Talking About The Man... November 27 2004

I first came across Warren William Zevon when I bought a copy of `Bad Luck Streak In Dancing School` way back in 1980 at a local garage sale.Im not sure why I bought it maybe it was the West Coast music names I recognised on the back of the cover..Linda Rondstadt, Jackson Browne, Joe Walsh and David Lindley..forgive me I was going through my 'Eagles phase`, if I concentrate I think I can still remember a few lines from `Lying Eyes`.
Anyway,in my callow youth I was and still am some 20 odd years later attracted to his lyrics theres a certain wilfulness and self destruction evident in many of his songs tinged with a very black sense of humor.Death also features prominently in his later albums such as `My Rides Here` and his last album `The Wind` 2003.He has an original take on relationships,guns,alcohol and life in general.To my eternal regret I never saw himm live in concert tho to my knowledge he toured New Zealand at least once.
He died in September 2003 almost a year after being diagnosed with mesothelioma, a rare form of lung cancer that incidentally also killed Steve McQueen.He lived by all accounts a somewhat wild if at times tragic life and collected a wide or wild variety of friends among them Hunter S.Thompson, Carl Hiaasen(who dedicated his novel `Skinny Dip` to him) Martin Scorsese and someone called Bob Dylan.Allan Jones in his obituary (Uncut Take 78 November 2003) describes him as `a cross between Randy Newman and Lee Marvin`.The name of this blog comes from a song off his album `Life`ll Kill Ya.`. For more info check out www.warrenzevon.com or www.artemisrecords.com