this is what i want to say, in 20 words
1) there were a whole bunch of texts that analysed the myths of the west in the 70s (ie 1966 to 1977)
2) these myths realised the history of the western, and also realised the history of the west, and were interested in that disconnect
3) one of these texts was willie nelsons red headed stranger

willie nelsons red headed stranger is interesting in a number of ways
a) it is aware of the musical forms it uses, and those forms are historically connected to the west.
b) it ties to a wide variety of narrative forms popular in (north) america, esp. balladry
c) it is a refuting of his past life in nashville
d) it is part of a large crowd of musicians that talk about this sort of thing at the same time

4) how this group worked as a free floating collective fed into the album, and into that deconstruction, and has been overlooked by mainstream reportage.
5) The other thing that makes it about the deconstructed west, is the feelings it imparts--the restlessness, the lonlienss, the violence, the isolation, the temparory and rare comforts.

Defining Deconstructed West:
west vs d/c west:
the west is mannifest destiny, its unbridled oppurtinity (sp), its violence as a means to an end, a maintaning of heroics, a belief that this expriment would result in order.

the d/c west is isolation, failure, wrestlessness, random violence, anti heros or no heros, and chaos.

the red headed stranger even as a title works that perfectly. cain always in christian iconography has red hair, cain's curse was to wander thru the wilderness looking for family and order--he can never find it, his being a stranger is permanant (sp)