Zevon R.I.P

Warren Zevon died yesterday, about a year after he had been given the proverbial “three months to live” after a diagnosis of advanced, inoperable lung cancer.  He was only 56 years old.  His was a quirky talent, cynical and political, worldly and melodic.  His musical style was of the LA troubador variety—think Jackson Browne, Dan Fogelberg, the Eagles—clean, harmonic, tight, but a bit standoffish.  He selected his accompanying players from the great Los Angeles studio musicians.  Warren’s playlists are filled with names like Leland Sklar, David Lindley, Jeff Porcaro, Russ Kunkel; he recruited the likes of Carl Wilson, Linda Ronstadt, Don Henley, Jennifer Warnes, and Karla Bonoff to sing backup for him.

Zevon never gained more than a brief moment in the popular spotlight; everyone knows the infectious Werewolves of London, co-written with Leroy Marinelli and Waddy Wachtel, even if they don’t necessarily know who performed it.  I’d wager, however, that very few know who wrote Ronstadt’s Poor Poor Pitiful Me (nor that Different Drum, her hit with the Stone Poneys, was written by Mike Nesmith, the only Monkee with a jot of talent ... but I digress).

Comments

I’ve been listening to Warren yesterday and today; what a loss. He’s someone I always sort of thought would always be there, so I never went to see him live when I had the opportunities.

That he received such high praise at the end of his life is a Good Thing, though, as he knew how appreciated he truly was.

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