Once an outlaw, always an outlaw.
Very few artists can claim a career as long, restless, and deeply woven into American music as Willie Nelson’s. Now in his mid-80s, the self-described “last man standing” among country-blues legends is still touring regularly — and still recording. With his 67th studio album newly released, Nelson shows no interest in slowing down.
In a candid cover story for the upcoming issue of AARP The Magazine, Nelson reflects on what continues to drive him at 85. “You’ve gotta want it,” he says in an accompanying On Topic video shared exclusively with PEOPLE. “And when you get it, you’ve still got to want it.”
Longevity, he believes, starts in the mind. “A negative thought will kill you,” Nelson says plainly. “If you’re thinking negative, you’ve got to change that first.”
In the intimate clip, Nelson looks back to age six, when he first picked up an old Sears & Roebuck guitar. Once he mastered finger-picking, there was no turning back — the road ahead felt inevitable.
Reflecting on his younger years, Nelson admits his stubborn streak was evident early on. “It wouldn’t do any good to tell me anything because I was too stubborn to listen,” he says. “We all go through periods where we have to follow our gut, even when everyone else thinks it’s a bad idea.”
Decades later, that attitude remains largely unchanged. “I don’t do what I don’t want to do,” Nelson says with a grin. “But if I want to do it, get out of the way — because I’m going to do it. And I think everyone ought to feel that way.”