So I’m up way too early for a Saturday (I’ve actually been up since 5:30am), and I’ve been killing time watching some videos online.

In doing so, I came upon these videos of Ryan Adams covering old Gram Parsons tunes (as well as one live Whiskeytown tune). I haven’t heard Ryan’s versions of these songs in years – probably since 2004, if memory serves – and I’m reminded how much I used to love Ryan during his alt-country days.

It seems like so long ago, but there was a time when Ryan was my favorite musician on Earth. I remember getting to Fez a couple hours early in order to get a good seat for Ryan’s marathon shows, which would often stretch until 2am or 3am. And, although the recordings of the show floating around don’t really back it up, Ryan’s show at Irving Plaza just weeks after 9/11 (with Elton John guesting) is still my favorite concert that I’ve ever been to in my life.

While my connection with Ryan’s music began to dissipate after 2002′s Demolition, it’s nice to be able to look back and remember why I used to love him as much as I did. And who knows… maybe these new albums he’s working on will be another reminder of why his music was so important to me for so many years.