Bob Dylan called Warren Zevon a “musicians musician.” He said that 'his musical patterns are all over the place, probably because he's classically trained. There might be three seperate songs withen a Zevon song, but they're all effortlessly connected.” Dylan was right. I'm reading a new biography of Zevon from C.M. Kushins called “Nothings Bad Luck”-The Lives of Warren Zevon and the title is instructive.. He did live many different and mostly tortured lives in his 56 years before dying of cancer in 2003. Reading the book has caused me to re-listen to his albums and re-evaluate my opinions on his stuff, especially the later works, some of which I had ignored at the time. If you only know Zevon through “Werewolves of London” here is a retrospective of some of what I consider his classic songs.
He actually recorded his first record as part of psychedelic duo called Lyme & Cybelle in the 60's with Violet Santangelo who he met in high school. She took the stage name Laura Kenyon and they recorded several singles including this one. A catchy litttle number
He recorded an LP called Wanted Dead or Alive in 1969 that was mostly ignored and after touring as the band leader for the Everly Brothers for a number of years amassed a collection of excellent tunes that became the LP “Warren Zevon”. Produced by Jackson Browne and featuring a who's-who of LA muscians and singers, the LP should have been a monster but for some reason wasnt. Linda Ronstadt recorded many of the songs and had a hit with Poor Poor Pitiful Me.The album was filled with songs about the seemy underbelly of LA including these, many of which were autobiographical.
and what I consider his most beautiful song and what may be one of the best songs ever written…and its about heroin addiction!
One of the great stories in the book was the recording of the Excitable Boy LP produced by noted session guitarist Waddy Wachtel. They were finished recording when Wachtel realized they only had 28 minutes of music. He told Zevon that he was going on tour with Ronstadt and when he returned Zevon better have two more songs written that were good enough to include on the record. Zevon met the deadline and came up with Accidently Like A Martyr and Lawyers, Guns & Money!
The success brought with it an increase in an already prodigious alcohol and drug problem for Zevon and led to increasingly bad episodes with his various wives and girlfriends. He went through rehab many times before it finally took years later. He released a number of albums through the 80's and 90s with not alot of success. Some of the stuff was good including the acerbic “Aint That Pretty At All' from the Lp “The Envoy”
After another rehab stint he started collaborating with the members of REM and put out an underrated Lp called “Sentimental Hygiene” in 1987. It included some excelllent songs including the humorous ones like Bad Karma and Detox Mansion and
and a well recieved look at boxer “Boom Boom Mancini” which he wrote in real time while watching Mancini fight Bobby Chacon
And a heartbreaking song written to his former wife Crystal
Other albums followed with little success until a lung cancer diagnosis in in 2002. He didnt want chemo and continued to record his final album The Wind which includes his numerous musical friends including Don Henley, Jackson Browne, Bruce Springsteen, Joe Walsh, Tom Petty , Emmy Lou Harris and many others.
He appeared on his friend David Letterman's show and talked about his disease, his work and his wild life. And he played his songs…
By all accounts he was a charming rogue but not a particularly nice person. The alcohol and drugs added on top of his OCD alienated many of the people around him. But the songs…damn…the songs. The book is a tale well told. Of a man who destroyed his life for his art. Was it worth it? I'm not sure. And Zevon would love that kind of ambiguity.
Covers Of The Day (Warren covers of course)
