In my most recent trip to Borders to sneak a listen to new music, I was overjoyed to see Warren Zevon's My Ride's Here still sitting up there. The record came out in May, but as usual with our homogenized Clear Channel radio system, I hadn't heard anything from it. So, I took a listen.

What I heard was typical Zevon--still spitting out the ironic, twisted tunes I loved so much from my youth. One of my favorite albums of all-time is Excitable Boy, with classics like "Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner," "Werewolves of London," "Accidentally Like a Martyr," "Lawyers, Guns and Money," and of course the title track. I can't say that this latest CD comes close to that level, but "Sacrificial Lambs" rocks hard with sharp pointy teeth! Most of the songs are collaborations, such as with Hunter S. Thompson on "You're a Whole Different Person When You're Scared," and the album is a bit short, but I thought it a worthy effort from the King of Sting.

Then I saw this: Warren Zevon has inoperable lung cancer. Dammit. He's only 55. But, of course, in typical Zevon fashion, he said: "I'm OK with it, but it'll be a drag if I don't make it until the next James Bond movie comes out."

Thank you, Warren Zevon. I owe much of my sarcastic sense of humor to you.

[ As seen on Solonor's Ink Well ]