Video: Orville Peck & Willie Nelson – “Cowboys Are Frequently Secretly Fond Of Each Other”
Directed by Ben Prince. From Stampede, coming soon on Warner Bros.
Orville Peck is a phony. He’s about as “country” as Elon Musk…although Peck looks way better in a cowboy hat. He’s a phony, but he’s a real phony. You can tell he believes his own bullshit. But he still needs to recruit Willie Nelson to boost his credibility. And I guess it works. This is a good song. It was originally written and recorded by Ned Sublette in 1981 and released on an arty compilation that also featured William S. Burroughs, Brion Gysin and Jim Carroll. Willie covered it in 2006 after Brokeback Mountain came out and redefined manliness.
And, really, Willie’s version is all you need.
Peck would probably agree. He told Out, “Being around Willie Nelson, it’s like when you’re a kid and you meet Santa at the mall. It’s the most unabashed, raw, unfiltered joy that emanates from that man. And he’s just such a legend. He’s 91 and he’s still just so cool and tours all the time, you know, still playing Trigger, his guitar that he’s had for… I think that guitar is almost as old as he is. He’s great.”
Almost twenty year’s after his original recording, Willie’s voice might be shot but his spirits are high and he’s still got a twinkle in his eye. You can tell he’s getting a kick out of shooting this video with this young South African whippersnapper. And if nothing else it’s nice that Peck is introducing a new generation to this song…and to Willie Nelson, too, although I bet Peck is getting introduced to a lot more Willie fans than vice versa.
