Wednesday Wisdom

I'm all strung out

April 02, 2025

WHO?

Warren Zevon was born on January 24, 1947, in Chicago, Illinois, and at a young age moved and grew up in California. His father, William Zevon, was a Russian-Jewish immigrant and a professional gambler, while his mother, Beverly, was a Mormon form Salt Lake City. An almost absurd and existentialist upbringing most certainly had an influence on his lyrics. A musically gifted child, Zevon studied classical piano and even had a brief mentorship with Igor Stravinsky who was one of the most influential classical music composers of the 20th century. In the 1960s, Zevon began his career as a session musician and jingle composer while trying to break into the music industry. He worked as a songwriter and arranger, collaborating with artists like The Everly Brothers and writing for other musicians. However, his early solo albums like Wanted Dead or Alive failed to gain traction. In 1972, Canadian country singer Murray Mclaughlan recorded Zevon’s song “Carmelita”, bringing him his first success as a songwriter. Zevon recorded this song on his self-titled album four years later in 1976.

What he Produced

Jackson Browne was a popular artist in the 70’s and worked with many great bands from Los Angelos, even playing for a short time with The Eagles. Browne was a huge fan of Zevon’s songs to the extent that he played them live often saying “this is a hit” and giving Zevon credit while spelling out his name to garner attention. Warren Zevon’s big break came when Jackson Browne helped him secure a record deal and produced his self-titled album Warren Zevon (1976). The album featured classics like "Carmelita", "Hasten Down the Wind" and “I’ll sleep when I’m dead”, showcasing his dark humor and literary lyricism and perhaps a foreshadow of his life. His follow-up, “Excitable Boy” (1978), was his most successful album, featuring hits like "Werewolves of London", "Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner" and "Lawyers, Guns and Money". The quirky “Werewolves”, a literal howling anthem became his signature song, while his dark comedic ballad of a mercenary or perhaps an CIA operative “Lawyers, Guns and Money” describes a man on the run in Central America.

Zevon’s lyrics could be dark or whimsical, but almost always painted a picture of place and time and filled it with emotion. One such song was on his second and self-titled album, “Carmelita " a haunting story about addiction and love. The first verse reads like poetry as Zevon paints a picture of loneliness and requite love. The song begins by drawing the cultural significant Mexican folk sound of an eight-string guitar, played by David Lindley with Eagles Don Henley playing rhythm guitar. Lindley's guitar gives the song its signature melancholic, Spanish/Mexican-inspired feel, perfectly setting the tone for the narrator’s story of addiction, foreloin love and loneliness. The eight-string guitar adds a richer, more resonant sound, enhancing the song’s emotional depth and aesthetics. Zevon’s baritone voice eerily tells the love story making it stand out as one of Zevon’s most haunting and memorable ballads.

 

Put him the rock and roll hall of fame

Unfortunately, and inescapably, in 2002, Zevon was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer. Instead of retreating, he recorded his final album, The Wind (2003), featuring emotional songs like "Keep Me in Your Heart", which became his farewell anthem.

 Zevon’s influence on rock and roll started with the LA established artists who promoted Zevon well before any commercial recognition. From Linda Ronstadt, Jackson Browne, the Eagles to Bruce and Eddie Vedder, they all recognized his distinct talent and ability to create songs from rock and roll to haunting country ballads.

In his final national appearance on David Letterman in 2002, with a fatal diagnosis in hand, Zevon was contrite yet whimsical and funny about his future. He thanked Letterman for exposing his musical to a larger audience and when asked about his illness joked “I better pickup my dry cleaning”.

Perhaps it’s his quirky lyrics or lack of billboard success that has kept him from more critical acclaim during his life. However, in 2004, posthumously he won a grammy as best rock duet with Bruce Springsteen who appreciated his original American music and best contemporary folk album for “The Wind”. In 2023, backed by David Letterman and Billy Joel, Warren Zevon was finally nominated for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, however still failing to get the support of induction.

The Eagles are recognized along with The Flying Burrito Brothers, Linda Ronstadt and Jackson Browne for blending rock and roll with a country music in creating the “LA Rock Sound”. “Carmelita” is a seminal song in popularizing this “LA Sound” genre and one of the greatest ballads ever written across musical landscapes. As many of these great artists will attest, Warren Zevon is past due for recognition of his musical accomplishments and belongs in the Hall of Fame.

And now you know...

Thank you, Dad, for the gift of curiosity.

Philosophy is the art of thinking, the building block of progress that shapes critical thinking across economics, ethics, religion, and science.

METAPHYSICS: Literally, the term metaphysics means ‘beyond the physical.’ Typically, this is the branch that most people think of when they picture philosophy. In metaphysics, the goal is to answer the what and how questions in life. Who are we, and what are time and space?

LOGIC: The study of reasoning. Much like metaphysics, understanding logic helps to understand and appreciate how we perceive the rest of our world. More than that, it provides a foundation for which to build and interpret arguments and analyses.

ETHICS: The study of morality, right and wrong, good and evil. Ethics tackles difficult conversations by adding weight to actions and decisions. Politics takes ethics to a larger scale, applying it to a group (or groups) of people. Political philosophers study political governments, laws, justice, authority, rights, liberty, ethics, and much more.

AESTHETICS: What is beautiful? Philosophers try to understand, qualify, and quantify what makes art what it is. Aesthetics also takes a deeper look at the artwork itself, trying to understand the meaning behind it, both art as a whole and art on an individual level. A question an aesthetics philosopher would seek to address is whether or not beauty truly is in the eye of the beholder.

EPISTEMOLOGY: This is the study and understanding of knowledge. The main question is how do we know? We can question the limitations of logic, how comprehension works, and the ability (or perception) to be certain.