Townes Van Zandt’s “Snake Song” opens with a first ... the freewheeling recklessness, pain, and drunk wit of a visionary songwriter. But those very demons also destroyed him.

The seeds in Townes Van Zandt’s hand are ground. What cannot be remembered can be remembered, the seeds are pulverized and bitterly soaked in beer. Glug glug is a sound, left in the throat by the ...