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 may rating heroin. Quickly, his summers in Colorado was retreats from his habit. In 1970, Townes and Fran divorced as his habits grew extra erratic. The subsequent 12 months, he moved in with a vendor in Pasadena, an industrial part of Houston, the place he had limitless entry to his drug of alternative. Van Zandt began to unload all of his possessions, together with his document 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 flawed, 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 title. When Fran arrived, she was instructed that Townes had died once more, twice this time, within the ambulance. His situation was nonetheless essential, however she saved him aware by speaking to him all through the night time.
To have a good time his most up-to-date restoration from loss of life, Van Zandt jokingly named his sixth document The Late Nice Townes Van Zandt. Eggers claimed that he was accountable 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 bought 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 desperate to proceed his fortunate streak. He seemed ahead to his seventh album with anticipation. “The subsequent one will likely be a success. The subsequent one is more likely to be a hit,” he predicted.
He had purpose to be assured within the songs on Seven Come Eleven. Townes usually claimed that he was solely a vessel for lyrics that actually originated elsewhere. They’d come to him in flashes or in goals. This will likely have been true typically, however was extra seemingly a little bit of modesty blended with mythmaking: the common-or-garden poet, divinely impressed. Nevertheless he arrived at his songs, Van Zandt was all the time meticulous. “It appears lots of people in Nashville write by the phrase, or by the road. Versus writing by the phrase,” he instructed journalist Paul Zollo for the 2003 e-book, Songwriters on Songwriting. “Plenty of my greatest songs are the place each single phrase is the place it’s speculated to be.” He was influenced by Shakespeare and Dylan Thomas however cited Robert Frost as his most vital touchstone. As in Frost’s greatest poems, Van Zandt’s lyrics are profound of their simplicity.