About this episode
George Saunders explores the song 'Pancho and Lefty' by Townes Van Zandt, discussing its themes and significance in American music.
Celebrated author George Saunders digs deep into one of the best-loved songs not just in Willie Nelson’s catalog, but in all of American music, Townes Van Zandt’s legendary tale of betrayal, “Pancho and Lefty.” It is, in many ways, a song full of mystery, and George, who also teaches Russian short fiction at Syracuse University’s acclaimed creative writing program, walks us through it verse-by-verse, unlocking the secrets in the song’s story; the way Townes, Willie, and Merle Haggard made us care so much; and what the song tells us about what it means to be human. All that, plus the way hearing “Hello Walls” as a little kid crawling around under his parents’ poker table awakened him to the importance of elegance in art—with cameos by Dostoevsky, Chekov, Jeff Tweedy, and Ernie Banks.
People in this episode
Host: John Spong
Guest: George Saunders
Topics covered
- song analysis
- American music
- storytelling
- human experience
- art elegance
Keywords
- Pancho and Lefty
- George Saunders
- Townes Van Zandt
- Willie Nelson
- song analysis
- American music
- betrayal
- human experience
- art
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Syracuse University
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