Paul ShafferĪs remarkable as the performance witnessed by viewers was itĭidn’t come close to the private moment that took place after the show. But I remember those rehearsals were amazing. He was a little more tired in the evening, as anybody would be, but especially somebody as sick like he was. It was so much fun playing that afternoon. That afternoon, as we rehearsed those three songs, even though I said, ‘Warren, just try to mark it and don’t blow your voice,’ he couldn’t help it. This is a big workload for anyone, let alone somebody who was dying. Paul Shaffer was still marveling about the performance over a decade later. The delivery was honest and heartfelt and it left many in the audience and on the stage choking back tears. He also performed a stunning rendition of today’s feature song ‘Mutineer’. He performed ‘Genuis’ and a ‘70s era Zevon classic called ‘Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner’ which was a Letterman request. This is where the magic of the evening went up another level. In between the conversation David Letterman invited Warren Zevon to play a few songs. ‘Disorder in the House’ with Springsteen, won a Grammy for Best Rock Vocal Performance in 2003, and the album won a Grammy for Best Contemporary Folk Performance (a dubious classification). Zevon reciprocated with his dark and often self-deprecating sense of humour with quips such as “I might have made a tactical error by not going to a physician for 20 years.” He also talked about a final album he was working on called ‘The Wind’, which would feature many awe inducing collaborations including Tom Petty, Mike Campbell, Ry Cooder, Don Henley and Bruce Springsteen among many others. Ever the professional, Letterman managed to keep the conversation light and the easygoing. Earlier that fall Zevon had been diagnosed with terminal acute mesothelioma and the aim of this broadcast was to celebrate the man, his music and a unique bond between two engaging personalities. He devoted the whole hour to Warren Zevon his words and his music. On OctoLetterman did something that was unprecedented on his show. This point by saying to Letterman “as you know you’ve been the best friend my Warren Zevon never forgot their special relationship and he summarized Not only was Letterman a fan, the two wereįriends. The late night talk show host revered Warren Zevon to suchĪn extent that he often subbed in for bandleader Paul Shaffer when Shaffer wasĪway working on side projects. No matter what Zevon was going through, David It was back in late October of 2002 that Warren Zevon wasīooked onto the Letterman Show for the last of what amounted to dozens of guestĪppearances over the years. Is about how his body of music had a massive impact on one man, and how thatĪdoration led to one of the most emotional nights of late night television So much about the musician but about the impact of his career. Springsteen to Tom Petty they all hung on every word written by Warren ZevonĪnd to this day they speak highly of the mercurial rock star. Songwriter who is held in the highest regard by some of the biggest musicians The result was an immensely talented musician and Of self destruction that forced him to work through periods of his career Where he fell short was in his unpredictability and periods Intelligence, humour and just enough accessibility to give it a shot atĬommercial success. As noted in a post a while back, Zevon is my third favourite songwriterīehind Neil Peart of Rush and John Prine. In my opinion, he is not nearly popular enough, but in a sense, I like it that It has always been myĬontention that Warren Zevon should be heralded for his songwriting brilliance. Hopefully you will take a few minutes to read today’s post. If you are not familiar with Warren Zevon’s body of work
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