Orville Peck Says Willie Nelson Wanted to Get "Gay Married" in Their New Country Music Video

orille you know you're my fave as you know I'm so excited what a day this music video This song is out and the crazy thing is I remember being at Willie Nelson's 90th birthday at the Hollywood Bowl seeing you sing that song and I said to myself wouldn't it be amazing if orille like put that out and look here we are how does it feel to have this song Cowboys are frequently secretly fond of each other uh with the one and only Willie Nelson it feels amazing I'm sort of myself still uh you know it's it's actually been a long time in the making this whole collaboration um Willie asked me about it a couple years ago and mentioned that he he wanted us to do a doet version of the song and for it to have sort of another life it's sort of been orbiting my my my brain and just like my life for a couple years now and so the fact that it all finally came together and actually was was a huge Catalyst for now what is going to be uh my duet's album uh that it's really what started it all off was Willie Willie asking me to do the song so yeah it's it's surreal I've had years to accept it and it still hasn't sunk in so I don't know if it ever will so orille you know I think about where we are with this wave of anti-lgbtq legislation happening our rights being challenged questioned every day and then we have someone like Willie Nelson who says you know what I want to step up I I want to be an ally I want to support I want to make a music video where men are dancing together we have women dancing together what does that mean for you at this point in your career to have the support of Willie Nelson musically but also when it comes to you know accepting lgbtq people yeah I mean you know when when I first met Willie obviously before meeting him I have been a Willie Nelson fan my whole life and been such a had so much respect for his career and just him as a person and he's always been such an activist uh in in many many ways you know I mean spearheading the outlaw genre you know which is all about exactly what it says in the word being outside of the law and the norm and the the straight and narrows so getting to actually meet him and getting to know him and his family it was uh it's actually sort of breathtaking how truly that person he is and it's not just like on a surface level or part of a Persona or something I mean you know the first thing that Willie said to me we were hanging out on his tour bus when he T when he asked me said he wanted to do the song you know he said you he was saying you know it's more important now than ever and uh he was he was cracking jokes saying you know we got to do a music video maybe we can get gay married in the music video and like you know Annie my wife she can be like the priest and she'll give us away at the chapel and like I mean he's just you know he's the thing that's amazing about Willie is he is sort of you know him and Dolly are like the last patron saints of country music and there're just sort of Untouchable Legends and I think the fact that they are not afraid to sort of give the middle finger to this sort of concept of this gatee part of country that's all tied into like weird politics and all this stuff I think that the fact that Willie stands next to the entire LGBT qia plus Community by doing this song just shows what an amazing person he is what a legend he is and yeah it's the best feeling in the world and I think you know it's a win for all of us because that's true allyship you know someone who's completely unafraid to be right there next to us without any you know there's no vagueness involved it's just that's it is what it is he's there and not only did he record this with you I mean this is not a new song it's definitely this is a new version Willie covered it back in the day was uh I think originally like was it from the 80s yeah yeah so it was originally written written and recorded by an amazing Latin country singer uh and songwriter named Ned sublet uh who he he grew up in uh I believe in New Mexico and he was he lived across from a gay bar I believe is the the The Legend of this song and he would see all these like Ranch workers and Cowboys going in and out of the gay bar uh and so he wrote Cowboys are frequently secretly fond of each other and he wrote it with Willie in mind actually uh and then Willie recorded it I believe in the early 2000s and yeah yeah and it it's S I think it it had a moment in Brokeback Mountain soundtrack I believe it was like in the back of like a scene somewhere but uh yeah it had sort of a very Niche following of the song even Willie doing it of course understandably because you know uh I'm sure radio stations weren't like clamoring to play Willie Nelson singing about gay cowboy love so uh you know the fact that it gets to have all of these moments throughout throughout time you know I mean these are all sort of 20 years apart or more I think it's it's it's really a testament to uh what a great song it is and yeah I I I absolutely love that Willie sort of handed me the torch and you know maybe I'll hand it to someone in 20 years time and they can do another whole version of it again hey lives on but also you know it's so cool because listen we know with the world schedule are crazy but and you obviously met Willie and hung out with him but then to actually the Stars Al line you get to make a music video which is so great it's your first release since joining Warner which is so cool uh what was it like to you know get to actually film the music video for this project with Willie I was like sort of con I was I wasn't GNA get excited about it until I literally saw the like you know like the the Final Cut of the video because you know Will's 91 years old which is he's like a force you know uh but I mean he he isn't like you know running out to do as much as I'm sure he probably used to do in terms of filming things and his schedule you know like uh you know I think they try to keep him pretty uh have a pretty relaxed and chill and as as as well he deserves um and so the fact that he was of course into it but also available I was available this schedules worked out I mean we all flew out to Texas and filmed it on his Ranch his wife Annie who I'm just the biggest fan of she is so so cool you know she was she's amazing she was there she has a little cameo in the video it was it was like the most special day ever I really I I feel so honored to be included in Willie Nelson's Legacy in some way you know I I feel very very blessed and happy to yeah just be just to know him but all the other stuff is like the cherry on top I get it no I mean I it's he's one of the greats and I'm so happy that this is out there leading the project from an album that we know is called Stampede it's going to be Duets it's coming out soon I know the details are secret and coming out soon but I know the album is going to be duet's album we can expect some of your friends uh what do you want to tell us about it CU like I said you are now a part of the Warner Records family uh and also I was thinking this is so so perfect like Stampede you reference in your duet with Shai Twain and now it's like Stampede is the name of the Duets album I love it exactly yeah there was there's many many layers um well yeah we uh I can't say too much about who else is on it or what it's about but I can say you know it's it's it's got some of the most country songs I've ever done it's got some of the least country songs I've ever done because wanted every single song to feel like a true collaboration between me and the other artists so uh it's some of them are a departure for me but they're they still feel like you know like like Orville PEC songs but uh with 50% of whoever the other artist is so it was such a fun cool and adventurous album to make because every single song on it is entirely its own thing so it's pretty cool I love it well one thing that is not a secret that we know is heading back on the road big tour I've got my tickets for the Palladium you're going to be there for two nights if you are in the LA California area but you are going everywhere and listen I know you were very honest you said I need to take some time off at the end of last year kind of get myself you know in the best version of myself I can be how does it feel for you to be in a really good spot ready to go back on the road and to see all of us fans again oh my God I can't wait I'm so excited yeah it's uh it was not an easy decision for me last last year you know I was in a I was at a point where it was a decision that had to be made just you know mentally especially for me um it was the first I've been touring almost 20 years and it was the first shows I've ever cancelled other than covid uh you know other than than the pandemic hits so it was not an easy decision for me um but I'm so glad I took the time because I am I truly feel like I'm the best version of myself I've ever been uh both as an artist and as a person and I just I have this massive pent up uh excitement and uh yeah performance to to get back and show and share because uh touring has been my life for so long so this is the longest I've been off of it and it's it's it just feels crazy I can't wait to get back on the road I'm so excited yeah I can't wait either uh tickets are available now make sure you go online and get those um and you know speaking of shows I know you literally have just come off the boat with those Wild boys from Midland uh who listen I think they are a part of this new wave of country artists that are being Progressive accepting you know obviously I've seen them post about you on social what's it like to you know also party on a boat with them but also get to get to just kind of be pal with us uh partying on a boat with them is exhausting uh and but no being friends with them is uh you know it actually means a lot to me I hav you know of course never felt like being a like a gay artist should limit me to remaining within those worlds or I've never really approached making art that way you know I've just thought of myself as an artist in general and always championed the fact that I'm gay but never thought that that meant I couldn't be in all these different circles and so but at the same time that hasn't always been the case on the receiving end and so I think when you meet boys like Midland who are just genuinely um such lovely guys and just love being my friend and they you know they always have such wonderful things to say about my music and my art and it's just uh it it feels very welcoming and again it's like a very beautiful show of allyship where it doesn't feel performative it doesn't feel like something that is hard for them to do it just feels natural because they're just good people and that's all they care about is other good people I love that well I mean hopefully I mean listen let's put it out there maybe a duet of Orville and Midland can happen at some point hey who knows you know who knows uh one and also you were uh on that ship with my girl Jamie Wyatt another amazing queer uh Americana country artist and I think if I'm not correct she's GNA be on the road with you right yep we're bringing Jamie on tour we're bringing Nikki Lane on tour I love Jamie she's such a great artist and so underrated in my opinion I think uh she's I know that's always a weird thing to say but I think she's so so talented and such a great songwriter and she has such a she's so cool like Jamie in the room like everyone's always like oh who is that she's like got this really cool energy I love Jamie W Jamie is a fun fact gave me my first ever vinyl player that's who I got it a amazing that's a cool story yeah and it's purple so you know that sounds about right she she's an outlaw for sure she is I you know it's interesting I think with you know I myself will always identify with the Barbara Mandrell song I Was Country When Country Wasn't Cool but country is definitely on this full phase right now thanks and part to of course Beyonce but what's it like for you because I do think listen I think we should take take all the the good attention and of countries and style great but you know it does feel like country music is definitely getting like a little more attention and I'm all for it what do you think yeah it's interesting I think I think people are realizing that country music is more than just country music culture you know what it's sort of been stigmatized as you know I think uh there's a lot of people who are call themselves country music fans but they they really um they are they associate country music with kind of a lifestyle and that is usually not very accepting or welcoming unfortunately but the truth of the matter is country music as an actual genre is incredibly diverse it has always been that way there have always always been black queer Latin you know you name it country artists that have contributed to the genre in huge ways instrumentally vocally lyrically it is a very diverse genre it is the most diverse American genre of music um just just fact you know and I think people are starting to realize that they have an invitation to it because people like Beyonce or people on a more sort of mainstream level are like opening the door to people for people and allowing them to realize oh you know there's this entire world that I thought was supposed to be for like straight white men in lifted trucks but in the reality is it's for everyone and there's a million different country artists and each of them have their own story and it's like a such a vast world to explore I'm so excited people get to do it I'm jealous because I already know all about country yeah no and it's like it is an exciting thing because I remember my first job in the biz was at a country music station I was very closeted and I never thought that like that was going to be a place for me and where who I could be myself and I'm like you know what it feels good to have this kind of era that we're in thanks to people like you um but anyway thank you so much for the time and listen everyone like I said Cowboys are frequently secretly fond of each other with Willie Nelson is out now check out that music video and guess what we know an album of Duets Stampede coming soon we we'll know more soon on Warner Records and like I said get your tickets now for his tour I've got them and you don't want to miss it orille it's so good to see you I hope to see you in person soon um yeah everything thank you so much it's lovely to see you

Channel: GLAAD

Views: 27,637

Keywords: GLAAD, media, LGBT, GLBT, gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, equality, award

Id: pT68jiFstuM

Length: 15min 10sec (910 seconds)

Published: Mon Apr 08 2024