http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FFaDr...eature=related
Warren Zevon was diagnosed with late-stage, inoperable lung cancer in September 2002. He was guest on David Letterman's show a month later. This video (above) is one of the saddest things I've
ever seen involving someone who's still alive. What a brave man....
He was the first musical guest on 'Late Night' and the only guest who ever had the whole show to himself as a guest where he spoke of his terminal cancer and performed several of his songs.
---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 at 56.
Zevon died Sunday of lung cancer at his home.
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 â?? 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.
Memorable Quotes--
"It would be a shame if I didn't make it to see the next James Bond movie."
(Commenting on his terminal illness): "You've gotta remember, it's not morbid to me. I know the hearse is parked at the curb and the motor is running. The thing is, I'm still trying to be cheery about it."
"I guess I made sort of a tactical error by not going to the doctor's in twenty years. Just one of those phobias that didn't pay off."
"Enjoy Every Sandwich"