Mr. Bad Example on a rocky road to fame (Warren Zevon)

Miami Herald ^ | 8 May 07 | HOWARD COHEN

[Glenn]

Who?

[Choose Ye This Day]

Zevon’s music is wonderful. That he was a jerk in real life doesn’t surprise me in the least—most rock stars are, even minor stars.

“Accidentally, Like a Martyr” is still his best song.

[johnny7]

Send Lawyers Guns and Money...

[Tijeras_Slim]

I sorta suspected this might be the case. Great songwriter though.

[Mr. Mojo]

Probably the only rocker (if one can call him that) that studied music privately with Igor Stavinsky.

[real saxophonist]

The gorilla at the LA Zoo
Snatched the glasses right off my face
Took the keys to my BMW
Left me here to take his place

[Mr. Mojo]

Stravinsky, that is.

[Jeffrey_D.]

I always enjoyed his music, it was unique to him, and always a different cut from the norm of the day

[par4]

Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner ping.....

Although I find myself kind of partial to Lawyers, Guns and Money

I'm hiding in Honduras, I'm a desperate man
Send lawyers, guns and money, the s..t has hit the fan

[GSWarrior]

FYI, The Envoy has been released on CD.

[reagan_fanatic]

I really liked Werewolves of London. Great song, and I still enjoy it when it comes on the radio.

[Moose4]

I’m more of a “Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner” guy, myself.

}:-)4

[outofstyle]

My daughter was given this book by her boyfriend. That caused me to revisit Zevon's work. In fact, I was listening to him just now when I read your post. He really was a genius, especially as a lyricist. I am sorry I missed the last half of his career. His last CD "The Wind," when he knew that he only had a few months to live, is "breath taking." The title is telling in that he was dying of lung cancer and literally could not breath.

He may have had a rough life, but he went out like a gentleman, and a brave one at that.

[GSWarrior]

“Bed of Coals” is my favorite.

[nctexan]

Could his "Excitable Boy" be a little autobiographical?

Well, he went down to dinner in his Sunday best
Excitable boy, they all said
And he rubbed the pot roast all over his chest
Excitable boy, they all said

He took in the four a.m. show at the Clark
Excitable boy, they all said
And he bit the usherette's leg in the dark
Excitable boy, they all said
Well, he's just an excitable boy

He took little Suzie to the Junior Prom
Excitable boy, they all said
And he raped her and killed her, then he took her home
Excitable boy, they all said
Well, he's just an excitable boy
After ten long years they let him out of the home
Excitable boy, they all said
And he dug up her grave and built a cage with her bones
Excitable boy, they all said
Well, he's just an excitable boy

[Hegewisch Dupa]

I hope that was an inside joke ‘tween you two. Otherwise it is so moronic when people feel joy in displaying their ignorance.

[real saxophonist]

Cool, I only have it on cassette.

[Duke Nukum]

I never really watched The Larry Sanders Show, mostly because I didn’t have HBO at the time, but I somehow caught the one with Zevon and it was hilarious from what I recall.

Zevon was in the green room going on and on about how much he hated Werewolves. He goes out and does a song. Larry Sanders says Werewolves is his favorite and gets his audience to applaud for that song so Zevon ends up having to do it with a grimace.

[real saxophonist]

I hope that was an inside joke ‘tween you two.

No.

Otherwise it is so moronic when people feel joy in displaying their ignorance.

Yes.