# Roland the headless Thompson gunner... **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 21, 2001, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roland-the-headless-thompson-gunner/88659 "2001-10-21T02:29:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![beckwall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b487fb/32.png) [@beckwall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beckwall)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2001, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roland-the-headless-thompson-gunner/88659/1 "2001-10-21T02:29:52Z")
…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. ---
**Author:** ![Lsura](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7993a0/32.png) [@Lsura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lsura)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2001, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roland-the-headless-thompson-gunner/88659/2 "2001-10-21T03:07:46Z")
…was a warrior, from the land of the midnight sun. ---
**Author:** ![Odieman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a87d85/32.png) [@Odieman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odieman)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2001, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roland-the-headless-thompson-gunner/88659/3 "2001-10-21T03:14:21Z")
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…” ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2001, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roland-the-headless-thompson-gunner/88659/4 "2001-10-21T05:20:18Z")
Bow down to the worrier king ---
**Author:** ![Trucido](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ea5d25/32.png) [@Trucido](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trucido)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2001, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roland-the-headless-thompson-gunner/88659/5 "2001-10-21T05:49:03Z")
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?) ---
**Author:** ![Bill\_H](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a5b964/32.png) [@Bill\_H](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_H)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2001, 6:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roland-the-headless-thompson-gunner/88659/6 "2001-10-21T06:36:15Z")
So he set out for Biafra to join the bloody fray ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2001, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roland-the-headless-thompson-gunner/88659/7 "2001-10-21T17:52:21Z")
…In '66 or '7, they fought the Congo war. ---
**Author:** ![August\_West](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/august_west/32/18069_2.png) [@August\_West](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/August_West)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2001, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roland-the-headless-thompson-gunner/88659/8 "2001-10-21T18:29:14Z")
…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) ---
**Author:** ![beckwall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b487fb/32.png) [@beckwall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beckwall)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2001, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roland-the-headless-thompson-gunner/88659/9 "2001-10-21T21:52:46Z")
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… ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2001, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roland-the-headless-thompson-gunner/88659/10 "2001-10-21T22:15:22Z")
For days and nights they battled The Bantu to their knees… ---
**Author:** ![Soul\_Brother\_Number\_Two](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/soul_brother_number_two/32/3515_2.png) [@Soul\_Brother\_Number\_Two](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Soul_Brother_Number_Two)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2001, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roland-the-headless-thompson-gunner/88659/11 "2001-10-21T22:29:15Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Lsura](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7993a0/32.png) [@Lsura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lsura)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2001, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roland-the-headless-thompson-gunner/88659/12 "2001-10-21T23:34:09Z")
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… > [@](#): > > We made made love, shadow love, random love and abandoned love. Accidentally, like a martyr. The hurt gets worse and the heart gets harder. ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2001, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roland-the-headless-thompson-gunner/88659/13 "2001-10-21T23:34:14Z")
Look away, look away down Gower Avenue… ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2001, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roland-the-headless-thompson-gunner/88659/14 "2001-10-21T23:49:49Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Lsura \* > \*\*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? > \*\* 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.