Townes Van Zandt’s self-titled, third album brings more of the slow, intimate country ballads from the first two records to full realization. It’s a songwriter’s album, mostly featuring a man and his guitar singing stories about coal miners and lonely times. The standout tracks include “Waiting Around To Die,” “I’ll Be Here in the Morning,” and “Fare Thee Well, Miss Carousel.”
During a seemingly casual gathering of friends in the 70s, Townes Van Zandt brandished a .357 magnum. He put the gun to his head and pulled. One. Two. Three. Waiting around to die It’s hard to blame Townes Van Zandt for the self-destruction and waste that defined his life. He had bipolar disorder and manic depression, which were treated by archaic means. Insulin shock therapy destroyed his long-term memory in his early ‘20s. Zandt hated fame and chose a simple life of obscurity, living in poverty on tour and isolation in backwoods cabins. General hardship lingered in Zandt’s life, leading him to deal with the devil, becoming addicted to various hard drugs and alcohol. His lifestyle ultimately led him to an early grave at 52 on New Year's Day, 1997. But his memory only grew with time, with his influences on country and even alternative rock reverberating till today. Zandt’s songs would become hits when covered by other artists like Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson and Nanci Griffith. Acts like Mudhoney, Metallica and Sonic Youth also pulled influence from him. Zandt lived on his terms, never signing to a major in a period that was all but assured. He was a natural songwriter described as the best of the 20th century by many or, as his protege Steve Earle put it, “I'll stand on Bob Dylan's coffee table in my cowboy boots and say that.”
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