Steve Earle is the musicians’ idol - my hero to Emmylou Harris - who has said of his life If I’d known I was going to live this long I’d have taken better care of myself . He was taking heroin at 13, and by the age of 40 was mired in a seemingly permanent vacation in the ghetto as he described his life then. In and out of jail for a variety of offences, Earle seemed determined to make good on his boast that when the end of the world came (and it seemed pretty close at times) only he, Keith Richards and the cockroaches would be left standing. He has been married six times, twice to the same woman, and amazingly forgiven by almost all of the ex-wives. In moments of consciousness he has, through sheer musical ability, shared a stage with, among others, Bruce Springsteen, Neil Young, Sheryl Crow, the Pogues and Bob Dylan.