Leo Kottke, a renowned fingerpicking guitarist and folk singer, has played in nearly every midsize and large city in the United States, including Tucson.
And if you ask him why he returns, he won't wax on about Tucson's beauty or the plethora of Mexican restaurants. It's business.
"The chance to play makes that place irresistible," he said.
Kottke returns to Tucson this weekend for a pair of In Concert shows at the Temple of Music and Art.
He has a devoted following wherever he goes. His shows are musical conversations, evenings spent peppering funny anecdotes between songs that showcase his impressive guitar chops. He weaves rich stories of life in the Midwest and his boyhood with music and wacky monologues that tend to meander.
His schedule has slowed a bit in recent years, and he is able to squeeze in one- and two-month home stretches.
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"I do enjoy it," he said. "I've gotten to be really curious about what it would be like to stay put for say six months. I think it would be a pretty big change."
But not any time soon, the 66-year-old Georgia native said.
Retirement? Not likely, he added, then launched into a monologue about a 92-year-old blues guy dragged out of his nursing home to play a show.
"I asked him, 'Why are you doing this?' and he just said, 'This is what I do,' " Kottke said. "And he was terrible, by the way. ... He sounded like a 92-year-old guy from a nursing home."
But that 92-year-old inspired Kottke.
"I think about retirement but only in terms of what would kill me first: not getting to play or playing too much," he said. "You (play) because you can. It's a privilege. The older you get, it's like life support."
If you go
• What: Leo Kottke in concert.
• When: 8 p.m. today and Friday.
• Where: Temple of Music and Art, 330 S. Scott Ave.
• Tickets: $24 and $26 at inconcerttucson.tix.com or call 1-800-595-4849.
