They don't call Willie Nelson an outlaw for no reason.
In 2015, Willie releases his memoir It's a Long Story: My Life. In the book, he details the rise of his career in country music. Naturally, with all the noise that comes with being a massive sensation, he wishes to retreat home to Abbott, Texas. No better place to find a measure of seclusion than his small hometown.
He inevitably buys a home and things seem great. The peace and serenity Willie was looking for finally finds him. Here's the issue, though. Some people see a big country star coming home and they see this as perfect time for good marketing. Turn good ol' Abbott into a premium getaway where you might find your favorite country singer. As a result, a prominent Billboard stands tall on the highway, broadcasting to thousands of drivers, 'Abbott, Home of Willie Nelson.'
Of course, this pisses him off bad. All he wants is to retreat to his home when the lights get too bright and he needs to refresh. Instead, people are trying to bring the lights to him. So he lies low, frustrated that he couldn't keep one thing for himself. But one night, he has a brilliant idea.
Willie Nelson Burns Down Hometown Sign
Some friends simply sympathize with you when things go wrong. Nelson's childhood friend Zeke Varnon is more of a problem solver. They're both playing poker one night when Willie laments about the new invasion of privacy. Instead of patting him on the back, Zeke asks plainly what Willie wants to do about it. Obviously, there's only one reasonable response to this.
"Burn the f*cker down!"
So they embark on their expedition to set the billboard ablaze. With a can of gasoline in hand, they make their way. Funnily enough, a cop runs into them and asks what Zeke and Nelson are doing. 'We're going to burn down a sign,' Willie says matter-of-factly. The cop laughs it off and goes off to his duties. He didn't think they were serious.
With a match and their can of gas, the pair try to finish what they started. Unfortunately, the sign did not want to keep burning. After stubbornly tampering with it, they take their ball and go home.
Usually, this is where the story ends and Willie lives with the fact that strangers are trying to hunt him down for an autograph in his hometown. But the sign does eventually catch fire and the police arrests a random teenager, thinking he caused it. Nelson knew he had to fess up and take responsibility. He tells the police to let the kid go, telling the station, "I didn't like the sign. I didn't want the attention."
Ironically, the police tell him they would've happily taken the sign down at his request. But that's not how an outlaw does it. "'Was more fun to try and burn it,' he laughs.
