Western of the Month: Historian Megan Kate Nelson on The Red Stranger - June 2025

On this edition of Western of the Month on Road Gang Radio, hosts Jimmy Mac and Lindsay Lawler welcome renowned historian and author Megan Kate Nelson for a deep dive into the 1987 film The Red Stranger, starring country music legend Willie Nelson. Known for her insightful work on the Civil War and the American West, Megan Kate Nelson brings a scholar’s lens to this lesser-known Western. Together, they explore the film’s themes of justice, redemption, and the lone gunman archetype, while examining how The Red Stranger fits into the broader tradition of Western storytelling. Nelson also shares how the genre continues to evolve and reflect American identity, and why films like The Red Stranger—quiet, gritty, and steeped in morality—still hold relevance today. Megan Kate Nelson is the author of Saving Yellowstone, The Three-Cornered War, Ruin Nation, and Trembling Earth, and has written for The New York Times, Smithsonian Magazine, and more. Road Gang Radio airs live on RadioNemo, iHeartRadio, YouTube Live, and Facebook Live. Subscribe for more cultural commentary, trucking stories, and American history on the move.