Article and Interview by DJ Johnson
Waylon Jennings is gone. He died in his sleep on Wednesday, February 13th, of complications from diabetes just a few months after losing part of his foot to the disease. He's survived by his wife, country singer Jessi Colter, and as he himself put it, "a mess'a kids and grandkids."

Among the country artists in the movement that came to be known as "outlaw," nobody remained holed up in the hills as long as Waylon did, nor began fighting the Nashville establishment as early. His name has always rung with the reverberation of respect as a result of that, and for his considerable talent.

Waylon's life wasn't easy. Obstacles were put before him constantly, many from out of the blue, but at times he was his own worst enemy, and he spent many, many years overcoming the drug and alcohol problems he developed at the height of his career. To his credit, he succeeded where so many failed, adding years to his life and many more evenings on the porch with Jessi.

In December of 1998 I had the honor of interviewing Waylon Jennings for Cosmik Debris. By that time I had interviewed several big names, but I was openly nervous about this one. I didn't know what to expect, and though I was well prepared (perhaps even over-prepared), I stuttered and stammered as I introduced myself and attempted to cram enough questions into fifteen or twenty minutes to make an interesting interview. In a down-home, easy voice, Waylon said "Relax, son, I like these questions. We can talk a while." A while turned out to be a big chunk of the day, and I was transfixed. Waylon made you feel like a friend, or closer yet, like family, listening to the stories of his lifetime, gathered 'round on the porch. It remains one of my favorite interviews after all these years, and when I heard of his passing it was like a punch in the gut. Hard to explain such a thing, but it's just what it is.

Rather than recap his entire life again, we at Cosmik decided to let Waylon tell it. He tells it better. So we're bringing the December, 1998 interview back as a tribute to him. The warmth and the spirit of the man came through so clearly in that interview that it seemed a perfect tribute. We hope you enjoy it. And Waylon, we miss you, y'old outlaw.


Click here to read the 1998 interview with Waylon Jennings or select another article from the menu at left.





(C) - DJ Johnson 2002