ARTIST

Warren Zevon

A fiercely intelligent Los Angeles-based songwriter, Warren Zevon (b. Jan. 24, 1947, Chicago) is renowned for his sardonic, often bitter lyrics, which provided a welcome contrast to the laid-back rock typically emerging from the west coast during the '70s. Like the best fiction writers, Zevon has a knack for personalizing absurd characters and situations that, in less skillful hands, would seem two-dimensional and transparent.

Still, though Zevon's fame as a songwriter may stem from the bizarre characters he has created--whether it be Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner or the Werewolves of London--his real artfulness is displayed in the emotional territories he has chosen to explore. While other writers such as Tom Waits or even Rickie Lee Jones have touched on the themes Zevon pursues, they have generally used romantic, beat-inspired characters with '50s-era nicknames; Zevon's best songs, on the other hand, portray contemporary life at its most realistic--and, typically, its worst. Much of his work has focused on the hollowness of Los Angeles; his songs have used familiar sites such as the Tropicana and Hollywood Hawaiian hotels, Mulholland Drive, the Le Dome restaurant, and the San Fernando Valley. He has written about crazed soldiers, murderers, Lear Jet S.W.A.T. teams, and gorillas at the L.A. Zoo. Yet even in the most absurd situations, his songs' protagonists sometimes aim only to find their way out of the chaotic muck surrounding them and simply get home, where life is semi-peaceful and the only moral treachery to be dealt with is one's own. That Zevon's best work can convey both pain and humor simultaneously is what often makes it most special.

Born in Chicago and raised in California and Arizona by a Russian-immigrant father and midwestern mother, Zevon has claimed an early encounter with composer/conductor Igor Stravinsky to be "a formative experience in my life." His earliest recordings include duo work with female vocalist Tule Livingston as Lyme & Cybelle; his first album, Wanted Dead Or Alive, was released by Imperial Records in 1969 and credited solely to "Zevon." "She Quit Me," a song from that album, had been featured in the MidnightCowboy soundtrack; sung by Leslie Miller, it was retitled "He Quit Me Man." Following an early '70s stint writing jingles and working as bandleader for the Everly Brothers, Zevon moved to Spain in 1975; he was convinced to return to the States by friend Jackson Browne, who had arranged a deal for him with Asylum Records.

Zevon's first album for Asylum, produced by Browne and released in mid-1976, was well-received by critics, most of whom were captivated by Zevon's literate, often hilarious lyrics. Though the record peaked at No. 189 and spent just two weeks on the chart, its influence was quickly felt; Linda Ronstadt recorded Zevon's "Hasten Down The Wind" and made it the title track of her 1976 platinum album. She'd later record three additional tracks from the album, including "Carmelita," "Mohammed's Radio," and "Poor Poor Pitiful Me," the latter of which became a top 40 hit in 1978. Zevon's next album Excitable Boy, also produced by Browne, featured the singer's top 30 hit "Werewolves Of London" and became his only gold album.

Following a rough patch of personal problems that included a divorce and alcoholism--the singer checked into rehab for a month in 1978--Zevon resumed his career in 1980 with the strong Bad Luck Streak In Dancing School, which included "Jeannie Needs A Shooter," co-written with Bruce Springsteen. After two more albums for Asylum, Zevon stopped recording for five years; his 1987 comeback, Sentimental Hygiene, featured a very strong cast of supporting musicians and friends, including Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Don Henley, R.E.M., and even the Red Hot Chili Peppers' Flea. It met only mild chart success and peaked at No. 63.

Since then, Zevon's career has stalled somewhat; his only charting album has been the one-off Hindu Love Gods project, featuring Zevon and members of R.E.M. covering songs by Robert Johnson, Prince, and Willie Dixon, among others. His 1993 album Learning To Flinch was a low-budget live affair recorded direct-to-DAT and issued on Giant Records. An excellent set featuring some brilliant new material--particularly "The Indifference Of Heaven," which followed in full studio version on 1995's Mutineer--it displayed a Warren Zevon still very much in top form...and still very much worth hearing.

Written by Dave DiMartino