Me and Paul: Untold Stories of a Fabled Friendship
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-09-02 11:21:37
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Willie Nelson
- ISBN：1978695306
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Summary
"I've got this song that begs to be a book and a book that begs to read like a song--a long， romping ballad of sweetness and scandal bridging seven decades of friendship 。 。 。"
Immortalized in Willie Nelson's road song "Me and Paul，" Paul English was the towering figure who for 70 years acted as Willie's drummer， bodyguard， accountant， partner in crime， and right-hand man。
Together， the two men roamed the country， putting on shows， getting into a few scrapes， raising money for good causes， and bringing the joy of their music to fans worldwide。 Stories of Willie and Paul's misadventures became legendary， but many have gone untold--until now。
Set against the backdrop of the exploding Americana music scene and told in Willie's inimitable， colorful style， Me and Paul follows the two performers through their decades-long careers。
Immortalized in Willie Nelson's road song "Me and Paul，" Paul English was the towering figure who for 70 years acted as Willie's drummer， bodyguard， accountant， partner in crime， and right-hand man。
Together， the two men roamed the country， putting on shows， getting into a few scrapes， raising money for good causes， and bringing the joy of their music to fans worldwide。 Stories of Willie and Paul's misadventures became legendary， but many have gone untold--until now。
Set against the backdrop of the exploding Americana music scene and told in Willie's inimitable， colorful style， Me and Paul follows the two performers through their decades-long careers。
Reviews
Dan
，
My thanks to both NetGalley and the publisher Harper Horizon for an advanced copy of this story of two men， their friendship， history and misadventures。 Everyone should have a friend。 One to help out when needed， turning that frown upside down with a joke， or even a smoke。 Someone that makes a good day out of a rough night。 A person who will punch a cowboy in the face after throwing a bottle at you， or stop a boyfriend from stabbing you after his girlfriend says you are a handsome fellow。 A guy My thanks to both NetGalley and the publisher Harper Horizon for an advanced copy of this story of two men， their friendship， history and misadventures。 Everyone should have a friend。 One to help out when needed， turning that frown upside down with a joke， or even a smoke。 Someone that makes a good day out of a rough night。 A person who will punch a cowboy in the face after throwing a bottle at you， or stop a boyfriend from stabbing you after his girlfriend says you are a handsome fellow。 A guy who makes use the band gets the pay they are owed by using a forklift to "borrow" a nightclub owners car。 A guy who believes in the gifts that you have been bestowed with to entertain others， and does what they can to make the world realise this。 The world would be a better place if we all had a friend like Paul English。 Willie Nelson would be the first to attest to that。 Nelson's book Me and Paul: Untold Stories of a Fabled Friendship co- written with David Ritz is a history， examination， biography and collection of tall tales about the friendship between Nelson and Paul English who served as Nelson' drummer， manager， bodyguard， muse and buddy， for 70 years。The book begins with a note from the co- writer discussing how writing about these two larger than life men is a difficult task， so fiction might slink in around the truth。 From there we go back to the days when Willie was trying hard to get into the music business， and the music business was trying hard to keep him out。 Paul English was brother to a band mate of Nelson's and somehow in talking both knew that they would have to talk more。 From there Paul became both drummer and bodyguard， so simpatico was English with the way that Nelson would preform on stage and off， fighting off angry boyfriends， and angrier wives。 As band manager he kept the shows coming and made sure they got paid， told the singer to sing what he liked， and picked him up at his lowest moments， even when Willie just wanted to lay in the street and die。 Only death could seperate them， which Death did taking Paul English in 2020。 In aiding and abetting Willie Nelson， Paul English helped change music， and made millions happy。 Not a bad legacy。The book is funny， sad， uncomfortable， inspiring， full of bull- hookey， and filled with moments that will make a reader cry。 Willie was a fortunate man to to have a friend like this， one that he celebrated in both song and book form。 Stories are bawdy， full of stupid men doing stupid things， outlaw stories told at closing time， or around a fire somewhere。 However the love， the respect and again love shows on every page。 The book is pretty chronological so you get a good sense of Willie's career his peaks and valleys， which probably never would have been if Paul hadn't been around。 The book is rare in that it shows men being friends， doing stupid things， and yet at the same time doing great things together。 Everyone needs a Paul English， to remind us that life is worth living， to help up get through the day， and tell us when we are being stupid， and fight for the right to be stupid against all takers。 A very good musical history， but a better story about two men who became the better for meeting each other。 。。。more
Christine Howard
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I have a new appreciation for Willie Nelson after reading this book。 Although I have enjoyed much of his music and watched his eccentric life with humor。 I now know Willie Nelson practices TaeKwando， plays golf and reads and appreciates the poetry of Kahlil Gibran。 I will never hear him sing again without realizing here is a man of many talents。
Bill Sleeman
，
Read this in about three days！ As you might imagine Willie Nelson is an amazing story-teller and the medium clearly doesn't matter。 A heartwarming tale mixed with love， sadness and most of all respect。 I so enjoyed learning about the "Paul" behind the song。 Perfect for music fans and fans of Willie Nelson。 Read this in about three days！ As you might imagine Willie Nelson is an amazing story-teller and the medium clearly doesn't matter。 A heartwarming tale mixed with love， sadness and most of all respect。 I so enjoyed learning about the "Paul" behind the song。 Perfect for music fans and fans of Willie Nelson。 。。。more
Alexis Priester
，
Thanks to NetGalley and Sony Music Publishing for this Advanced Review CopyMe and Paul: Untold Tales of a Fabled Friendship by Willie Nelson with David Ritz is a wonderful portrait of a brotherhood spanning many decades。 Willie is， of course， a natural storyteller， and I think this was a beautiful way to commemorate his friendship with the late Paul English。 This is not a biography and barely even a memoir， so if that’s what you were expecting this may not be the book for you。 Me and Paul is a c Thanks to NetGalley and Sony Music Publishing for this Advanced Review CopyMe and Paul: Untold Tales of a Fabled Friendship by Willie Nelson with David Ritz is a wonderful portrait of a brotherhood spanning many decades。 Willie is， of course， a natural storyteller， and I think this was a beautiful way to commemorate his friendship with the late Paul English。 This is not a biography and barely even a memoir， so if that’s what you were expecting this may not be the book for you。 Me and Paul is a collection of short stories in a loose， chronological order depicting how Willie & Paul’s bond was so important to Willie Nelson + the Family’s success。While I am a fan of country music， I am probably a casual-ish fan of Willie and maybe more of a fan of him than I am of his music。 However， I would recommend this song to any music fan — whether you like country or not。 I think it gives a really fun anecdotal snapshot of outlaw country culture that anyone vaguely familiar with the Willie and the state of Texas will appreciate and enjoy。 Plus， who doesn’t love a story of friendship that has you crying at the end？4 stars for Me and Paul！ 。。。more
V
，
This is a funny， poignant， gritty and nonpretensious tribute to Paul English。 It is filled with many anecdotes， memories， exaggerations， the good times and the struggles of Willie and his friend and longtime drummer。 It encompasses quite a chunk of time， covering highlights from the 1950's to present day。 There are many familiar places， cities， small towns and large metroplexes， dive bars to tour buses。As a born and raised Texan， it brought back long forgotten people and places。 I first saw Will This is a funny， poignant， gritty and nonpretensious tribute to Paul English。 It is filled with many anecdotes， memories， exaggerations， the good times and the struggles of Willie and his friend and longtime drummer。 It encompasses quite a chunk of time， covering highlights from the 1950's to present day。 There are many familiar places， cities， small towns and large metroplexes， dive bars to tour buses。As a born and raised Texan， it brought back long forgotten people and places。 I first saw Willie in a small town south of Fort Worth， at an even smaller VFW， in the seventies。 There was no cover charge， nobody checking ID's， it was a different era。 The stage， if you could call it that， was inches from the postage sized dance floor。 Many years later I realized I saw somebody famous。 Good memories。 The book isn't too long and was an easy read。 The life of Paul English was not familiar to me and I gained a new perspective。 We all know the life of a musician isn't just fame and fortune。 These stories of their longtime friendship includes many of the band's hard times， marriage， divorce and deaths， too。 Having lived through the same time period， it was very accurate and interesting to remember。 It would be an enjoyable， history filled read to any music lover。Now a die-hard heavy metal rocker， this reminded me of my country roots。 So after finishing reading all these stories， I catch myself humming those long forgotten melodies。Thanks to NetGalley for the digital advance copy of "Me and Paul"， with David Ritz， to Willie Nelson and to Harper Horizon。 These are my honest personal thoughts and opinions given voluntarily。 。。。more
Sarah
，
Let me start this review by saying my knowledge of both Willie Nelson as a man and musician was minimal。 I grew up in the 1990s， listening to Snoop Dogg and Brit-pop。 To me， Willie was that guy who helped the farmers with Farm Aid， played country music and liked marijuana。 The premise of this book intrigued me。 A book written by Willie， with David Ritz， about his decades-long friendship with his drummer， enforcer and confidant， Paul English。 I thought I’d find stories about their adventures on t Let me start this review by saying my knowledge of both Willie Nelson as a man and musician was minimal。 I grew up in the 1990s， listening to Snoop Dogg and Brit-pop。 To me， Willie was that guy who helped the farmers with Farm Aid， played country music and liked marijuana。 The premise of this book intrigued me。 A book written by Willie， with David Ritz， about his decades-long friendship with his drummer， enforcer and confidant， Paul English。 I thought I’d find stories about their adventures on the road and typical musical lore。 However， this book is so much more。 It’s a tribute to Paul， written by his best friend。 The storyteller in Willie wants to share their friendship， because as he says， “remembering Paul matters”。 Paul English was a character in every sense of the word。 A gun-carrying， no-nonsense guy who was intelligent and loyal。 I found myself engrossed in stories of Willie and Paul’s early days， wanting to learn more about their friendship and the cast of characters they encountered throughout decades of American music history。 The tone of this book was magical。 I felt as if I was sitting outside on a warm， summer night with my cantankerous Uncle Willie while he shared stories about his adventures with his best friend。 Energetic， raucous stories and also glimpses of the loss that happens in life。For music lovers， for people who’ve had lifelong friendships or for people who just enjoy a good story - I can’t recommend this book enough。 After finishing this book， I’m discovering Willie Nelson’s music。 I listened to “Me and Paul”。 A song that I never knew existed before this book。 But now it’s a song that brings a smile to my face， because I feel like I know the backstory。 Rest in peace， Paul。 Or maybe stir up a little trouble too。And thank you， Willie。 If you come to Milwaukee， say hi。 We’ll welcome you， I promise。**Thank you， Net Galley for allowing me to read this book before it is released。 。。。more
Jennifer
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I grew up listening to Willie， Waylon and "the Boys"。 Both parents listened to country and western music， so as a toddler， a kid， and starting teen years so did I。 I will say that I did listen to many other varieties， but it was on the house radio， or album player， it was country。I remember when the song "Me and Paul" came out in 1985。 I never really knew that "Me and Paul" were actual people， let alone Willie and a practically lifetime friend， who became his drummer， Paul English。 I mean the so I grew up listening to Willie， Waylon and "the Boys"。 Both parents listened to country and western music， so as a toddler， a kid， and starting teen years so did I。 I will say that I did listen to many other varieties， but it was on the house radio， or album player， it was country。I remember when the song "Me and Paul" came out in 1985。 I never really knew that "Me and Paul" were actual people， let alone Willie and a practically lifetime friend， who became his drummer， Paul English。 I mean the song could have been about anybody， or nobody， writers just write sometimes。Paul， was a very close friend， practically a brother， also his body guard and pretty much a "guardian angel"。 Paul just knew when and where he needed to be to keep an eye on Willie。 He was somebody you just didn't mess with。This book is kind of a combo of autobiography/biography that mainly following the life and song "Me and Paul"。 The beginning of the book starts with a little more， but as you're reading you come upon verses of the song "Me and Paul" along with the story behind the meaning of them， and it goes on throughout the book。 However， if you don't know the song， I don't know if you'd pick them up。 I wish they had put that in italics， hopefully they are in the finally copy。 There is more in there than just Willie and Paul， although they are the main focus。 You have wives， children， other known singers of the time in many genres， and may albums they made along the way。 I knew many songs mentioned throughout the book， but only recall knowing one album title， "Wanted Outlaws"。 I remember playing that vinyl on my little record player， and while reading this it made me want to buy the album and play it again， CD though。 The book was great！ I loved discovering the reasons for the song "Me and Paul" along with the lives they shared from beginning to end。 I want to thank #Netgalley and Harper Horizon for the opportunity to read this awesome book #MeandPaul for my honest review！ 。。。more
Jan Sikes
，
Anyone who knows me knows how much love I have for Willie Nelson。 I’ve read every book he’s written， so when I had a chance to read his upcoming release via NetGalley I jumped at the chance。Paul English was Willie’s long-time friend and drummer。 For sixty-five years they shared a friendship that went beyond the bounds of friends and crossed over into brotherhood。I loved every facet of this story， from their first meeting until Paul drew his last breath。He was a steady force behind Willie Nelson Anyone who knows me knows how much love I have for Willie Nelson。 I’ve read every book he’s written， so when I had a chance to read his upcoming release via NetGalley I jumped at the chance。Paul English was Willie’s long-time friend and drummer。 For sixty-five years they shared a friendship that went beyond the bounds of friends and crossed over into brotherhood。I loved every facet of this story， from their first meeting until Paul drew his last breath。He was a steady force behind Willie Nelson and a fearless supporter of his talent as a songwriter and performer。 He believed in Willie when Willie lost faith in himself。 He understood Willie’s off-sync timing and had no trouble following him。 That alone was enough to endear Paul to Willie， but as their lives intertwined and the story unfolded， it was only the beginning。The stories shared between the pages of this book took me on a journey from Fort Worth’s rough and rowdy side to New York Times Square and all points in between。 Paul had a history of， and habit of， walking just a little outside the law。 But despite his shady background， he proved to be a driving force。 He loved numbers and was the accountant for the band。 He never hesitated to take whatever action necessary when a shifty promoter tried to stiff them。“Paul knew everyone and everyone knew Paul，” said Willie。Paul took on the persona of the devil， dressing in all black， wearing a black cape lined with red silk， black Stetson， and red cowboy boots。 But in Willie’s words， “that persona couldn’t have been farther from the truth。’With a heart of gold， Paul never hesitated to step in and intercede for the underdog。So many stories are told in this book that I’d love to relate to you， but I won’t。 I will simply tell you that behind every successful man， there is a true supporter。 In the case of Willie Nelson， that was Paul English。 Willie said they fit perfectly together like a pistol and a holster。 Paul was steady while Willie could be unsteady。 Paul was a genius with numbers and a sure shot with a 。45。 Everyone who knew him respected and admired him。He passed away on February 11， 2020， at the age of 87。 He had been Willie’s closest confidant for over sixty-five years。 This book is a fitting tribute to the man， sharing the highs and lows of his life。 If you follow Willie Nelson’s music， this book is a must-read for you。 I highly recommend it。 It is told in Willie’s easy style of communicating， simple with no frills， but filled with heart and soul。This book is set to release on September 20， 2022。 And even though I’ve read it， I will have a hardcover copy on my bookshelf。 It is priceless！ 。。。more
Dave
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