Happy 4/20, Willie Nelson - Here's A Monument! Love, Austin
It's a happy 4/20 for Willie Nelson, as the city of Austin, Texas, officially unveiled a monument to the beloved musician on Friday.
The legacy Willie Nelson, who is renowned for his love of pot and has been arrested numerous times for marijuana possession but keeps chiefing away despite all the hassle, is now set in stone, as there is an eight-foot-tall statue in his honor now near the new Moody Theater in downtown Austin, the Associated Press reported.
The monument, which was paid for with private funds, was expected to be unveiled with the help of 10-time Grammy Award winner Willie Nelson himself at 4:20 p.m. on 4/20, which is fitting as the nation takes stock of its complicated relationship with pot every year on April 20.
Philadelphia-based sculptor Clete Shields created the statue, which has Willie Nelson holding his guitar at his side while he strikes a laid-back pose.
We wanted to get a timeless Willie, an ageless Willie, Shields said, according to the AP.
Willie Nelson, who has long advocated for legalizing marijuana, is one of America's great music treasures. Known best for his classic song On the Road Again, he has put out 105 albums and sold more than 40 million records in his long career, which helped kick off the bustling music scene in the Texas capital.
The musician also been in a number of TV shows and movies, including a classic appearance in the 1998 stoner comedy Half Baked, which many potheads around the world will be watching today.
The Willie Nelson monument is backed by Capital Area Statues, a group of creative Texans who have also put up two other statues in Austin, according to the AP.
Lawrence Wright, one of the group's founders, claims the fact that it's being unveiled on 4/20 is a coincidence:
We didn't know anything about it; it seems everyone else knew the story on this, Wright said.
In honor of 4/20 and Willie Nelson's monument, give On the Road a little listen:
© Copyright IBTimes 2024. All rights reserved.