It was twenty years ago today that Warren Zevon died at the age of 56. Thought it was appropriate to listen to a few of my favorites. We'll skip the great ones from his breakthrough album Excitable Boy; Werewolves of London, Lawyers, Guns and Money and Roland The Headless Thompson Gunner.
My favorite, and an outstanding example of Warren's underrated talents as a musical composer, is Desperadoes Under The Eaves
I was sitting in the Hollywood Hawaiian HotelI was staring in my empty coffee cupI was thinking that the gypsy wasn't lyin'All the salty margaritas in Los AngelesI'm gonna drink 'em upAnd if California slides into the oceanLike the mystics and statistics say it willI predict this motel will be standing until I pay my bill
The phone don't ringAnd the sun refused to shineNever thought I'd have to pay so dearlyFor what was already mineFor such a long, long time
Bill Lee. About one of my favorite ballplayer characters.
You're sposed to sit on you ass and nod at stupid thingsMan that's hard to doBut if you don't they'll screw youAnd if you do they'll screw you tooAnd I'm standing in the middle of the diamond all aloneI always play to win when it comes to skin and bone
I Was In the House When The House Burned Down
Boom Boom Mancini. Its chorus is "Boom Boom Mancini's fighting Bobby Chacon" but the song is really about the brutality of boxing. Ray "Boom-Boom" Mancini was the lightweight champion in 1982 when he fought Duk Koo Kim of South Korea (which is referenced in the lyric). Mancini won by TKO in 14 rounds but many thought the fight should have been stopped earlier because of the beating Kim was absorbing. Kim collapsed after the fight ended, dying four days later. Mancini attended the funeral in South Korea and went into a severe depression. Kim's mother committed suicide three months later and the bout's referee killed himself five months after that. Mancini returned to the ring, beating challenger Bobby Chacon in 1984. The relentless beat of the song echoes that of the ring.
You know, the Sheriff's got his problems tooHe will surely take them out on youIn walked the village idiot and his face was all aglowHe's been up all night listening to Mohammed's Radio
My Shit's Fucked Up. Recorded for the album Life'll Kill You, shortly before his cancer diagnosis. Somehow he knew, and you laugh despite yourself because it is all so true.
Keep Me In Your Heart. From his final album, recorded when he knew the end was near. Beautiful sentiment.
