When Townes Van Zandt Came To Indianapolis 

Here's a great video of Stanley kicking ass with his band, The Asylum Street Spankers. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-2IJgjBKqO7I.html

I met Townes twice and both times he appeared sober and all there. It was in Richmond, Va. and one solo and another time with Guy Clark. During Guy’s set a saw Townes standing up listening to Guy. I walked out and started talking to him and he acted like he knew me. He was very nice and engaging. The second time Katie’s Bell had just been born and he said he hadn’t had much sleep. I had a song book of his that he sighed. He asked me and my brother to sit up front just in case he had trouble with the words. He started playing,, closed his eyes and he was spot on. This was the early 90’s. He dated my songbook 2/22/92. I still have it.

Townes Van Zant is a huge influence in a lot of my writing. I was a bad drunk for about 17 years on a daily basis. It seemed that the more I drink the thirstier I got and then that issue with gravity would arise. I can't count all the times I broke out in handcuffs and hospital beds due to the fact of the injuries I sustained. I just celebrated my 6-year sobriety date on June 9th. It's nice to be able to remember the shows I play and actually have people pick up the phone the next day when I call. Today I listen to towns in a whole new light because I was there once. I too suffered but was lucky enough to be able to make it out alive and talk about it. Love the stories Otis and thank you so much for bringing this wonderful Channel to the world✌️💜

December the 3rd 1981 I turned nine years old. One of Townes songs was my favorite even at nine years old but I had no idea who it was written by. I could sing every word of White Freightliner well before I turned nine years old.

What an honest interview! Townes had already passed on from this timeline when a friend of mine introduced me to his music. I was somewhere between the California desert drawing up to the Arizona border. I just remembered being completely blown away by the poetry and realizing that it was the most beautiful tragic thing I've ever heard.

I love the Townes stories. Thanks for sharing, Otis!

Otis your RU-vid channel is a blessing thank you and keep it up brother

Love seeing Stanley ,what a gracious and dear man, lovely musician.

It seems that a lot of the really talented people are haunted by it. A blessing and a curse. Thanks Otis for being so much of a blessing.

Listening to your channel is a history lesson that you can’t get anywhere else. Thank you Otis for keeping it real!

Thank you again Mr. Otis. Big Townes fan of course. Colorado Girl. Really really great interview--especially at the end, where he muses on the deep hard life these good folks lived, and the dark consequences. Like I know anything. AND here's why these interviews are priceless, as if Otis fans don't know this already, the history old and new, the musicians and places I learned about, that I never heard about, and now I can check out and explore and romanticize about in my wanna-be shoulda-been spin-down, down that rabbit hole of musician artist love: Pioneer Inn, The Hummingbird, Etheridge Knight (poem below--what great lyrics this poem would make), Stanley Smith, David Seidel, Floyd Domino, Mickey White, Paul Geremia, Jubal Clarke. As straight as the wild goose flies. Much love too. A Poem For Myself I was born in Mississippi; I walked barefooted thru the mud. Born black in Mississippi, Walked barefooted thru the mud. But, when I reached the age of twelve I left that place for good. My daddy chopped cotton And he drank his liquor straight. Said my daddy chopped cotton And he drank his liquor straight. When I left that Sunday morning He was leaning on the barnyard gate. Left my mama standing With the sun shining in her eyes. Left her standing in the yard With the sun shining in her eyes. And I headed North As straight as the Wild Goose Flies, I been to Detroit & Chicago Been to New York city too. I been to Detroit & Chicago Been to New York city too. Said I done strolled all those funky avenues I'm still the same old black boy with the same old blues. Going back to Mississippi This time to stay for good Going back to Mississippi This time to stay for goodGonna be free in Mississippi Or dead in the Mississippi mud. Etheridge Knight

another good one brother Otis and ill add for humour my about 35 pound all white maine coon king bearcat Stanely Otis Career Rubin was brought to attentoin when he heard you intro Stanley....my Stanley knows ur voice anyway and that sometimes ur videos have kitty friends he admires but he def heard u say his name lol thanks - SJOCR

Love seein a notification for a new Townes story from Otis. U da boi, the one n only OG

Greatest of all time. Authenticity of highest order. Took me 15 to 20 years to fully digest his entire body of work. Finding all of the magical recordings/versions and learning them note for note. Townes, Jackson C Frank, Prine, (early) Dylan, Ramblin' Jack are all in my right hand. When I'm just playing without thinking about it they crop up. If I learn a new picking pattern or song I don't know exactly how to go about, my right hand regurgitates my influences.

Great interview Otis. Thanks for this. Always in ANY Townes or Blaze Foley stories. Stanley seems like a great guy too. Love the stories.

Love hearing anything about Townes. I wonder if the "blanking out" had something to do with the insulin shock therapy he underwent as a young man...so much talent, so much tragedy. Thanks for all you do, Otis.

Thanks, Otis! Love your stories. This one made me go out and find Townes shows from 87, 90, 91, 93 and 94 to listen to.

I could listen to this man all day

Great story, thank you both for sharing ✌

My friends and I were there at the Hummingbird. Just as Stan said. Townes was a haunted soul. He got a lot of support that night. Sad. Great interview and great to see Stan. Strugglers forever!

What an unexpected treat to hear Stanley Smith talking about TVZ. Loved his stuff with the Spankers. Townes stories are always wonderful but always so sad.

Etheridge Knight! The first poet I ever saw read -- at Mugwumps, maybe 1988.

I remember the time Ottis came to Newport south Wales ❤️👍

Wow, brilliant ..

Just love Stanley and the Spankers! Thanks

Thanks Otis

Speaks volumes, especially the last part.

I really appreciate your insight on the music biz and artists in general. I would love to see you play your music. Do you ever come to Milwaukee?

Thank you Otis...good stuff.

I'm wearing a tvz shirt right now .

keep 'em comin' Otis....

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I sabotaged my early music career. Sure having fun now with my old band from 42 years ago, though. I like this guy, great interview.

powerful 🙏

Well this made me cry

Thanks for all of the Townes history. He was a very special person that has too little information available.

If you don't know Stanley Smith check out a smooth one with the Asylum Street spankers

Boy, I'd like to tell my Townes story's here but they'll delete them.

Otis-super cool. I was a Spankers fan for many years. Saw Townes probably 6 or more times over the years-often while living in Austin. I remember The Austin Outhouse. I saw Blaze there only one time. Townes-could be super hot...or not.....The last time we went to see him was mid 90s at the Cactus on UT campus. I took my in laws-the father in law was a co founder of a Drug and Alcohol Rehab hospital. Townes was pretty drunk and loose. Dr N-the in law was not amused in the least

I know what he means about the bar and the house. I can go from my house to the Local Liquor store only having to cross a rather major road if I used the ally of my street. Normally I use the main road on the sidewalk due to people whose dogs they have in back yards that do not have fences to get to the place but a few times due to construction have walked the ally with issues of a dog or two. I am Usually however 99% of the time in better mind when I go to the local liquor store, I do not go when drunk to the place as I know it is a pain when drunk having to get across the busy road.

"Pound that piano Floyd"!!!

cheers to the real people Juba Clark! raise a glass (of anything) to the salt of the earth the eccentirc the true! thanks brother otis - SJOCR

“Don’t ever cuss under a roof!” - Townes

🎶🔊🎶🙌

❤

Townes had it rough as a teenager. Electroshock therapy fried his memory, and then when that connects on to self-medication by living hard, and if you go deep into the art rabbit hole, you're gonna pull blanks, and so on. My very humble opinion is that people could take it a little easier on him. Stanley certainly doesn't judge him, but Townes' problems don't sound like they were just your standard addiction thing.

Man I'm all for great art but if the way that Townes and Blaze and Hank lived is the price, I'll take some mediocre songs from those guys in their old age over the self-destruct any day.

I hate to hear the Townes stories of the gigs falling apart. It breaks my heart. I’ve never seen Townes live, but I much prefer the stories where the audience claims they are transfixed, hanging on every word, and you could hear a pin drop.

His poor memory was damaged from insulin shock therapy which he was subjected to as a very young man. It was touted as a therapy for depression but was total quackery and resulted in brain damage. Probably messed up his neuro chemistry for the rest of his life and was likely a contributing factor to his substance use. Shows how "smart" medicine can be sometimes. It was considered brilliant cutting edge treatment at the time. Makes you wonder about crap they're doing now.

Trivia: Van Zandt county is named after his ancestors.

“… there were walls on both sides… “

good people ripped stoned

He could do everything but save himself