Frequently Asked Questions

Why do I care?
OK, now why do you care?
How many instruments did Mr Zevon play?
How long had Mr Zevon been in the music business?
Who is Jorge Calderon?
What's his obsession with clowns and guns? 
Now give me the real dirt: Vital statistics
Tell me something of his music: What's the history of Werewolves of London?
Tell me about a few more songs you just happen to know about
Now how do I get ahold of bootlegs?  How many are there?
Why aren't you getting really personal, even when I can read anything else just about anywhere else?
Sorry to have rankled your feathers
So, what new material had he been testing on audiences?
What is Mesothelioma, and how did Warren get it?
 

Why do I care?

You, as the Warren Zevon fan or appreciator, can answer this for yourself.  If you're new to Zevon, either you're doing research (for which I suggest hanging out in the Articles section or consulting the booklet for I'll Sleep When I'm Dead) or you're damn curious.

OK, now why do you care?

Now that's a harder question.  Because I'm a sucker for a blond.  Because somewhere in my earliest memories my father instructed me to appreciate class acts and Warren Zevon is most definitely a class act.  Because I made a lot of friends through his music and the best I could do to show appreciation is give a fair picture of someone I like, who maketh my spirit to shine.  Because he's cute.  Because we're both short, part Russian and were gifted/talented as children.   Because I like my music served with humor, wit and intelligence.  Because because because because, because of the wonderful things he does. 

How many instruments does Mr Zevon play?

Primarily piano and guitar.  He has been known to play a twelve string Gibson and during his last tour he played a Kurzweil PC-88 keyboard.  He's written songs based on drums and fiddle.  Recently he's been seen touting a piccolo.   On "Life'll Kill Ya" he plays theremin, pennywhistle and percussion as well as guitar and keyboards.

How long has Mr Zevon been in the music business?

I've actually heard a few different accounts.  None date before the mid 60's.   Now, the music business as a term is pretty broad, so I'll just give the account I think is middle ground.  He played in Berkeley coffeehouses around 1965.  Somewhere in the neighborhood of 1966 he met Violet Santangelo, with whom he paired up and formed half of lyme and cybelle.

Who is Jorge Calderon?

Jorge and Warren met ca. 1972 (according to the Keep Me in your Heart documentary).  Jorge is Warren's longtime collaborator, songwriting partner and backup.  He was also a member of El Rayo X with David Lindley and was nominated for two Grammys in 2004.  He has performed on albums by the Eagles, among many others.

What's Warren's obsession with clowns and guns?

I doubt it's an obsession.  Just a point of interest and a good contrast.  You could say the same thing for death, old age, politics, the Renaissance, Latin phrases or monkeys.  

Now give me the real dirt: Vital statistics

Now if I had those statistics, they'd have been up by now.   But yes, the hair really is a shade of blond and has a slight wave to it, so please, relax and stop judging.  I heard of one person who thought Mr Zevon had sold out because he had done some chemical altering of it one day.  He's 5'10" (well, he said he was...) and worked out daily, two hours a day until he was diagnosed with cancer.   I can't tell what the prescription is (now THAT'S just silly) on his eyeglasses.  Loved fishing, reading, Russian tea and learning - I never met anyone who loved to learn as much as he did.  Smoked Silk Cuts.  Hated talking on the phone.  Drank Diet Mountain Dew, as noted by the numerous bottles onstage.  Generally ate breakfast every morning.  For my micro-biography, either click here or the heading on top.

Tell me something of his music: What's the history of Werewolves of London?

This is the most asked question I get.  I've seen the story twice, but basically it goes like this:  Waddy Wachtel, LeRoy Marinell and Mr Zevon were playing around at LeRoy's home and Phil Everly requested a song.  A dance song.  Mr Marinell and Mr Zevon came up with a few lines and Mr Wachtel walked in, asked "What are you guys doing?" One of them responded, "We're doing the Werewolves of London."  Mr Wachtel shot back, "You mean, Ah-WHOO!  Those werewolves of London?"  The song wrote itself, with Mr Wachtel contributing the first verse.

Tell me about a few more songs you just happen to know about

OK.  There are two unreleased songs from Sentimental Hygiene on bootleg, "Up on the Cross" and "I'm a Shadow of Him".  Neither are pointedly religious.  The original version of Detox Mansion, according to Mr Zevon, sounded like "I Walk the Line".  He's not mistaken.  The first song written for Sentimental Hygiene was probably "Trouble Waiting to Happen", over the phone with J D Souther.  If you know a few good Zevonatic friends, you might hear some of the songs he's covered live: "First We Take Manhattan" by Leonard Cohen, "Ring Them Bells" by Bob Dylan, "Cadillac Ranch" by Bruce Springsteen (to the best of my knowledge, this is only available on videotape and the bootleg "The Electric Werewolf Strikes Again"), "Dancing with Myself" by Billy Idol and most recently "Back in the High Life Again" by Steve Winwood and "From a Distance" by Bette Midler.   There's more, one for almost every major and minor tour since 1980.   He pushed himself to write "Bad Luck Streak in Dancing School", and originally didn't think much of "Wild Age".  "Never Too Late For Love" was the last song written for The Envoy.  "Lawyers Guns and Money" has opened the most concerts since 1987, the ones that "Splendid Isolation" usually didn't. 

Now how do I get ahold of bootlegs?  How many are there?

How to get them: The easiest and friendliest way is to log onto the WarrenZevon.com bulletin board (in the News Section).  There's an entire section dedicated to Trade or Weed Field Recordings.
How many are out there: Uh, lots.  I couldn't tell you.

Why aren't you getting really personal, even when I can read anything else just about anywhere else?

1: He's entitled to a private life, even though he's dead.

2: His family's entitled to privacy.
3: None of my business
4: None of your business
5: I never said this was authoritative.

Sorry to have rankled your feathers

Thank you.  Now don't do it again.

So, what new material had he been testing on audiences?

Almost all of "Life'll Kill Ya" was test-driven on audiences during 1999, with the exceptions of "I'll Slow You Down" and the title track. The album versions differ in instrumentation from the live cuts.  If you downloaded the MP3s from the Official Warren Zevon page back in November 1999, they too are different from the album versions, but only slightly.   "The Hockey Song" was previewed during the Winter 2000 tour, and a good bootleg is available for download from whatever MP3 service you prefer.  The lyrics are only marginally different from the final release.  The studio version was released on the album "My Ride's Here".

New material from 1996:
"Bujumbura"
"Figurine"

These are temporarily unavailable online.

What is Mesothelioma, and how did Warren get it?

Mesothelioma is a rare, difficult to treat form of lung cancer.  It's related to asbestos absorption, either through working with it or living in homes which used it as part of their insulation.  Although Warren was a longtime smoker, it is not believed that Warren contracted it from smoking.  An interview revealed that Warren's father had a carpet store in Chicago and Warren would play in the attic, where there was plenty of asbestos.