Warren Zevon

Among the standout cynics in rock history, Warren Zevon distinguished himself through rare talent, personal magnetism, and steadfast devotion to a bleak worldview. A performer and tunesmith whose compositions frequently centered on outlaws, hired guns, psychopaths, and assorted rogues, Zevon infused his words with sharp humor even amid grim storylines, approaching romance and softer sentiments with the clear-eyed belief that happy endings seldom materialized. Although he often collaborated with figures from the Los Angeles soft-rock community, Zevon never fit comfortably among them, matching their rigorous standards of craft while rejecting their complacent perspective on life, and he sustained an upbeat fatalism until confronting an end worthy of one of his own creations.

Warren William Zevon entered the world in Chicago on January 24, 1947, with the details of his formative years unfolding like an episodic adventure tale. His father, a Russian immigrant, earned a living as a gambler and remained largely absent on the road, while his mother, a committed Mormon, tended to household matters. Relocating with his family to Fresno, California, during childhood, the young Zevon cultivated an early aptitude for music, mastering piano and guitar in his early teens and crossing paths with writer and conductor Robert Craft. Craft subsequently brought the teenager into contact with composer Igor Stravinsky, who befriended Zevon and hosted him on multiple occasions. Retaining a lasting fascination with classical forms, Zevon simultaneously embraced folk and rock & roll; shortly after his parents’ divorce, the sixteen-year-old abandoned high school, accepted a car from his father, and drove to New York City intent on stardom.

Zevon navigated the city more successfully than many aspiring performers, reuniting with former schoolmate Violet Santangelo to establish the folk-rock duo lyme & cybelle. The pair secured a contract with White Whale Records and issued the single “Follow Me,” which climbed to number 65 on the Billboard pop chart in 1966. Following a second release, Zevon departed the duo for Los Angeles, where he spent ensuing years piecing together a living as a staff songwriter—two of his pieces, “Outside Chance” and “Like the Seasons,” were cut by White Whale’s flagship act the Turtles—while also writing advertising jingles and working as a session player. In 1969 producer and talent scout Kim Fowley, impressed by Zevon’s material, arranged to helm an album; the resulting Wanted Dead or Alive met with neither critical nor commercial favor.

After the debut’s collapse, Zevon joined the Everly Brothers’ touring ensemble on piano, and after their contentious 1973 breakup he continued with both Don and Phil individually. An attempt at a follow-up record stalled, prompting Zevon to relocate to Spain in frustration, where he passed a summer performing in a modest tavern and composing new songs. Returning to Los Angeles by autumn 1975, he briefly shared quarters with aspiring performers Lindsay Buckingham and Stevie Nicks before forming a close bond with Jackson Browne, then nearing major success and widely admired among West Coast songwriters. Though their approaches diverged, Browne recognized Zevon’s gifts, secured him a contract with Asylum Records, and produced the self-titled debut. The album, featuring former roommates Buckingham and Nicks—by then members of Fleetwood Mac—alongside Bonnie Raitt and several Eagles, sold modestly yet earned glowing notices, and Linda Ronstadt endorsed Zevon by recording three of its tracks.

Browne brought Zevon on the road, and the pair reentered the studio in 1978 for the follow-up. Excitable Boy unexpectedly broke through when “Werewolves of London” dominated the singles chart, finally establishing Zevon as a rock star. Success and its attendant excesses intensified his alcohol dependence, leading to rehabilitation before the 1980 Asylum release Bad Luck Streak in Dancing School. Sobriety held through the subsequent tour, documented on the 1981 live album Stand in the Fire, which affirmed Zevon’s commanding presence. Themes of addiction surfaced on 1982’s The Envoy, whose title proved prophetic; renewed drinking followed, and Asylum ended the relationship.

By 1984 Zevon had regained sobriety and sought fresh musical directions, reaching out to R.E.M.’s Peter Buck, Mike Mills, and Bill Berry, then college-radio favorites still years from mainstream recognition. With three-quarters of R.E.M. supplying the rhythm section, the group recorded a single as Hindu Love Gods; a couple of years later they reconvened for Zevon’s 1987 album Sentimental Hygiene. The set, bolstered by appearances from Bob Dylan, Neil Young, and George Clinton, earned Zevon a Virgin Records deal and strong critical response. (The covers tracked with Buck, Mills, and Berry later surfaced as the Hindu Love Gods album.) Virgin’s next effort, 1989’s Transverse City, offered an ambitious vision of societal breakdown yet fared poorly commercially despite guests including Jerry Garcia and David Gilmour, leaving Zevon label-less once more.

A 1991 agreement with Giant Records brought three releases—Mr. Bad Example, Learning to Flinch, and Mutineer—that drew scant attention, suggesting a fading career. Renewed visibility arrived unexpectedly via David Letterman, an admirer who invited Zevon repeatedly to the program and relied on him as substitute bandleader whenever Paul Shaffer was unavailable. Television exposure rekindled awareness of Zevon’s incisive humor and musical command, prompting a contract with Artemis Records and the 2000 release of the mordantly reflective Life’ll Kill Ya. My Ride’s Here followed, featuring Letterman on “Hit Somebody! (The Hockey Song),” while Hunter S. Thompson, Carl Hiaasen, and Paul Muldoon contributed co-writes.

Dizziness and breathlessness struck in autumn 2002; disregarding a longstanding aversion to physicians, Zevon sought medical counsel at his dentist’s urging and received a diagnosis of peritoneal mesothelioma, an aggressive inoperable cancer with a prognosis of mere months. Publicly disclosing the illness on September 12, 2002, he summoned resources to finish a final album, drawing support from Jackson Browne, Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty, Dwight Yoakam, Ry Cooder, and Don Henley. On October 30 he served as Letterman’s sole guest, performing selections, recounting his experiences, and urging viewers to “Enjoy every sandwich.” Defying expectations, Zevon survived to witness the August 26, 2003 release of The Wind and the arrival of his twin grandsons. He passed away on September 7, 2003; five months later The Wind brought two posthumous Grammy Awards, for Best Contemporary Folk Album and Best Rock Duo Performance for “Disorder in the House” with Bruce Springsteen.