# Werewolves of London/An American Werewolf In London **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 19, 2003, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/werewolves-of-london-an-american-werewolf-in-london/202697 "2003-09-19T22:39:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Quasimodem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Quasimodem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quasimodem)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2003, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/werewolves-of-london-an-american-werewolf-in-london/202697/1 "2003-09-19T22:39:26Z")
I posted this over in the Pit as part of the **Warren Zevon dead…** thread, but didn’t get an answer, so I would like to repost here if I may… I have always wondered why _Werewolves_ wasn’t included in the John Landis film. It would have made an awesome title track, IMHO. Do any of y’all know if WZ was even _approached_ for its inclusion? I am aware that the pop tunes which _were_ used all had the word _moon_ in their title, but taken as the title track, I don’t think it would have messed the film up and would have been _perfect_ ;). Thanks Q ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2003, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/werewolves-of-london-an-american-werewolf-in-london/202697/2 "2003-09-19T22:51:02Z")
According to the [IMDB](http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0082010/trivia) trivia for the film > [@](#): > > John Landis originally wanted two other songs to add to the soundtrack, Cat Stevens’ “Moonshadow” and Bob Dylan’s version of “Blue Moon”, but they both declined So he was never asked. If they ever make a film of the Brian Aldiss book [“Werewolves of London”](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0881849162/qid=1064012348/sr=8-4/ref=sr_8_4/104-7039608-9899123?v=glance&s=books&n=507846), it’ll be a shoe-in. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2003, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/werewolves-of-london-an-american-werewolf-in-london/202697/3 "2003-09-19T22:57:14Z")
I’d always wondered this myself. Maybe it wasn’t used because David Naughton’s hair was far from perfect. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2003, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/werewolves-of-london-an-american-werewolf-in-london/202697/4 "2003-09-19T23:32:51Z")
It is mentioned in the commentary to the DVD, but I can’t recall what was said, and even then I think it was speculation because the commentary is by the two main actors, not John Landis himself. ---
**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2003, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/werewolves-of-london-an-american-werewolf-in-london/202697/5 "2003-09-20T00:32:37Z")
I’m partial to the **Werewolves of Bryn Mawr** track that Warren recorded as a part of a fundraiser to save **The Main Point** in the 1970’s. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Cholo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/58f4c7/32.png) [@Cholo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cholo)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2003, 10:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/werewolves-of-london-an-american-werewolf-in-london/202697/6 "2003-09-20T10:51:20Z")
That’s an interesting question since a few years later it was given to the film **The Color of Money** ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_Wright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@Steve\_Wright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_Wright)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2003, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/werewolves-of-london-an-american-werewolf-in-london/202697/7 "2003-09-20T16:17:32Z")
(nitpick) Brian Stableford is _not_ the same person as Brian Aldiss. ---
**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:** [September 21, 2003, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/werewolves-of-london-an-american-werewolf-in-london/202697/8 "2003-09-21T03:27:08Z")
I like the version of _Werewolves_ that Zevon recorded on ‘Stand in the fire’, which had the lyrics changed somewhat… “Little old lady got mutilated late last night… Brian DePalma again…” “You’d better stay away from him, he’ll rip your lungs out, Jim… And he’s looking for James Taylor!” “I saw a werewolf trying to buy a used car in Del Mar…It was a blood redCoupe DeVille. He said he was driving down to Mexico, gonna go to Tijuana and kill someone in a film or something!” “I saw Jackson Browne walking slow down the avenue…and his heart was perfect.” ---
**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2003, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/werewolves-of-london-an-american-werewolf-in-london/202697/9 "2003-09-22T20:56:18Z")
Boy, THERE’S an arcane trivia question. We now have the standard version, the Bryn Mawr version and the Stand In The Fire version. Anyone have straight dope on another version that Zevon recorded/released? ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Death](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecccb3/32.png) [@Evil\_Death](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Death)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2003, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/werewolves-of-london-an-american-werewolf-in-london/202697/10 "2003-09-22T23:02:29Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Mr. Blue Sky \* > \*\*I’d always wondered this myself. > > Maybe it wasn’t used because David Naughton’s hair was far from perfect. \*\* Or because it would require the filmmkaers admitting that they’d heard the Zevon song and been inspired to make a movie…? ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2003, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/werewolves-of-london-an-american-werewolf-in-london/202697/11 "2003-09-23T12:18:28Z")
Reviews of the film asked this as soon as the movie came out, you know. It’s kinda obvious. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2003, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/werewolves-of-london-an-american-werewolf-in-london/202697/12 "2003-09-23T12:30:46Z")
What about Things To Do In Denver When You’re Dead/Things To Do In Denver When You’re Dead? ---
**Author:** ![hawthorne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@hawthorne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hawthorne)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2003, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/werewolves-of-london-an-american-werewolf-in-london/202697/13 "2003-09-23T16:39:06Z")
I dunno about that one, jjimm. The film went downhill after the title though. The IMDB credits him with the title. I do recall seeing WZ in about 1992 introducing “Searching for a Heart” with something like > [@](#): > > They put this song in a movie. [_Love at Large_ according to the IMDB] It was a nice movie and I liked it. It was only later that I said … “Where’s my fucking money?” Given that he said exactly the same thing the next night and the one after that, I guess it rankled. Anyone know what the deal with Waddy Wachtel is? ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2003, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/werewolves-of-london-an-american-werewolf-in-london/202697/14 "2003-09-23T20:47:34Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Evil Death \* > \*\*Or because it would require the filmmkaers admitting that they’d heard the Zevon song and been inspired to make a movie…? \*\* Nah. Warren Zevon didn’t invent the phrase [Werewolf of London](http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0027194/). Great song, but he took the title from the 1935 movie (which, I imagine, was also the inspiration for the Landis film). ---
**Author:** ![Herge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a183cd/32.png) [@Herge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Herge)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2003, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/werewolves-of-london-an-american-werewolf-in-london/202697/15 "2003-09-23T21:22:45Z")
All of the songs on the sountrack include the word “moon” in the title. The song “werewolves” wasn’t included because it didn’t have “moon” in the title. It sounds silly, but I think this is correct - check the complete soundtrack listing. ---
**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:** [September 24, 2003, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/werewolves-of-london-an-american-werewolf-in-london/202697/16 "2003-09-24T01:57:22Z")
In “Things To Do In Denver When You’re Dead”, they did play the title song during the closing credits. I imagine Zevon got paid a little for that. Apparently, there’s a new movie out called, “I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead”. I don’t know if the music is used. ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2003, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/werewolves-of-london-an-american-werewolf-in-london/202697/17 "2003-10-05T12:34:18Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by hawthorne \* > \*\* > > Anyone know what the deal with Waddy Wachtel is? \*\* What deal? ---
**Author:** ![Caprese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a9a28c/32.png) [@Caprese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caprese)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2003, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/werewolves-of-london-an-american-werewolf-in-london/202697/18 "2003-10-05T12:49:56Z")
Waddy got in a bit of trouble with kiddie porn a few years ago, but I don’t think he’s completely disappeared. ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2003, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/werewolves-of-london-an-american-werewolf-in-london/202697/19 "2003-10-05T13:43:28Z")
Ohhhhhhh. I hadn’t heard that.