Dale Watson doesn’t have much good to say about contemporary country music. Not that you’d expect anything else from one of today’s best purveyors of the true honky-tonk sound.

“Country music (today) is like a relative that's a heroin addict," Watson said in an interview posted on his Web site. “You witness them killing themselves and you can't do anything about it — because you can't help somebody that doesn't want to be helped. All you can do is point it out to them.”

While the tattooed, hard-charging Texan doesn’t have much use for Nashville, he sure knows how to crank up the hardcore hillbilly sound with his Lonestars, a terrific band.

Watson hasn’t been in Lincoln for a few years. But I’ve caught him a couple of times in Austin during the interim and he’s just getting better, singing truckin’ songs and pure country laments and kicking the doors down whenever the spirit moves him.

He’ll be back in town on Wednesday for a 9 p.m. show at Duffy’s Tavern that will be opened by Forty Twenty, the Lincoln band that’s making its name on the regional circuit. Tickets for the show are $8 in advance, $10 at the door.

Watson’s live shows are always great, and if you love real country music, I can’t recommend anyone more. You’ll want to catch him this time around because he won’t be back again for at least six months and maybe longer. He’s moving to Baltimore to be closer to his daughters and taking six months off from the road.

At the movies

Only two pictures open in Lincoln today, the brilliant “Capote” and the harrowing documentary "The Untold Story of Emmett Louis Till.” They both start at the Ross Media Arts Center and are reviewed elsewhere in Ground Zero. But seven pictures opened in Lincoln on Wednesday. The best of that lot were “The Ice Harvest,” “Pride and Prejudice” and “Rent.”

MoPix movie

The MoPix movie this week is “Chicken Little,” the computer-animated Disney film that’s been a late fall hit. MoPix is a system that allows access to films to the deaf and blind.

Clubland

If you’re up for a full night of music on Wednesday, you can start out at 6 p.m. at the Zoo Bar and catch the great Carey Bell. To quote the Zoo’s Web site, Bell is “an established giant among blues harmonica players and a master of the double reed. Carey is one of the very few players today who didn't learn his craft by listening to old records, but by studying directly under the masters.” In other words, this is a rare opportunity to hear the real stuff.

Fearless football forecast

Iowa State beat Colorado over in Ames a couple of weeks ago, giving optimism to some Husker fans that Nebraska might be able to go to Boulder and spring an upset on the Buffaloes. Fat chance. Nebraska’s offense will be lucky to generate 17 points against the Colorado defense and the Buffs will score way more than that against a Husker defense that is fading as the season goes along. Colorado coach Gary Barnett seems to love to pound the Big Red. That’s what’s going to happen this afternoon. Colorado 42, Nebraska 17.

Reach L. Kent Wolgamott at 473-7244 or kwolgamott@journalstar.com.