I had the great fortune of getting an early advance of the new, fateful, final Warren Zevon CD, "The Wind." Besides being a fan for over 25 years, we also met Zevon at the big Blogger Bash at Brian Linse's last summer. We even had some pics Dawn took.
So it turned into a big production/review/memoir kind of deal. Please check it out if you get a chance at MSNBC.com - audio clips of the new CD (out in August) will be up on the story tomorrow:
- Warren Zevon, among rock’s most distinctive, enduring and disturbing singer-songwriters, has spent his life wrestling with the angels of creativity and compassion and with the demons of self-abuse and cynicism. Now, at 56, Zevon is dying of cancer. He has responded to his “impending doom” - his term - with courage, humor, humility and a stunning new album, “The Wind.” It is at once a summation of Zevon’s career and a life-affirming celebration of the joys of music-making.
TO BE RELEASED in August, “The Wind” bursts with creativity - his own and that of his dearest friends and contemporaries: Bruce Springsteen, Jackson Browne, Don Henley, Tom Petty, Emmylou Harris, Ry Cooder, David Lindley, and his long-time collaborator Jorge Calderon.
When I received an e-mail a few days ago asking if I was interested in hearing a pre-release copy of the new, fateful, final Warren Zevon album, I almost broke my keyboard replying YES.....
Article comments
1 - Phillip Winn
Fantastic article, Eric. Very nice.
2 - Mark Saleski
great article.
cripes, i'm depressed.
3 - Eric Olsen
Thanks men, I really appreciate it. Once you get beyond the awfulness of the original news, you can take solace in how remarkably well he's handled it. At least I do.
4 - Dawn
Great job. What a wonderful tribute to a great artist. I will cry when the fateful news arrives.
5 - Tom Johnson
Beautiful work. This really makes me ashamed that I'm not more familiar with this man's work. Even so, it was very hard to not get a lump in the throat reading lines about how he is no longer up to speaking to the press. And even so, I stayed up to watch Letterman when he was on - it just felt like the right thing to do. And now I know what the right thing to do is - buy some of his music.
6 - Eric Olsen
Thanks Tom, you are super cool. I would start with the "Genius" collection, then go from there. This new one really is great, too.
7 - Lisa
Hello!
I just wanted to send a thank you for including this article on Warren Zevon. It's great to hear any news on him, things have been quiet about him for the past few months. I am dreading this albums release as much as I am looking forward to hearing it... if that makes any sense. I guess I just don't like what it represents, which is the end of this wonderful, intelligent man's life. I've been a follower of Warren's since I was 18 years old and saw him perform on the Letterman show way back when he was on NBC... it must have been 1987 or 1988. The very next day I went to the store and bought "A Quiet Normal Life." I've been fortunate to meet Warren on three occasions, each time after a show. He was wonderful to me! It was nice to meet someone who I greatly admired and have that person meet my expectations... I was not disappointed, but I was surprised at how genuine and ordinary he was... I hope that makes sense. The last time I saw him was after a show he did with the Rock Bottom Remainders and he was backstage, the crowd had gone and I walked up to the security guard and said "is Warren Zevon coming out to meet people?" He said no!! I waited a few minutes, went back up to him and said "would you please tell Warren that Lisa is here to see him... he'll know who I am." To my surprise the security guard went backstage, told him and out came Warren. He always remembered me and I found that to be so special. I just hope that he is feeling that his life is complete in every way. He's a remarkable person! He signed several of my CD's when we met over the years and my favorite is the "Mutineer" CD... he wrote "To my dear friend Lisa... Good Sailing... Warren Zevon." Ok, enough of my rambling! Sorry for going on and on. Again, thank you for posting this article and sharing your story with everyone.
"Good Sailing!"
Lisa :)
8 - Eric Olsen
Thanks Lisa, very sweet of you. Though it is a very sad time, it is also a time to celebrate Warren's life, his career, and especially how he has handled the last year. Ironically, this album could be a big hit. It's a funny world.
9 - Ernst
Great article!
It's the talk of the day at the alt.music.zevon Usenet newsgroup, getting lots of acclaim there.
10 - Eric Olsen
Thanks Ernst, very glad to hear it! Please let your Zevoid buds know that clips of "The Wind" are going up on the article today.
11 - James Gilderdale
Thanks again for the article. As a fan of Zevon from the start I am always chasing down artists who "follow in his footsteps". For me the Eels come closest. Any other nominations and favourites?
12 - Eric Olsen
Thanks James, I see the eels as a little TOO bleak. I would say Tom Waits, Oingo Boingo, and Grant Lee Buffalo together approach Warren, though none really sound like him.
13 - BJ
Well done folks. That Letterman show was one of the most memorable things I've ever seen.
Only one question. Usenet still exists? (Seriously question - I'm not being a smartass.)