Warren Zevon would have celebrated his 75th birthday today. And should have.
It’s nothing short of a damn tragedy that he died almost 20 years ago of mesothelioma, after admitting that he “might have made a tactical error in not going to a physician for 20 years.” Had he not had a lifelong phobia of doctors, we might have had 20 more years of music from one of the sharpest songwriters of his generation. Thankfully, we still have the dozen-plus albums he managed to put out in his too-brief career, including his essential first three releases, which feature all the famous hits like Werewolves Of London, Poor Poor Pitiful Me, Roland The Headless Thompson Gunner and Lawyers, Guns and Money. The man and his music are more than enough for me and Eric Alper to talk about in today’s episode of Sonic Reducers. Punch play above to watch us celebrate Zevon’s birthday, review his life and career, point you toward his finest moments and explain what he had in common with Tom Waits. Sonic Reducers. One topic. Two music nerds. Five minutes. Everything you need to know. Enjoy every sandwich.
