“I'm
very well acquainted with the seven deadly sins
I
keep a busy schedule trying to fit them in.”— Warren Zevon
(1947-2003), “Mr. Bad Example,” from the CD Mr. Bad Example (1991)
When
he passed away from lung cancer at age 56, singer-songwriter Warren Zevon—born 70 years
ago today in Chicago —had already lived well past what many thought would be
his expiration date. He lived a life on the edge, including a thirst for alcohol
that can only be described as ferocious.
He
also wrote and played songs like nobody else on the rock scene at his zenith in
the Seventies and Eighties, peopled with characters like himself, and filled
with dark, biting humor, hooks you couldn’t get out of your mind, and lyrics impossible
to forget. His songs, sung by himself or interpreters like Linda Ronstadt,
formed a distinct niche in the classic rock pantheon of my teens and early
twenties: “Werewolves of London,” “Poor, Poor Pitiful Me,” “Lawyers, Guns and
Money,” “Mohammed’s Radio.”
In
middle age, when his substance abuse and falling album sales pushed him to the
sidelines of a new generation’s musical consciousness, David Letterman had this great talent and troubled soul
appear often on his talk show. It was in one of those late-night appearances, as the only guest for the hour, when he disclosed to fans his inoperable cancer,
and offered homely but important advice that was helping him through his
ordeal: “Enjoy every sandwich.”
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