There is no one else in country music - or anyplace else for that matter - like Willie Nelson. He goes his own way and makes his own rules. That characteristic pervades his music and his life as well. In Nelson's brand new and candid book, The Last Leaf: Reflections on Late Life Creativity - and My Longest Love Affair, the "Crazy" songwriter comes clean about one of the most odious episodes of his 93 years - his momentous clash with the Internal Revenue Service. Not shockingly, Willie Nelson would not be cowed, even by an agency that causes many to tremble with dread.
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The IRS Allegedly Told Nelson in 1990 That He Owed Them Millions
Thirty-six years ago, the IRS contacted Willie Nelson and said he owed them a fortune. Therefore, they seized a ton of his treasured assets, even baby pictures that could never be replaced. The beloved singing star wrote in his book, "I didn't see the storm coming. That same year of [my son] Micah's birth, the IRS showed up, guns abalazing. Froze my bank accounts. Grabbed my assets. Seized all my property. Padlocked my homes. Said I owed them $32 million. That was the start if the 1990s, when suddenly God's problem child had a problem."
"God's problem child" was in very hot water. Actually, he faced a heartbreaking situation. Furthermore, Nelson explained, "We were on the road in the middle of a tour when we got a call telling us that some woman from the IRS had seized our property and was auctioning off our personal belongings. Heaven knows what her real name was; we called her 'Ice Queen.' [My guitar] Trigger was with me, thankfully, but we lost baby pictures and tons of personal items we never saw again. There was nothing we could go but watch all our memories be sold."
The IRS Wanted Something That Nelson Would Not Part With
Accountant Larry Goldfein was working on Nelson's behalf. Additionally, he convinced the IRS to whittle down his client's massive debt from $32 million to $16 million. However, the tax folks had one unpalatable stipulation that Nelson would not go along with. He wrote, "Larry called us one afternoon and told us the IRS was asking for our publishing [rights] as part of the negotiations. I remember [my wife] Annie said, 'But that would be like taking away your children. You birthed all those songs.' She's right. It felt terrible. We asked Larry to let them know our answer was [expletive] no. We ended up being able to keep our publishing."
Nelson Used a Cheeky and Ingenious Plan To Give the IRS Their Money
In fact, he outsmarted the IRS by recording a double album called The IRS Tapes: Who'll Buy My Memories? It featured two dozen tracks. Made on a shoestring budget, the album was an unconventional method of getting the IRS the money they wanted via its sales. Leave it to Willie Nelson to emerge victorious although the chips were down.
