But there is also great beauty and delicacy on the album. Zevon pays tribute to a hero and addresses the hereafter directly on Bob Dylan's hopeful Western elegy, "Knockin' On Heaven's Door." Though the emotional intensity of the harmonized chorus is almost too much to bear, Zevon can't resist a humorous poke at his own condition, shouting "open up, open up, open up" as the final extended chorus gradually fades to black.
"She's Too Good For Me" and "El Amor de mi Vida" are lovely, aching ballads that display Zevon's feel for the Spanish Southwest, which extends back to "Carmelita" on "Warren Zevon," and "Veracruz" on his most successful album, '78's "Excitable Boy."
"The Wind" ends with Zevon's naked, heartbreaking admission of need, vulnerability and comfort, "Keep Me in Your Heart." As Warren's final repetition of "keep me in your heart for a while" concludes and the CD player clicks to a stop with finality, I scramble to push "play" as quickly as possible to begin the music again and cut off my tears. Warren went out in style.
Making this appreciation acutely personal is an aptly Zevonian twist of fate. In July of '02, my wife Dawn and I were in Los Angeles on our way to Hawaii for a family gathering. Our friend, film producer and editor Brian Linse, threw a tremendous party on a beautifully cool, clear night in the Hollywood Hills while we were in town. Midway through a most festive evening a deeply tanned, notably muscular, bespectacled and familiar looking man appeared in the kitchen.
Dawn and I blinked at each other, did double takes of recognition, then bore down like zombies smelling brains upon the man in the kitchen, Warren Zevon.
We were great fans and said so - he was warily appreciative. I heaped semi-drunken praise and disjointed questions upon him:
"You're a great, under-appreciated songwriter and singer," I announced more loudly than intended.
"Thanks," he smiled soberly.
Seizing the pundit's pulpit, I opined, "I love your first two Asylum albums and your most recent two on Artemis best - does it seem strange to come back so strongly so late in your career? Who else has done that - Roy Orbison?"
"Roy Orbison?," he sounded startled. "Um," he mumbled, stiffening. "I didn't GO AWAY, I just didn't get the same REACTION to my work for about twenty years," he snickered somewhat derisively in the direction of his friend, legendary music video director Nigel Dick, who snickered somewhat uncomfortably back.
I winced and tried again. "I like you performing your own tunes best, but Linda Ronstadt had great success with several of your songs - "Poor Poor Pitiful Me," "Carmelita," "Hasten Down the Wind," "Mohammed's Radio" - have you made more money as a songwriter or as an artist?"
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