It was probably the use of Marty Robbins' "El Paso" in the final episode of "Breaking Bad" that got me thinking about it, but ever since I've been on kind of a music kick, finding and listening to classic outlaw songs. "El Paso" is obviously one of the greats in that category, but it's another old outlaw song that's stuck in my head tonight, and it's even brought back some pleasant memories about my time in the TM movement, so I'll share them with you.
Back in early 1977, when I first heard the song, I was living at the TM National Headquarters at the end of Sunset Blvd. I was working there as personnel director for a few months before my Sidhis course, and lived on the premises in one of the rooms (it was formerly a motel, for those of you who never went there). It was a cool place to live -- a block from the beach, next door to the Yogananda Lake Shrine -- and even though I was making shit money I was earning precious (at the time) course credits, so I made the best of living there. It was there I first heard Emmylou Harris' version of a great Townes Van Sandt outlaw song called "Pancho and Lefty." I remember listening to it one night with my girlfriend, who I had had to sneak into my room, the both of us feeling very much like outlaws ourselves for having <gasp> sex there in the TM National Headquarters. :-) Anyway, it's a great song, and listening to it again in a Paris cafe -- all these years later -- I still love it. I also love -- all these years later -- still feeling like an outlaw. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3LQeRqTBK4> <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3LQeRqTBK4> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3LQeRqTBK4 <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3LQeRqTBK4>
