Details from Audible:
- The Tao of Willie
- A Guide to the Happiness in Your Heart
- Written by: Willie Nelson, Turk Pipkin
- Narrated by: Willie Nelson, Turk Pipkin, Tom Stechschulte
- Length: 4 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged Audiobook
- Release date: 2006-05-03
- Language: English
- Publisher: Penguin Audio
- 5.0 out of 5 (2 ratings)
Publisher’s Summary
National icon Willie Nelson has evolved over the years from country music outlaw swimming against a whiskey river to a Zen-like figure of wisdom and contentment. In this autobiographical collection of life advice, The Tao of Willie, one of America’s truest hearts reveals the spiritual and practical lessons learned from decades of hard knocks and good bounces.
This inspiring and entertaining collection of “Willie wisdom” takes us from his days as a young boy in Texas where he learns to respect his elders, to his roadhouse days when he united redneck rockers, long-haired hippies, and straight-laced country music fans, to the mega-sized benefit concerts and environmentalism that define his boundless heart. And there are plenty of his favorite jokes along the way.
With stories that will both make you laugh out loud and look deep inside yourself, he shows us how the Willie way, and the way of the Tao, can also be your way. Let Willie’s common sense approach to life awaken you to the happiness that already exists in your own heart. With Willie as your guide, join the river of life and you’ll be carried on an amazing journey.
©2006 Willie Nelson (P)2006 Penguin Audio, a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc. All rights reserved. Penguin Audio is a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
Initial Thoughts:
Time for some honesty, my therapist mentioned that Willie Nelson said some wise stuff on YouTube and I should check it out. Rather than just watch a video I decided to look for book by him on Audible and as I’ve always thought he was a good/kind/interesting person I decided to give it a listen. As anyone who reads this blog know, I do also love it when a non-fiction book is read by the author, so that was another big plus.
Main Points:
For a short book there is a ton of wisdom in here and a lot to think about/unpack. I was really surprised that Willie Nelson would write a book about ancient Chinese Philosophy/religion, like most people I thought of him as a lovable stoner who lost a lot of money to the IRS, sang at lots of charitable events (he in fact created “Farm Aid” and is a big advocate for farmers), had some really big country hits and of course is famous for his long braided hair. This book, though, is only a little bit about his life and much more about his view on life and what it means to be happy.
He also takes lots of strong stances on things like gun violence, war, abuse of power in the government, reliance on oil in Middle-East, learning from history, what makes a good president, bio-diesel, farmers, the environment, love, relationships, karma, success, marriage, the legality of weed in the US (this did come in 2006), golf, chess, God, religion and fame, though there are probably more topics. I loved how he tells jokes throughout the book, some you’ve heard before but the best ones I hadn’t heard were real knee-slappers. He drops some real wisdom when he talks about how you lose touch with the joy inside you as you get older, you lose touch with the real you. He talks about how some of the most important things you need to do are slow down, listen more and truly live in the moment. As an example if you feel lost, unhappy, missing joy from your life, take time and just look in the mirror, it sounds corny but I promise you this works. Stand (or sit) in front of a mirror long enough until you see the real you, you’re in there and once you connect with the true essence of your being/personality, you’ll be on your way to happiness.
Final Thoughts:
I could go on and on about this book, I used to do really long reviews but I want you to experience the book for yourself. I loved this book, once I got used to the format and accepted that Willie will only be reading the beginning and the end. One of the only flaws I could find here is that Willie didn’t read it all, he has such a kind voice and I love a southern accent. The person that reads it, mostly Turk Pipkin, does a good job but for most of the book I just wished it was Willie, no offence to Turk of course. The only other flaw is that it’s just so short, I really would have liked Willie to talk more about his life and his philosophical observations but I’ll have to listen to his auto-biography to get that. A huge recommendation from me if you have any interest in Philosophy/Willie Nelson/or just being a happier/better person. 9 out of 10 from me, this is one of the best books I’ve listened to a long time. Love you Willie, I hope somehow you read this review and know how much this book meant to me, it’s a wonderful balm to ease my mind during the frazzled/stressful times we live in. It’s probably not for kids though, some coarse language and mature themes, ages 14+.