Throughout this period, Van Zandt’s excursions usually traced a boomerang: beginning in Colorado, transferring south to Houston, after which east to Nashville and again. Houston was an issue as a result of that’s the place Townes might rating heroin. Quickly, his summers in Colorado become retreats from his dependancy. In 1970, Townes and Fran divorced as his habits grew extra erratic. The subsequent 12 months, he moved in with a supplier in Pasadena, an industrial part of Houston, the place he had limitless entry to his drug of selection. Van Zandt began to dump all of his possessions, together with his report assortment, and to keep away from family and friends.
Fran satisfied Townes to go to J.T. within the fall of 1971. He didn’t present. Sensing that one thing was fallacious, she waited by the cellphone all day. Lastly, the decision that she was dreading got here: Van Zandt had overdosed. He was within the hospital, calling out her identify. When Fran arrived, she was informed that Townes had died once more, twice this time, within the ambulance. His situation was nonetheless vital, however she stored him aware by speaking to him all through the night time.
To have fun his most up-to-date restoration from demise, Van Zandt jokingly named his sixth report The Late Nice Townes Van Zandt. Eggers claimed that he was chargeable for the title, meant to poke enjoyable at Townes’ lifeless profession. Actually, although, he was as profitable as he had ever been. The Late Nice offered steadily and featured two songs, “If I Wanted You” and “Pancho and Lefty,” that may come to outline his profession. Van Zandt had survived, even prospered, and was wanting to proceed his fortunate streak. He regarded ahead to his seventh album with anticipation. “The subsequent one will likely be successful. The subsequent one is prone to be a hit,” he predicted.
He had cause to be assured within the songs on Seven Come Eleven. Townes usually claimed that he was solely a vessel for lyrics that basically originated elsewhere. They might come to him in flashes or in goals. This will likely have been true typically, however was extra doubtless a little bit of modesty combined with mythmaking: the common-or-garden poet, divinely impressed. Nonetheless he arrived at his songs, Van Zandt was at all times meticulous. “It appears lots of people in Nashville write by the phrase, or by the road. Versus writing by the phrase,” he informed journalist Paul Zollo for the 2003 e book, Songwriters on Songwriting. “Lots of my greatest songs are the place each single phrase is the place it’s imagined to be.” He was influenced by Shakespeare and Dylan Thomas however cited Robert Frost as his most essential touchstone. As in Frost’s greatest poems, Van Zandt’s lyrics are profound of their simplicity.
