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| From | "Harris, Will" <wharris1@bcharrispub.com> |
| Subject | Not only did he see "the next Bond movie"... |
| Date | Mon, 8 Sep 2003 08:21:20 -0400 |
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...but he managed to see "The Wind" released. Just called and left my wife
a voicemail to tell her the news and got a little choked up. Man, even when
you know it's coming, it doesn't make it any easier...
Singer Warren Zevon dead at 56
Monday, September 8, 2003 Posted: 8:06 AM EDT (1206 GMT)
LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- Warren Zevon, who wrote and sang the rock
hit "Werewolves of London" and was among the wittiest and most original of a
broad circle of singer-songwriters to emerge from Los Angeles in the 1970s,
died Sunday. He was 56.
A lifelong smoker until quitting several years ago, Zevon announced in
September 2002 that he had been diagnosed with terminal lung cancer and had
only months to live. He spent much of that time visiting with his two grown
children and working on a final album.
Zevon died Sunday of lung cancer at his home, his manager Irving Azoff told
the Los Angeles Times. Azoff did not return calls from The Associated Press
early Monday.
Phone messages also were not returned from Zevon's publicist, Dianna Baron;
Baron's assistant, Cathy Williams; and Zevon's record company manager, John
Baruck.
Zevon faced death with the same dark sense of humor found in much of his
music, including songs like "I'll Sleep When I'm Dead," "Life'll Kill Ya"
and "Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead."
Zevon said he "chose a certain path and lived like Jim Morrison and lived 30
more years. You make choices and you have to live with the consequences."
He released his first album, "Wanted -- Dead or Alive," to little notice in
1969, but gained attention in the '70s by writing a string of popular songs
for Linda Ronstadt, including "Poor, Poor Pitiful Me," "Carmelita" and
"Hasten Down the Wind."
His next two albums, 1976's "Warren Zevon" and 1978's "Excitable Boy,"
followed those songs with darkly humorous tales of prom-date rapists;
headless, gun-toting soldiers of fortune; and werewolves who drank pina
coladas at singles bars and were particular about their hair.
They cemented Zevon's reputation as one of rock music's most politically
incorrect lyricists, giving him a lifelong cult following that included
gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson, former Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura and
"Late Show" host David Letterman, who provided backing vocals on "Hit
Somebody," Zevon's 2001 elegy to a professional hockey goon who longs to be
a goal-scoring hero.
"I always like to have violent lyrics and violent music," Zevon told The
Associated Press in 1990. "The knowledge of death and fear of death informs
my existence. It's a safe, kind of cheerful way of dealing with that issue."
Other admirers included Bob Dylan, whom Zevon cited as one of his principal
songwriting influences and who performed on his 1987 album "Sentimental
Hygiene." Still another was Bruce Springsteen, who co-wrote "Jeannie Needs a
Shooter," Zevon's tale of a lover shot to death by a woman's jealous father.
Not that all of his music was dark and violent. His oveure contained some
straight-out comedy as well, including "Mr. Bad Example," "The Hula Hula
Boys" and "Gorilla You're a Desperado." The latter told the tale of a Los
Angeles Zoo ape who escapes by locking a yuppie in his place and going off
to live in the man's apartment, only to end up depressed and divorced.
His compositional style reflected a number of genres, from hard-driving rock
to folk, as well as classical, polka and other influences. In his final
months, he summoned the energy to complete a last album, "The Wind,"
released in August. It includes the poignant "Keep Me in Your Heart," a
cranky "Disorder in the House" and a remake of Dylan's "Knockin' on Heaven's
Door."
Zevon, born in Chicago to Russian immigrant parents, moved to Los Angeles in
the 1960s, making a living writing jingles for television commercials. He
also composed the song "She Quit Me Man" for the movie "Midnight Cowboy." He
was just out of his teens when he went to work for the Everly Brothers,
first as a pianist and later as their band leader.
Regards,
WiLL
WiLLiAm E. HaRRiS
Call Scripting Analyst
> * Bernard C. Harris Publishing Company
4000 Crossways Blvd.
Chesapeake, VA 23322
Ph. 1-757-965-8055
<mailto:wharris1@bcharrispub.com>
"Hello, I must be going." --- Groucho Marx
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