Warren Zevon was a songwriter who created rockers and ballads that veered between his caustic wit and his empathetic character sketches. Occasionally his songs leaned toward nostalgia. On Jan. 30, just after his 53rd birthday, Zevon visited the studios to promote his album "Life'll Kill Ya."
Zevon died Sept. 7, 2003. In this rare interview he talks with WYEP's former music director Jack Barton and performs two songs from his album.
Their conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
Barton: I’m Jack Barton, music director with WYEP. I’m thrilled to welcome someone I’ve been a fan of for a long time, Mr. Warren Zevon.
Zevon: How are you doing, Jack? It’s a pleasure to be here.
Barton: Thanks for coming in. You have a new album out called "Life’ll Kill You" on Artemus Records. It’s your first album in about five years and your ninth overall. But before we talk about that, what are you listening to while you're on the road and doing all these radio stations?
Zevon: I listen to Ani DiFranco, James Brown, Beethoven, Bruckner, Ali Farka Touré, and Hubert Laws. That’s what I have with me.
Barton: That’s very cool. So, about this album—it's been five years, and I think you were semi-retired for a while. How did this record come about?
Zevon: I’ve considered myself semi-retired from the very beginning. I’m not really what you’d call an ambitious guy. I was studying the flute and trying to learn Greek and Russian. That takes a lot of time.
Barton: And how did you end up putting out another record after all this time?
Zevon: I found that I couldn’t stop writing songs. After three years, I had about 9 or 10. I was putting them on tapes and CDs at home and giving them to friends with weird covers. I thought maybe that was the perfect album—the one you didn’t put out. But one of those close friends was Jackson Browne. He suggested I talk to Danny Goldberg, who was forming a label I had always wanted to work with. That’s how it happened.
Barton: And it’s a fine album. It exceeded my expectations. Can we hear one of the songs from the album?
Zevon: Sure.
Porcelain Monkey
Barton: “Porcelain Monkey,” one of the songs from Warren Zevon’s Life’ll Kill You, performed live in the studio.
Zevon: I’ve got those Shania Twain touches, and today I think you bring out the best in me.
Barton: Anything I can do to help. Your last couple of albums had huge production with many guest musicians. This one feels more basic — just you and a couple of guys with occasional touches. How about when you go out on tour?
Zevon: Generally, I go out alone. I wanted to make a record I could play alone without disappointing expectations too much. I’ve been working with Cory Calderon for a long time. He’s one of my oldest and closest friends. We wrote some of the album together, and he plays with me.
Barton: I want to talk about the real Warren Zevon versus the public image. It might be a little frustrating because, from my take, people seem to focus on the public persona — the guy with the gun on the back porch — rather than the more literary side of your songwriting like “Tenderness on the Block or Accidentally Like a Martyr.”
Zevon: The public figure is probably the guy with the gun. They think of songs like "Excitable Boy" and “Ruben’s Pot Roast.” That’s the real me. But as a sensitive songwriter, that’s the only way I can be marginally accepted in society.
Barton: People often don’t grasp the depth of your music. For example, someone thought a cover of “Back in the High Life” was tongue-in-cheek, but I see your music as more about connecting with people rather than presenting a caricature.
Zevon: Caricatures are people too.
Barton: Here’s another song from the album that ties into my vision of Warren Zevon. It’s called “Don’t Let Us Get Sick.”
Don’t Let Us Get Sick
Barton: “Don’t Let Us Get Sick,” probably my favorite song from Warren Zevon’s new album “Life’ll Kill You.” Warren’s here today. Thank you very much for coming in. I find the album to be very optimistic, reflecting a more mature perspective. Did it feel that way when you were writing and recording the songs?
Zevon: Yes, I think it’s optimistic and cheery.
Barton: I agree. Thanks for coming in today. Good luck with the rest of your radio tour and the album. I look forward to seeing you back here for a show in a couple of months.
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