# Warren Zevon song title weirdness **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 16, 2007, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warren-zevon-song-title-weirdness/430263 "2007-12-16T23:11:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![jackdavinci](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackdavinci/32/3259_2.png) [@jackdavinci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackdavinci)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2007, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warren-zevon-song-title-weirdness/430263/1 "2007-12-16T23:11:02Z")
Any particular reason Warren Zevon songs (American Werewolf in London, Things to Do in Denver When You’re Dead) get made into movies? For that matter, what does TTDIDWYD mean anyway? I see that a mutation with Las Vegas instead of Denver is a recent thread title here. What’s that about? ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2007, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warren-zevon-song-title-weirdness/430263/2 "2007-12-16T23:38:16Z")
Warren’s song is “Werewolves **of** London.” Plural, and native to London, not singular and visiting. Nothing to do with the John Landis movie. (And Landis didn’t even ask to use it, at a time when Warren really could have used the money!) As for “Denver,” that’s one of his obliquely worded songs. It’s about how sobriety can sometimes be so boring you wish you were dead. And that title was cribbed from Kerouac. Nothing to do with the gangster movie, except that they did get permission to use the title. FWIW, “Werewolves” was used in **The Color of Money**. And “Searching For A Heart” was written for **Grand Canyon**. And “He Quit Me” (or “She Quit Me”; I forget which version was used) was original for **Midnight Cowboy**. But none of his songs have been “made into a movie.” ---
**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:** [December 17, 2007, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warren-zevon-song-title-weirdness/430263/3 "2007-12-17T00:49:32Z")
But wouldn’t you love to see a movie of **Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner**? Or how 'bout **Gorilla, You’re a Desperado**? **The French Inhaler**? Really, the possibilities are endless. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2007, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warren-zevon-song-title-weirdness/430263/4 "2007-12-17T01:02:49Z")
[QUOTE=Green Bean] But wouldn’t you love to see a movie of **Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner**? [/QUOTE] That would be right up my alley. You get the script and the budget, and I’ll direct it. And _Lawyers, Guns And Money_ would be good too. Not much to the song, so it’s wide open. ---
**Author:** ![jackdavinci](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackdavinci/32/3259_2.png) [@jackdavinci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackdavinci)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2007, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warren-zevon-song-title-weirdness/430263/5 "2007-12-17T21:54:36Z")
[QUOTE=Johnny L.A.] And _Lawyers, Guns And Money_ would be good too. Not much to the song, so it’s wide open. [/QUOTE] It was used as the theme song for some lawyer show with spydaddy last year that got cancelled… Still wondering what “Things to do in X when you’re dead” means when used in other contexts… ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2007, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warren-zevon-song-title-weirdness/430263/6 "2007-12-17T22:22:58Z")
[QUOTE=Green Bean] But wouldn’t you love to see a movie of **Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner**? [/QUOTE] It’s not a coincidence that two of the antagonists in _The Lost World: Jurassic Park_ are named “Roland” and “Van Owen”. When I was discovering the works of Warren Zevon, I had a conversation with a co-worker that went something like this" > [@](#): > > Me (After discovering _Lawyers, Guns and Money_): Warren Zevon definitely has one of the best titles ever. > > Co-worker: “My Shit’s Fucked Up”? > > Me: Two of the best titles ever. ---
**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:** [December 18, 2007, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warren-zevon-song-title-weirdness/430263/7 "2007-12-18T00:38:53Z")
**Lawyers, Guns, and Money** _would_ make an excellent movie–or possibly an HBO-type TV series. **Mr. Bad Example** would make a good movie too. The thing would write itself! Come to think of it, you have a perfect opening sequence right in the first verse: _I started as an altar boy, working at the church, Learning all my holy moves, doing some research… Which led me to a cash box labeled “Children’s Fund.” I left the change and tucked the bills inside my cummerbund."_ 🙂 [QUOTE=Robot Arm] It’s not a coincidence that two of the antagonists in _The Lost World: Jurassic Park_ are named “Roland” and “Van Owen” [/QUOTE] No kidding? I never saw that. Now I’ll have to. ---
**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:** [December 18, 2007, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warren-zevon-song-title-weirdness/430263/8 "2007-12-18T03:10:19Z")
“Even a Dog Can Shake Hands” was used as the title song for the TV show ‘Action’, and the song pretty much described what the show was about. The TV series ‘Californication’ heavily uses Zevon references, quotations from Zevon songs, and a number of his songs have made it into the soundtrack and even into the show (the main character’s daughter sings “Don’t Let Us Get Sick” in one scene). And the lead character (played by David Duchovney) seems to have a lot of similarities to the real Zevon. I highly recommend this show. The Zevon references are gravy - the show itself is great. ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2007, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warren-zevon-song-title-weirdness/430263/9 "2007-12-18T06:50:50Z")
[QUOTE=jackdavinci] It was used as the theme song for some lawyer show with spydaddy last year that got cancelled… [/QUOTE] Yeah, _Justice_. I thought it was a decent little show. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2007, 7:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warren-zevon-song-title-weirdness/430263/10 "2007-12-18T07:06:26Z")
[QUOTE=Green Bean] No kidding? I never saw that. Now I’ll have to. [/QUOTE] Don’t get your hopes up. It’s nothing at all to do with the song, just a secret easter egg that the screenwriter slipped into the script for other Zevon fans who would recognize the names. ---
**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:** [December 18, 2007, 7:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warren-zevon-song-title-weirdness/430263/11 "2007-12-18T07:13:22Z")
Right. And I’m enough of a Zevon geek that I’d actually sit through the movie because of it. ---
**Author:** ![hawthorne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@hawthorne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hawthorne)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2007, 12:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warren-zevon-song-title-weirdness/430263/12 "2007-12-18T12:08:07Z")
I reckon _Jungle Work_ would be a better title for a film about mercenaries. _Californication_ is indeed choc-full of Zevon references, but I felt it went downhill rapidly after a very promising start. _Fistful of Rain_ would be a good title for a religious doco. And _Mohammed’s Radio_ would work very well as a title to a film about recent history. I’m in a bit of a spot with playing Zevon songs to my 3 year old daughter due to their questionable content - she insisted again tonight that she wanted “the fat one at the swimming pool”. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2007, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warren-zevon-song-title-weirdness/430263/13 "2007-12-18T13:15:59Z")
[QUOTE=Rilchiam] Warren’s song is “Werewolves **of** London.” Plural, and native to London, not singular and visiting. Nothing to do with the John Landis movie. (And Landis didn’t even ask to use it, at a time when Warren really could have used the money!) [/QUOTE] Zevon’s title was of course [borrowed from a movie](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0027194/) in the first place.