MCB a review copy of this book