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10 Stupid Questions

Free (Wheeling) Willie

Legendary musician talks about reggae, retirement, and an idea for his next piercing

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By Nisid Hajari

Neither age nor tax troubles nor drug busts have kept the legendary Willie Nelson off the road. ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY caught up with the hard-living longhair — whose new acoustic album, Spirit, will be joined later this year by a Don Was-produced reggae CD and a costarring stint in Disney's Gone Fishin' — in the kickin' country-music capital of Bergen, Norway.

1. You're one of the few male country stars with a pierced ear. If you were to pierce another body part, which would it be?
Hmmm...maybe a lip. The lower lip, with [an earring] that would make it hang down, so you could see my teeth.

2. You play a guitar named Trigger. Have you named any other personal belongings or body parts?
[Laughs] No.

3. In the early '70s, your Fourth of July picnics were legendary for having brought hippies and rednecks together for the first time. Which group would you rather party with now?
I couldn't tell the difference now. [Laughs] The hippies are shaving their heads, and the rednecks are wearing long hair, so it's hard to tell.

4. Now that you've recorded a reggae album, have you figured out what irie means?
No. I have no idea what it means.... I know what spliff means. That's about it.

5. Answer this pair of either-or questions: guilty or not guilty?
Oh, he's guilty.

6. Bong or blunt?
A bong.

7. Do you have a favorite country song title?
Oh, maybe something like ''I Can't Get Over You...So You Get Up and Answer the Phone.''

8. If you could advise Congress on downsizing the government, which department would you recommend they abolish?
The IRS.

9. If you could be reincarnated, who would you like to come back as in your next life?
A good-looking girl.

10. You're 63. When do you plan on retiring?
I'm retired now. I haven't worked in years. [Laughs] All I do is play music and play golf, and that's not work.