…talkin’ about the man.
(I seek out Zevon in times of despair, which is what I am feeling, because right about now DTF is in full swing and I could be groping and fondling some really smart people but I am stuck here in friggin’ Palm Springs).
Fuck.
…was a warrior, from the land of the midnight sun.
Was a thompson gunner for hire, fighting to be done…
My favorite line was “Patty Hearst heard the burst of Roland’s thompson gun and bought it…”
Bow down to the worrier king
The deal was made in Denmark,
On a dark and stormy day
(And it’s ‘With a Thompson gun for hire.’ Would you believe I have that entire song committed to memory?)
So he set out for Biafra to join the bloody fray
…In '66 or '7, they fought the Congo war.
…with their fingers on their triggers, knee deep in the gore.
(I like Zevon, too. This song reminds of my favorite bar in college. Myself and 6 or 7 other loud drunks, swaying and shouting the chorus)
See, you don’t have to attend no stinkin’ DockersTubaFest to have fun. We got it goin’ on right here! MPSIMS fest of a lifetime, and we Zevonistas started it! Gonna go throw myself up against the wall…
For days and nights they battled
The Bantu to their knees…
excitable boy is a good album and all, but am i alone in thinking that zevons first album is his best, by far? i mean, the french inhaler, carmelita, desperados under the eaves, poor poor pitiful me, mohammeds radio… not to mention that the guest artists reads like a veritable whos who of LA rock. the eagles, the beach boys, stevie and lindsey, waddy wachtel, david lindley, jackson browne…
i love that album. ill sleep when im dead.
Ok, on this whole Warren Zevon topic (yes, I’m going to hijack the thread, ok?)…I was introduced to his music by my college boyfriend. Delightful young man that Dorkboy™ was, he told me all kinds of stories. One of which was that Zevon was a mercenary in Afghanistan (he told me this in 93/94, so it’s not a recent thing). Honestly, I doubt the truth of this story, but does anyone know for sure?
Oh, and I like…
Look away, look away down Gower Avenue…
I don’t see how that could be true. I think he was either pulling your leg, or was himself confused. A lot of Zevon’s songs are semi-autobiographical, and in some cases purely so, but it sounds like Dorkboy was taking “Roland”, “Jungle Work”, and “The Envoy” at face value. I did hear once that WZ was, at one time, an “honorary coroner” in LA County, but I never heard it confirmed. 
Warren is, and I know this sounds corny in the extreme, a great inspiration to me. He was almost the first entertainer to go public about his addiction and recovery, at a time when it was not at all fashionable to do so. I once waited for hours outside one of his shows just to say, “Oh god Warren I love you so much” and have him smile and squeeze my hand. Never did such a thing again, because I didn’t want to get red-flagged, but I’m glad I did it the once. My alias on another message board is “Ariel” because that’s his daughter’s name. (It’s pronounced R-E-L, not Air-e-ell.)
Did Dorkboy tell you anything else about his history? He had a very dysfunctional upbringing. I did too, (which is part of why I idolize(d) him so much) but not as bad as his. E-mail me if you want details; I don’t want to go into it on the board.