Willie Nelson’s Early Battle With Stage Fright
Willie Nelson / Instagram
Willie Nelson has a natural ability for stage presence and performance. Still, even Nelson can recall a time that he was overtaken by intense stage fright.
Nelson recalled his first-ever performance during an appearance on NBC’s Sunday Sitdown With Willie Geist. The event took place over eight decades ago when Nelson was just five years old. During the performance, Nelson was supposed to recite a poem. The music icon remembers the moment so clearly that he could even remember the words of the poetry.
“I was about five years old, and my poem was, ‘What are you looking at me for? / I ain’t got nothin’ to say / If you don’t like the looks of me / Just look the other way,‘” Nelson recalled. “I had on a little white sailor suit with red trim.”
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While on stage, Nelson experienced stage fright for the first time, and he reacted to the situation in a hilarious way.
“I got nervous doing my poem, and I started pickin’ my nose,” Nelson admitted.
The year after his first performance, Nelson was given a guitar, and his stage performance jitters began to fade away.
To watch Nelson’s full interview on stage fight, check out the video here.
