On March 27th, Rhino Records will release three classic Warren Zevon albums on CD. Excitable Boy, Stand In The Fire, and The Envoy, remastered with bonus tracks. Stand In The Fire and The Envoy are being released on CD for the first time. In anticipation of the release, I spoke with Zevon's son, Jordan, about his father's career. Below are excerpts from that interview.
I think I speak for every Warren Zevon fan when I say, "What took so long with these reissues?"
I don't know why they didn't make it on CD in the first place. They weren't his biggest selling records, and after the success of The Wind (Zevon's last record, released shortly before his death in 2003 - DL), I approached Rhino about the idea. I figured that would be my pocket aces, as it were, to go over to them and say, "Hey, look. This has gone gold. Why don't we put this out?" and they were already in the process.
I'm as disappointed as anybody that it took so long, but I've been driving around listening to them in the car and it feels worth it. It reminds me of when I used to work at Tower Records and the Beatles CDs started coming out and I would go, "God, I never heard that thing before." So it will be a real treat for the fans of these records.
I heard a story – I don't know if it's true or not – that he once studied with Igor Stravinsky?
I don't know if "studied" got blown out of proportion. Dad's second wife wrote a book that is coming out on May 1st called, I'll Sleep When I'm Dead: The Dirty Life And Times Of Warren Zevon that addresses that issue. I think some publicists ran hog wild with that, but he did meet with him and spend time with him. I don't know if I can take it to the extent that he studied with him. I haven't read through the whole book yet.
Excitable Boy was the breakout record, with "Werewolves Of London" and "Lawyers, Guns & Money." That, and the first album, established this pattern of characters living life in the margins of society.
Those characters were him. The Hollywood Hawaiian Hotel (mentioned in "Desperados Under The Eaves" – DL) was the Tropicana Hotel in West Hollywood, where he was banished after getting into a fight with my mom. There are songs about characters, like "Roland, The Headless Thompson Gunner," but, yeah, he did rub the pot roast all over his chest at dinner one night ("Excitable Boy" – DL), so they're not too far from the root.
Article comments
1 - Mark Saleski
words cannot express how excited i am that Stand In The Fire is coming out on cd. it's about time.
2 - Chris Beaumont
Great interview. I was a bit late to Zevon's work, becoming a fan in the late 90's. I feel very fortunate to have gotten to see him live in 1998. It was a wonderful show, just him, no backing band. I will never forget it.
3 - Dave Lifton
Thanks, Chris. Have you ever heard Learning To Flinch?
4 - Chris Beaumont
Yeah, it has been awhile though. I remember liking it. My father has it. Should probably dig it up....
5 - dino martin peters
Hey pallies, as a lover of everything Dino, it is like so cool to know that Zevon was such a Dinodevotee and so inspired by the King of Cool. Never was, never will be anyone as cool as Dino. Oh, to return to the days when Dino walked the earth!
6 - mike sershon
ive been listening to warren since i was three.sooner but i was incohierent still.my dad loves him and has seen him a few times.i wish i could have.im a hst fan too.they were friends.weird.my dad isntYET but ill say my favorite song besides desperadoes under the eaves is looking down the path since i was a child that song has been stuck in me thank you warren.