I was interested in interviewing Ronnie Van Zant because he seemed to be one of those people who was a bit of an enigma when he was on earth. We didn’t have long to speak with him, because his focus is no longer earth, but here is what we got.

For those not familiar with him, he was the lead singer and songwriter for the rock group Lynyrd Skynyrd. He passed over in October 1977 when the band’s plane crashed in Mississippi while on tour. Their record “Street Survivors” had just taken off. Some of their hits are Sweet Home Alabama, Freebird and Simple Man. Ronnie appears to my right in a beige pair of pants, a t-shirt and his trade mark hat.

Diane: Okay Marc…is he ready to be interviewed? Is he okay with this?

Marc: I’ll check…..yes he says he is.

Diane: Marc introductions if you would please.

Marc: Ladies and Gentleman – Ronnie Van Zant.

(It’s funny because I could hear applause, but I don’t know where they were coming from! That’s a first!)

Diane: Welcome Ronnie. I think you may know that I put out the request to see if you would come talk to us. You had some things in common with Marc – being a rock star and you both passed in 1977 at the age of 29. Marc can you lead off with some questions?

Ronnie: Can I just start off with saying that I am pretty damned pleased to be asked to come here. I consider it an honor.

Marc: Yes, thank you Ronnie. It took a little while to get a hold of you. At least, to bring you close enough so Diane could talk with you. Can you explain that?

Diane: Yes, Ronnie, it seemed like it took Marc a long time to find you. Is that really how it works or did he locate you right away but it only seemed long to me?

Ronnie: Well I was far away. Where I need to position my energy in order to communicate with you is not my usual local.

Diane: Where are you usually? It feels very deep – almost hidden? (I kept getting images of a large black hole!)

Ronnie: Well it isn’t hidden, but it is far removed from earth’s vibrational pull.

Marc: So where are you hanging out then Ronnie?

Diane: Marc, didn’t you get him?

Marc: Not really. I sent the message out and the signal got to him instantaneously. It took awhile for you to be able to pick up on his energy to the point that you could talk with him because vibrationally it WAS like he was in a black hole.

Diane: Okay questions Marc.

Marc: I don’t think Ronnie answered where he was?

Ronnie: No I didn’t get the chance yet.

Diane: We’re talking too much!

Marc: I know….

Ronnie: Well let’s just say that I reside where I feel the most comfortable. It’s where I always go back to after every incarnation. It would be difficult to explain to you, but like Marc said, it’s kind of like going into a black hole.

Marc: So Ronnie man…what got you started in music that time?

Ronnie: Well I saw the need that I was going to have to find someway of living a better life than I was. I had nothing really growing up and I had some ambition. Looking around at my options, I saw a lot of guys changing their lives with music. When I started, there was a glimmer of hope in me that I could make it. I was the one with the vision – the goal to make something out of this – although I wasn’t quite sure at the time where I got that faith.

(He explained to me that this glimmer was coming from his spirit side which knew it was possible – other than his physical self which had some blocks up to the possibility.)

Diane: Something you both had in common – coming from a normal background but having the vision that the life you wanted could be a reality. Can you both tell us how you held onto that belief? I think that’s why many people never see their dreams.

Marc: Well for me, it was if I didn’t have a choice – it’s like it was programmed into my DNA. It was really the only thing I was focused on. I knew spiritually that I had such a short time to do everything, so I couldn’t really mess around. I had to stay focused.

Ronnie: Things were pretty much the same with me. When you are in the physical, it’s often hard to comprehend where this drive or ambition is coming from. It’s just a part of you really. It’s what drives the boat. I think what you said is important though. Many who don’t have that spark as strongly maybe don’t realize their dreams. But perhaps that isn’t their goal that time around.

Marc: So where did the inspiration to write your songs come from?

Ronnie: My life – the people around me. My songs weren’t about lofty ideals. I was a basic guy who wanted to tell my stories in the way that I could. I didn’t have a trained voice, but I could play the guitar a bit.

Marc: How was it working with others? Was it tough?

Ronnie: Hell yes…you see most of the guys were into partying – into having fun. I see it now…they were enjoying the rock star lifestyle. And I’m not saying I wasn’t guilty of that too. I liked my whiskey. I liked to party. I had my binges, but I could always come back and do the work. Then at some point, I knew I’d have to clean up my act a bit if this was going to go anywhere. Some of the guys in the band didn’t have that same agenda.

Marc: Did you like to do anything outside of music?

Ronnie: I liked to fish and be out in boats. That was my quiet down time. Being out in nature always revived me.

Marc: Did you have any religious beliefs?

Ronnie: Yeah the same, I guess, as any Southern boy did back then. I found myself questioning a lot of the dogma as I got older. I think that my beliefs about what was right and wrong stemmed from what I was told as a boy. You know the basics, do onto others. I was a pretty wild kid, so I don’t suppose that I did right all the time.

Marc: Did you get into fights a lot?

Ronnie: Hell yes! I had the temper, especially if I felt I was wronged. Sometimes, I didn’t even need an excuse – that male aggression would just fly. I guess large amounts of whiskey played a part in it too. Like I said, I wasn’t a saint.

Marc: So what was it like when your music started taking off for you? I remember it myself – almost the shock that it’s really happening!

Ronnie: Well, it was a long time coming for me – at least it felt like that. But yeah, I remember thinking that this could really be it. My Mama was so proud of me. I remember seeing the sparkle in her face and it made everything worth it.

Marc: Did you ever want to do anything else?

Ronnie: Not really. I loved music and I had the will inside me to express myself. I could have written stories or poems I guess….maybe if I’d stayed around longer. I was a deep thinker.

(Here he was showing me a journal that he would write his thoughts down in but the book was in his head. I think that he must have had an incredible memory.)

Ronnie: That was a way for me to hold onto those images and ideals, otherwise they seemed too fleeting.

Marc: How was the rock star lifestyle for you?

Ronnie: It was fast and it didn’t last very long as you know. I mostly remember being on buses and doing one nighters. Sleeping during the day in order to perform at night. Hell it wasn’t an easy life, but it beat working at a gas station. I feel that I was very lucky to have had the success that I did – even for a short time.

Marc: Did you like to perform live?

Ronnie: I did and I didn’t. I loved the feedback from the audience, but I did have stage fright. I was a bit two-sided. I could be the guy in your face with a broken bottle if I got riled, but I also had a quiet side. It wasn’t always easy to go out there and perform – get an audience to join with you. It takes more than just music. You have to have a give and take with an audience. They have to feel that you are there with them. It has to be an energy exchange really. I’m sure you’ve seen people who go out on stage and just sing a song. Yeah nice and everything – technically they might be great – timing there….yeah good. But they didn’t really give anything of themselves.

Marc: Yeah I saw a lot of performers like that. But then you see someone like Elvis and that kind of thing can turn your world around.

Ronnie: That’s right!

Marc: So what are you doing now Ronnie? Anything you’d like to share?

Diane: Marc, I just get a blank with that one…..getting nothing. Is it me or him?

Marc: No he dropped off. Let me get him back.

(I see Ronnie coming back into the picture.)

Ronnie: Sorry about that. Had to think about this.

(He says what he is doing now isn’t really thought about here too much, but he was going to try to explain. He said that he is working with sound and light vibrations. He was showing me wavelengths. He said Tesla could explain it better (not that I’d understand). He said it was dealing with light refracting off itself and using it as power. Okay so he’s working with civilizations to develop alternative means of power.)

Diane: Marc – for earth or everywhere? (His energy had faded so I thought Marc might be able to connect better.)

Marc: For everywhere, but mostly he is working with some planets who aren’t quite as developed as earth.

Diane: So I think what you’re saying is that he is helping these less evolved planets to not run into the issues that earth is having – by using up all their natural resources – and starting them out sooner with cleaner options.

Marc: Yes something like that. Ronnie, that’s really admirable. Any music going on?

Ronnie: Yeah, I still pick a bit here and there and keep a diary of my thoughts.

Marc: So back tracking a bit….I didn’t ask if you had a particular reason for coming to speak with us?

Ronnie: No not really. Diane asked if I’d come and I did.

Marc: How much contact do you have with earth? Do you hang out there a lot?

Ronnie: No not much. Of course, I still have contact with my family and friends who are there, but my work takes me further afield.

Diane: Ronnie, you left young like Marc. Any regrets about that?

Ronnie: No, it doesn’t pay to have regrets and once you cross over, all that pretty much goes away. Right after I crossed, I did have some regrets, but like I said, that leaves you pretty fast. I had this other work that was timely for me to do, so all worked out as planned.

Marc: Any plans to head back down to earth? Another rock star life?

Ronnie: Ah no – not any plans. That was a pretty hard lifestyle but who knows. I wouldn’t count out another earth life. It’s possible.

Marc: Okay Ronnie, anything last words that you would like to say to our readers?

Ronnie: Well I’m not sure if any of them even remember my band – it has been awhile and we didn’t last that long (he is being modest here I think). But for those fans still around, I want to give them my appreciation.

(I asked him if there was anything else and he showed me heading down a lonely highway driving towards the sunset.)

Ronnie: That about sums up my life that time. I think that’s all I wanted to say.

Marc: Okay then thank you Ronnie for stopping by. He’s gone.

Diane: I didn’t get the impression that he was going to stay for very long. His focus seems to be very strong in his work right now and I don’t think he likes to be away from it for long. He never said who he was working with really did he?

Marc: No

Diane: So I got the impression from Ronnie that he was a man of few words. He felt that because of where he came from, he wouldn’t be taken seriously as an artist. That he was looked upon as some Southern bumpkin without any education. About his work now, he was showing me images of alien ships flying around the pyramids. I don’t really get the impression that he is in ships necessarily all the time, but I think it’s kind of the same thing – those more evolved helping others learn. I know that he passed over in a plane crash, but he didn’t mention anything about it.

Marc: He wasn’t going to go there because it’s still too raw for many of his family and fans. He said that he made peace with the way he died and felt that’s all that needed to be said. He felt that although he was in the public eye and people still mourn him, it’s still private for him and the others who passed with him.

Diane: Yes, I completely understand and respect that. So Marc, even after you pass over, the way or means can still be sensitive to a spirit?

Marc: Sure. Maybe the way was not how it was originally planned. A spirit may still be dealing with the aspects of that or it could be out of respect for those still on earth. It’s different for everyone. Help is always available for you here if you need it.

Diane: Okay Marc, talk with you soon!

© Bolan-Beaty Boogie

September 23, 2017