Warren Zevon RIP
September 8, 2003 6:49 AM   Subscribe

Warren Zevon, RIP Born January 23, 1947. Died September 7, 2003. Now I guess he can get some sleep.
posted by alms (33 comments total)
 
God, I need to quit smoking cigarettes.
posted by shadow45 at 6:52 AM on September 8, 2003


One of the best performing songwriters ever. A true original. Goodbye, Warren, and thanks for some great music.
posted by jonmc at 6:54 AM on September 8, 2003


Well, I take this medicine as prescribed
I'll sleep when I'm dead
It don't matter if I get a little tired
I'll sleep when I'm dead


RIP, Warren.
posted by anastasiav at 7:17 AM on September 8, 2003


This makes me sadder than I can say. Two of the best concert performances I've ever attended were his.
posted by MrBaliHai at 7:24 AM on September 8, 2003


From the President of the United States
To the lowliest rock and roll star
The doctor is in and he'll see you now
He don't care who you are
Some get the awful, awful diseases
Some get the knife, some get the gun
Some get to die in their sleep
At the age of a hundred and one

Life'll kill ya
That's what I said
Life'll kill ya
Then you'll be dead
Life'll find ya
Wherever you go
Requiescat in pace
That's all she wrote


Just because we knew it was going to happen doesn't make it suck any less.
posted by eriko at 7:47 AM on September 8, 2003


has anyone else seen the episode of thundarr the barbarian that features a subtle shout-out to him?

thundarr and his companions encounter a group of werewolves led by a red-haired guy named...zevon.

when i 1st saw it as a kid, i didn't get it. i saw the episode on cartoon network when i was in my twenties, and i spit beer on the tv screen i was laughing so hard.

rip, excitable boy.
posted by lord_wolf at 7:54 AM on September 8, 2003


Ow-ooooooo!
posted by i_cola at 7:58 AM on September 8, 2003


Enjoy every sandwich, folks. Enjoy every sandwich.
posted by luser at 8:22 AM on September 8, 2003


Knowing his ride was coming doesn't change a thing.

The worst part is that no one here at the office has ever heard of him, except as that "Werewolves of London" guy.

The hurt gets worse, and the heart gets harder. Shit, shit, shit.
posted by chicobangs at 8:23 AM on September 8, 2003


Guess his ride finally got here.

.
posted by eyeballkid at 8:27 AM on September 8, 2003


His suit was perfect.
posted by buzzv at 8:46 AM on September 8, 2003


Send lawyers, guns and money, the shit has hit the fan.

Expected, yet it still sucks.
posted by tommasz at 9:01 AM on September 8, 2003


His last CD (The Wind) is full of references to his impending death, not least his cover of "Knockin' on Heaven's Door".

"Will you stay with me to the end? When there's nothing left but you and me and the wind?"

"We may never get this chance again! Let's party for the rest of the night!"

"Shadows are falling and I'm running out of breath."

He has Springsteen, Dwight Yoakam, Billy Bob Thornton, John Waite, David Lindley, Ry Cooder, Don Henley, Jackson Browne, T-Bone Burnett, Timothy B. Schmitt, Tom Petty, and Emmylou Harris playing on that CD. It must have been tough for them to get through a session, given the songs and knowing what was coming. It's sometimes hard to listen to.

It may not be his strongest work, but the CD is definitely worth its price.
posted by joaquim at 9:16 AM on September 8, 2003


"I don't want to grow old gracefully/I don't want to go till it's too late."
and
"My sh*t's f*cked up? Well I don't know how./He said, 'The sh*t that used to work, well it don't work now.'"
I'll hoist a soggy margarita for him; here's hoping he finds something to do in denver.
posted by leapfrog at 9:19 AM on September 8, 2003


Although obits seem to enjoy making comments about his smoking habit, it should be noted that Zevon died of mesothelioma. That's a rare form of cancer generally caused by asbestos exposure (some 90% of cases) and clinical studies have shown that it is one lung cancer that is not caused or significantly exacerbated by smoking.
posted by shinnin at 9:38 AM on September 8, 2003


I'm glad to know that. Thank you, shinnin.
posted by jpoulos at 10:03 AM on September 8, 2003


I find it baffling that even now ..the web version of the LA Times, his home town newspaper, does not mention his passing.

Although I am reticent to pontificate about such things .. I would humbly call his passing a 'good death.'
posted by Danf at 10:13 AM on September 8, 2003


.
posted by gleuschk at 10:24 AM on September 8, 2003


OK, now there is something in the Times (you need to register) and it is quite good.
posted by Danf at 10:38 AM on September 8, 2003


I think the msnbc obit is the best so far
posted by shinnin at 10:52 AM on September 8, 2003


NY1, the local all-news/community channel, had a nice piece on him this morning.

I think it's one of those deals where if the given media outlet has someone on staff to go into the production meeting and explain why this guy deserves a proper send-off ("No, really, he was a genius! The world is better for his being on it! People loved him!"), then that outlet would have a piece on him today.

I would expect that David Letterman is going to do something special tonight.
posted by chicobangs at 10:57 AM on September 8, 2003


Zevon took the time to say goodbye to all of us. At least publicly, he faced death by continuing to live life. I, for one, admire the hell out of him. I mourn his passing, but am grateful to him for providing such a powerful model of how to face your own mortality. Thanks, Warren.
posted by Joey Michaels at 11:34 AM on September 8, 2003


Damn, it's a f***ed up world that doesn't include Warren Zevon. Who will write those love songs now? I hope he knew how many lives his music twisted and turned just that much. There'll be a shot to his memory and loud music tonight to remember the man.

"Gentle rain
Falls on me
All life folds back
Into the sea
We contemplate eternity
Beneath the vast indifference of heaven"

You know he never kept his profile low...
posted by ?! at 11:50 AM on September 8, 2003


Hunter S. Thompson's tribute to Zevon (which is actually a reprint of an older column).
"When the phone rang he ignored me and picked it up before I could get to it. "Patrick Roy fan club," he said. "Zevon speaking. We are ready for the game, here -- are you ready?" He laughed. "Are you a Bigamist? What? Don't lie to me, you yellow-bellied pervert!" Then he laughed again, and hung up."
posted by tingley at 12:48 PM on September 8, 2003


...
posted by gai at 2:49 PM on September 8, 2003


He outlived his doctor's original forecast by over nine months, AND long enough to hold the CD of his final album in his own hands. That was the good news.
posted by wendell at 3:16 PM on September 8, 2003


all that and he got to see the birth of his grandchildren.

when i go, i hope to do so with the grace and humor he had.
posted by pxe2000 at 3:28 PM on September 8, 2003


I think my favorite Warren Zevon song is "Even a Dog Can Shake Hands". It was the theme song for the short-lived TV show "Action", which was pretty damn brilliant in its own right.

I still need to buy more of his albums. My collection doesn't really scratch the surface.
posted by nath at 4:47 PM on September 8, 2003


My favorite farewell article so far

And I'll always fondly remember "Transverse City" as the only cyberpunk rock 'n' roll song I ever heard.
posted by alumshubby at 5:10 PM on September 8, 2003


Me just sad.
posted by billsaysthis at 8:18 PM on September 8, 2003


I've been rubbing pot roast all over my chest all day.
posted by TedW at 8:43 PM on September 8, 2003


i've been sad all day. but letterman just played the "enjoy every sandwich" clip and i just about lost it.
posted by goddam at 8:54 PM on September 8, 2003


Damn ... Letterman's replaying the October performance of Mutineer - Zevon's last public appearance.

I've always thought that in the end the true measure of a man or woman's life is in the twin traits of authenticity and intensity. Those who are both authentic and intense - in whatever the hell they've chosen to do - invariably enlarge the lives of everyone they touch.

My own enjoyment of sandwiches has been much improved by the songs that man wrote, and the attitude he sang them with. I'll miss the hell out of him, and can only sit here tonight, and listen to the air conditioner hummmmmmmmm.
posted by MidasMulligan at 9:50 PM on September 8, 2003


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