the gay-themed song "Cowboys Are Secretly, Frequently (Fond of Each
Other)." The country music icon premiered the track Tuesday morning
(February 14) on Howard Stern's Sirius Satellite Radio show as it was
being made exclusively available via Apple's iTunes music store.
Nelson recorded the song, written in 1981 by songwriter Ned Sublette,
last year at his home studio in Perdernales, Texas, around the time he
first mentioned it during an appearance on Stern's former terrestrial
radio show. The timing of the song's release coincides with a time when
the idea of gay cowboys is being discussed throughout the media in
response to the success of the Academy Award-nominated film "Brokeback
Mountain."
Coincidentally, Nelson contributed the track "He Was a Friend of Mine"
to the movie's Verve soundtrack, which peaked at No. 54 on the
Billboard 200.
"The song's been in the closet for 20 years," Nelson said in a
statement released to the Dallas Morning News. "The timing's right for
it to come out. I'm just opening the door."
Adding to the track's poignancy is the fact that David Anderson,
Nelson's longtime tour manager, revealed his homosexuality to Nelson
two years ago.
"This song obviously has special meaning to me in more ways than one,"
Anderson told the Dallas Morning News. "I want people to know more than
anything -- gay, straight, whatever -- just how cool Willie is and ...
his way of thinking, his tolerance, everything about him."
The Broken Lizard comedy troupe ("Super Troopers," "Club Dread") will
create a video for "Cowboys Are Secretly, Frequently (Fond of Each
Other)," with plans to release it exclusively through iTunes.
I'm tempted to buy it, mail it to my folks with the note, "Look what your hero has recorded. Neener! Neener!"
And this is the photo of Willie they used with the article. Geez, the guy sortof looks good in this picture. I can't say I've ever thought of him as good looking, but I daresay he even looks rather handsome. I think I must now go bury my head in the sands of the Sahara.
