Interviews: Willie Nelson, Micah Nelson & Lukas Nelson - Luck Reunion Webcast | Rolling Stone

Willie Nelson, Micah Nelson & Lukas Nelson
Luck Reunion Webcast - 3/20/20

Willie Nelson, Micah Nelson and Lukas Nelson performed together last week for the Luck Reunion Webcast in lieu of the concert which had been canceled due to the CV-19 outbreak.

A couple of interviews with Micah Nelson and Lukas Nelson were held last week in advance of the webcast with Rolling Stone by Patrick Doyle: Lukas Nelson on Finding Hope Under Self-Quarantine With Family Time | Rolling Stone and Micah Nelson: Crisis Could Be an ‘Opportunity for Rapid Evolution’ | Rolling Stone.

Lukas Nelson
Farm Aid 2019 - Alpine Valley, Wisconsin
photo by thrasher

Lukas Nelson says of father Willie: “My dad would never have given himself the chance to rest. We would have never had this time together if we had not been forced.” From Lukas Nelson on Finding Hope Under Self-Quarantine With Family Time | Rolling Stone:

Lukas Nelson: "We’re really blessed with technology now.

We can do anything pretty easily to uplift each other from where we are. So this virus, in some ways, couldn’t have come at a better time, because of the interconnectedness we all have with technology. And it’s going to make us appreciate human connection even more, once we’re able to get back on the road and be more able to gather again, which could be a while.

You can look at this as a blessing in disguise in some ways.

My dad would never have given himself the chance to rest, and we would have never had this time together if we had not been forced to. And he’s getting up there. The years would be going by, and we would just be grinding on the road. I think last year I had three weeks off, and the rest of the time was work. Every day has been nice, just sitting playing chess with dad, being at home, and watching the horses. We’re really really grateful that we have this; there’s a lot of musicians that are really going through a hard time right now. My band, everybody, has to really be careful financially. Everyone does; small businesses are closing.

My dad says a lot of the same things.

We’ve been discussing this, and you have to look at the positive in everything. He’s concerned for all of the people not able to work. I’m concerned about that too, and I’m hoping the government is going to do the best they can, and I think they’re doing a good job now. I think they’re going to do a good job of bailing out the working people.

My dad is sort of a Taoist, as I am.

The greatest thing you could read right now is Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations, it’s like the Western version of Taoism. He wrote these notes when he was in battle to himself, he didn’t care anything about his own ego. He was a very selfless person, so these notes were not even intended to be published, and they’re very wise, very much the way dad looks at things.

Particle Kid (aka Micah Nelson)
Farm Aid 2019 - Alpine Valley, Wisconsin
photo by thrasher

Micah Nelson talks about the “positive silver linings” that may come out of the coronavirus from Micah Nelson: Crisis Could Be an ‘Opportunity for Rapid Evolution’ | Rolling Stone:

What are you doing with your unexpected time at home?

Micah Nelson: "Trying to get some food growing and building the topsoil here at Luck, giving back to the soil. I’m applying mycorrhizal fungi, planting carrots, turnips, peas, cabbage, lettuce, kale, hemp, etc., getting a beekeeping and worm-composting situation going as well. I’ve been wanting to spend time on that for years now — finally have an opportunity! However unfortunate the reasons…

I’m also working on a new Particle Kid album.

I had a few days in the studio out here with my trio before I had to send them home before the shit hit the fan. We got some great stuff, though, so I’ve just been mostly mixing those new songs. My dad played and sang on one yesterday. J. Mascis from Dinosaur Jr. played some guitar on another new one from afar. Fortunately, today’s technology allows artists to collaborate long-distance, at least if they’ve got home studios. I’m working on the TRANS 2020 animation project with Neil [Young], knitting weird hats, [my wife] Alex is making sock puppets. We are gonna do a dumb little livestream variety show called “A Quarantine Home Companion.” I think humor is very important in all this and will save us. I got plenty to keep me busy.

Funny how pre-matrix shutdown we never seemed to have the time, so it’s pretty weird to actually have the time now. They’ve canceled the world!

I mostly empathize with folks who either don’t have a home or are struggling to keep the lights on during this fucked-up Twilight Zone episode. Many positive silver-lining things are happening, however, like precious ecosystems finally getting some time to regenerate. It’s like the Earth is getting a few days off from being raped and pillaged for a change. This whole thing is a wake-up call to the reality that humans are not actually running the show and never really have been. Maybe it’s the slap in the face we need to finally snap out of our collective ignorance that we are one and the same with the ecosystem, and not superior … I dunno."

Is there anything else you want to say to your fans right now?

Micah Nelson: "Yes, something my friend John reminded me of: “During the plague in Isaac Newton’s time, he had just completed study at Oxford. He was slotted to join faculty. The epidemic caused the university to shut down for two years, for the same reasons we are.

He went to a private cabin and, instead of regurgitating the words and ideas of others, created the foundation of what would evolve into quantum physics.

Who knows what people will create when they are faced with four walls and the sudden contrast to an assumed freedom? When the beast gives chase, even the most numb of minds remember that they are alive.”

I believe that stressing our bodies and minds beyond our comfort zones can unlock genetic potential we didn’t even realize we had.

So, although this is a hard time for many, it is also an opportunity for rapid evolution, not further away from the source, but toward it. These collective challenges may be a catalyst to push us into some higher state of awareness. Food for thought!"

“Turn Off the News (Build a Garden)”: Willie Nelson, Micah Nelson & Lukas Nelson - Luck Reunion Webcast - 3/20/20

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