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The Wit and Wisdom of Warren Zevon ...

Frayed Knot Jan 13 2021 08:03 PM

... in this case meaning the songwriter, not our late artistic/poster friend. Warren Zevon's Ten Greatest Lines My phone feed caused me to stumble onto this which, sure, in some ways is just another example of an internet 'Listicle' - a list posing as an article. But the author, Jim Beviglia from 'American Songwriter' magazine, does at least compose a short paragraph on each describing his reasoning as well as provide a video of each song for context (see link). I'll just list his chosen lines here while recognizing that there's still a lot of un-mined gold beyond just these. Well, I pawned my Smith Corona / and I went to meet my man He hangs out down on Alvarado Street / by the Pioneer Chicken Stand -- from 'Carmelita' All the Worms and the gnomes are having lunch at Le Dome / they're all living off the fat of the land Everybody's trying to be a friend of mine / Even a dog can shake hands -- 'Even a Dog Can Shake Hands' There ain't much to country living / Sweat, piss, jizz, blood -- Play it All Night Long We contemplate eternity / beneath the vast indifference of heaven -- 'The Indifference of Heaven' Send lawyers, guns and money / Dad, get me out of this -- 'Lawyers, Guns and Money' So he's hanging on to half a heart / but he can't have the restless part So he tells her to hasten down the wind 'Hasten Down the Wind' Will you stay with me to the end / when there's nothing left but you and me and the wind We'll never know till we try / to find the other side of goodbye -- 'Please Stay' Albert Einstein was a ladies man / when he was working on his universal plan He was making out like Charlie Sheen He was a genius -- 'Genius' Don't let us get sick / Don't let us get old Don't let us get stupid, all right? -- 'Don't Let Us Get Sick' And if California slides into the ocean / like the mystics and statistics say it will I predict this motel will be standing / until I pay my bill -- 'Desperados Under the Eaves'

kcmets Jan 14 2021 09:45 AM Re: The Wit and Wisdom of Warren Zevon ...

Since the subject has come up, someone wanna take a crack at telling me what the hell is going on in this infamous musical expression? Werewolves Of London Song by Warren Zevon I saw a werewolf with a Chinese menu in his hand Walking through the streets of SoHo in the rain He was looking for the place called Lee Ho Fooks For to get a big dish of beef chow mein Ah-hooo, werewolves of London Ah-hooo Ah-hooo, werewolves of London Ah-hooo You hear him howling around your kitchen door You better not let him in Little old lady got mutilated late last night Werewolves of London again Ah-hooo, werewolves of London Ah-hooo Ah-hooo, werewolves of London Ah-hooo He's the hairy-handed gent Who ran amok in Kent Lately he's been overheard in Mayfair You better stay away from him He'll rip your lungs out, Jim Hunh, I'd like to meet his tailor Ah-hooo, werewolves of London Ah-hooo Ah-hooo, werewolves of London Ah-hooo Well, I saw Lon Chaney walking with the Queen Doin' the werewolves of London I saw Lon Chaney Junior walking with the Queen, uh! Doin' the werewolves of London I saw a werewolf drinkin' a piña colada at Trader Vic's And his hair was perfect Na! Ah-hooo Werewolves of London Heh, draw blood Ah-hooo Werewolves of London Source: Musixmatch Songwriters: Warren Zevon / Robert T. Wachtel / Leroy P. Marinell Werewolves Of London lyrics © Zevon Music, Leadsheet Land Music, Songs Of Universal Inc.

Edgy MD Jan 14 2021 10:08 AM Re: The Wit and Wisdom of Warren Zevon ...

Warren had been the bandleader for the Everly Brothers, and was they were still friends with WZ (if not each other), after he had launched his career as a solo dude. Phil Everly had seen the 1935 film Werewolf of London, and being a guy whose career peaked in the time of dance crazes, shared with Zevon that "Werewolf of London"' was a good idea for a dance craze. They were in the studio and recording at the time, so they started fooling around with chords and Waddy Wachtel suggested the howling, and their stupidest idea, thrown together on the spot, became in inside joke that Zevon never took seriously. But everybody in the Laurel Canyon scene was high and they dug it, so it occasionally snuck into his live sets, and they finally recorded it three years later, with Fleetwood and Mac on drums and bass, and of course, it became his biggest hit. The lyrics are a solid exercise in poetic devices like alliteration* and irony and symbolism, and Zevon's trademark drollery, but the only thing concrete to pull from it, meaning-wise, is his notion that London is filled with some really well dressed assholes. Predatory, gigolo types. *Try singing "a little old lady got mutilated late last night" after three beers.

kcmets Jan 14 2021 10:41 AM Re: The Wit and Wisdom of Warren Zevon ...

Edgy MD wrote: the only thing concrete to pull from it, meaning-wise, is his notion that London is filled with some really well dressed assholes. Predatory, gigolo types. In search of a a big dish of beef chow mein from Lee Ho Fooks. Got it!

Johnny Lunchbucket Jan 14 2021 11:07 AM Re: The Wit and Wisdom of Warren Zevon ...

Went to Lee Ho Fuk's when I was in London (just took a menu and left). I listed to a bunch of Warren recently. Well, I went to the doctor I said, "I'm feeling kind of rough" He said, "I'll break it to you, son... Your shit's fucked up."

Frayed Knot Jan 14 2021 11:25 AM Re: The Wit and Wisdom of Warren Zevon ...

Johnny Lunchbucket wrote: I listed to a bunch of Warren recently. Even though that's a typo, it kind of works with WZ. Warren used to list a bit himself.

Johnny Lunchbucket Jan 14 2021 11:26 AM Re: The Wit and Wisdom of Warren Zevon ...

I'm very well acquainted with the seven deadly sins I keep a busy schedule trying to fit them in I'm proud to be a glutton and I don't have time for sloth I'm greedy and I'm angry and I don't care who I cross

Frayed Knot Jan 14 2021 11:32 AM Re: The Wit and Wisdom of Warren Zevon ...

My first reaction to seeing the topic was the line which (I believe) leads off side 1/cut 1 of his final album, the one he set out to create after receiving his terminal cancer diagnosis: Some days I feel like my shadow's casting me BAM!

whippoorwill Jan 14 2021 02:07 PM Re: The Wit and Wisdom of Warren Zevon ...

I always thought the line was ‘and his hair was purple' which back in the day would have been unusual

Frayed Knot Jan 14 2021 03:23 PM Re: The Wit and Wisdom of Warren Zevon ...

Live versions of 'Werewolf' have been know to run with alternate lyrics -- better stay away from him / he'll rip your lungs out Jim / and he's looking for James Taylor -- so, who knows, it might have been 'his hair was purple' at some point.

Lefty Specialist Jan 14 2021 06:07 PM Re: The Wit and Wisdom of Warren Zevon ...

My 'Werewolf' story. A long time ago in a universe far, far away. My college buddies and I were at Good Guys, a bar with go-go dancers in Washington DC. They would dance to a jukebox sound track pumped in from speakers at their feet on the raised dance floor. The dancers had a 'dump button', a pedal at their feet they pressed if they didn't like the song that came on, moving on to the next one. We settled in at the back and started knocking back the beers. Mostly disco songs but we're more interested in the National Bohemians and the on-stage gyrations. Suddenly, the opening notes of Werewolves of London come on and we cheer. The dancer is a bit confused; it's not the best song to poledance to, but she tries. The chorus comes up. "Ahh-ooooooo!!!!!", we cry in unison. The other patrons all turn to look at us through the smoky dimness. "Ahh-ooooooo!!!" , we repeat. The dancer cups her hand over her eyes and squints at us. Then she smiles and theatrically taps the toe of her stilettos on the dump button, throttling us and Warren in mid-chorus. Good Guys is still there on Wisconsin Avenue in Georgetown (they're even on Yelp). I'm no longer allowed inside (being married and all), but I like to think that Warren Zevon still plays there on occasion. Better than a Pina Colada at Trader Vic's.

Fman99 Jan 14 2021 06:38 PM Re: The Wit and Wisdom of Warren Zevon ...

That werewolf song sucks ass.

Frayed Knot Jan 14 2021 07:27 PM Re: The Wit and Wisdom of Warren Zevon ...

'Werewolf' was kind of a blessing and a curse for WZ. It was his breakthrough song from his breakthrough album so it was the song that introduced him to many and which ended up being his biggest and most known hit. But given the odd subject of the song (see Edgy's post on its origin story) and the sometimes goofy lyrics, it, and by extension, he, got treated as a kind of novelty which, I believe, was largely responsible for radio not really knowing how to categorize Zevon going forward. Was he pop, rock, hard, soft, or merely some sort of pre-Weird Al? As a result I think radio programmers simply chose not to play him at all for fear of putting off their target audience -- too hard for Lite-FM, too complex for Top-40, not guitar-heavy enough for hard rock outlets, and not enough 'hits' for Classic Rock -- which is a shame because he certainly could have existed on ALL those platforms. Instead, wide swaths of the public simply missed out on an occasionally off-beat but also more than occasionally upbeat, smart, wickedly funny, sad, fun, and just plain terrific songwriter and performer. And while it's not that he didn't partially sabotage his own career with legendary booze and drug use, or severely shorten his life early as the result of a lifelong smoking habit, but it's a shame that his unique talent was at least partially obscured by a surprise hit single early in his career and an industry's inability to to see him outside pre-existing boxes because of that.

Edgy MD Jan 14 2021 10:03 PM Re: The Wit and Wisdom of Warren Zevon ...

And by 1983, Michael Jackson actually made dancing like a werewolf a thing, so in the end, Phil Everly's instincts were dead on.