Warren Zevon's Excitable Boy turns 40 this year. The song he is most known for (Werewolves in London) is on this album, but it is far from his best song on the album (IMO).
Excitable Boy is a fun rocker with an oldies tilt, but that's not the tune I'm gonna pimp here.
Lawyers, Guns and Money is also on this album. I have loved this song for the last fifteen years, since I first heard Widespread Panic cover it. The lyrics are like something Hunter S. Thompson would write, which is high praise from a guy with a Gonzo tattoo and a son named Hunter. "Now I'm hiding in Honduras. I'm a desperate man. Send lawyers, guns and money. The shit has hit the fan." Giddyup.
The other tune I'm gonna pimp is Night Time in the Switching Yard. I vividly remember when I first heard this. I was driving to Saratoga early on a Friday morning for Sammy the Bull's BP in the mid aughts. I was near Woodstock and found a great classic rock station. This was pre-Sirius, when you had to work to find tunes. This song came and I quickly turned the volume up to 11.
YouTube link is here. You have to embed this video or you won't be my friend any more:
If nothing else, Werewolves, Excitable Boy, Lawyers and Night Time highlight Zevon's tremendous musical range, lyrical prowess and potential as a rock superstar cut from the same cloth as Petty and Springsteen. Ultimately, his numerous personal demons proved to be too much of a limiting factor on his professional success. But he put it all together on one tremendous LP. I own it on vinyl. You should too.
Friday, May 11, 2018
Stuff You Slept On, Alternatively Titled "layzman's filler" -- A Recurring Post
There are a number of albums I love that no one else seems to know about. It occurred to me that there are innumerable such albums, albums that are beloved by a only a few people and that deserve more spins. So I decided to shine a light on this stuff that we slept on, while simultaneously harnessing the immense power with which I am clothed via my G:TB platform to crowd-source content. To that end, I surveyed about a dozen of our twelve person readership for hidden musical gems. The resulting layzman's filler will trickle out as needed. First up is TR's response:
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39 comments:
many of you probably slept on frightened rabbit’s stuff because you thought squeaky was making up band names again. their lead singer scott hutchison was found dead yesterday in scotland, apparently of suicide. ask for help if you need it, my friends.
Zman, you might have to update my submission.
He had been missing since the 8th. Definitely seek help if you need it.
Zevon’s dance moves are faaaaaaaaantastic.
That's sad news.
I think those dance moves served as the inspiration for this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DF4UFQZ3qK8
Scott Hutchison was 36 and had mental health issues for most of his life, they write. Major anxieties and depression. He got tired of dealing with overwhelming pain, it seems, like Kurt Cobain and 1000 other famed artists before him.
Warren Zevon was 56 when he died. He was still making good music right up until the end. The Wind was released two weeks before he died. He would still be making music and joking about death right now if he could have, but cancer took him.
There is no appeal system for the so-called justice that fate metes out to us. There is only the verdict. And the sentence.
Scott Hutchison's last tweet:
“Be so good to everyone you love. It’s not a given. I’m so annoyed that it’s not. I didn’t live by that standard and it kills me. Please, hug your loved ones. I’m away now. Thanks.”
...now back to your regularly scheduled dipshittery.
Trivia Question: Which gheorghie was listed in the Colonial Echo, William and Mary's doofily named yearbook, as Warren Zevon?
And I'm listening to the entire Excitable Boy album on Spotify now. Nice plug, TR. I have always been a fan of "Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner."
Oh, and Warren Zevon won his first Grammy Award in 2004. Six months after he died. Fuck you, Recording Academy. Fuuuuuuck you.
always been partial to ‘roland’ and ‘boom boom mancini’. that one’s wrenching.
Happy birthday Danimal.
it’s also mother of rob’s birthday. i sent her a gift, but forgot danimal’s.
The Scottish band We Were Promised Jetpacks had something up on IG about a guy who went missing. I guess it was this Hutchison guy. Sad stuff.
I read an oral history bio on Zevon and put it down after the tenth or so story of him getting blotto and beating his wife. Hard to separate that from the music. I guess I just sorta did that here. Makes me feel callous for deciding to disregard that part of his life.
Separating the art and artists from their actions is a challenge. Skilled compartmentalization is a blessing and a curse.
Don't forget that Sunday is Mother's Day. Most of y'all brothers came from your mothers, after all.
Word to them.
I’m feeling like a human again after a 19 hour day of work, travel, travel delays and lost luggage yesterday. I arrived home at 1:45 am last night but it beat sleeping in Atlanta. Sleeping in your own bed is worth the effort if it’s possible.
This beer I’m having after a workout is helping too. I’m so happy I don’t have to get up and coach soccer tomorrow.
fulham lost the first of a two-leg championship semifinal today, 1-0 at derby county. at home on monday needing a goal to tie and a two-goal margin to advance to the final.
Bizarre - sitting on the deck listening to A Blessing and a Curse (with an Aslin or 3) and catching up on Gtb. Was a huge Zevon fan. Did not know about the wife beating. FFS. Fuck him.
My niece is a really good softball player. She’s started every game at third as a freshman this season for a 7A high school that is 26-1.
Her team had a regional final game tonight (winner goes to the Final Four). She came up with runners on 2nd and 3rd in the bottom of the 6th trailing 2-1. She worked the count full, fouled two pitches and then roped one over the second baseman’s head to drive in what would prove to be the tying and winning runs. It was awesome. And couldn’t have happened to a nicer kid.
This is from HuffPo’s 2007 review of that Zevon book I read:
“It’s one thing, though, to read about a musician who beats his wife — black-and-blue, in the face, while she’s driving, because of course he’s far too drunk to take the wheel — and quite another to hear such tales in the victim’s own words. Spare a moment to contemplate the masochism of the rockstar’s wife. It is a desperate, dead-end role. Without him, she has no fame, no identity; with him, her life is hell.
And that, unfortunately, limits this book’s power: much of the time the reader is unsure who to root for. Just as cynical horror movie audiences yell at the screen: “Don’t open that door!” or “Don’t make out in the car at night!” by the middle of this book readers are likely to find themselves yelling at Crystal to just walk out on this asshole (which she does for a while). In the face of his repeated abuse, about the only redemptive thing one can say about Warren is that at least he was capable of writing a witty song about it.”
Hello Gheorghe folk
hi, gheorgies, you magnificent bastards
Good Morning, Dave.
Thank you for the birthday well wish. ‘Twas one to forget about as far as bdays go.
Sorry to hear that, Dan. Hope the post birthday weekend treats you better.
Trivia Question: Which gheorghie was listed in the Colonial Echo, William and Mary's doofily named yearbook, as Warren Zevon?
The answer, of course, is Dave.
Dave?
Thanks Mark - could have been worse. Spent one half of the day in a bank office dealing w/this ID theft bullshit. No stealing has taken place, but someone is fucking with us and trying hard to do so. If I haven't recommended Lifelock, I do so now.
i love warren zevon music, but after hearing this , not so keen on him.
i had a rough afternoon guest-coachign my older son's travel team-- i got red carded and ejected from the field. full story over at sentence of dave. there were some silver linings . . .
also, i vaguely remember telling bob or fogger to list me as warren zevon in that pic. i used to be so weird.
Evil Genius + couch scotch = fun Saturday night
picking your daughter up at midnight from prom + driving 15 miles to do so = equally fun saturday night
I showed my age among my young gf’s friends tonight. Apparently Lambchop is a band from Nashville. I made a comment about Shari Lewis and sock puppets. Whoops.
I threw out a right said fred reference tonight and got utter silence in return.
Mark, please watch the Lomachenko fight.
I just learned of Evil Genius today on Twitter. Excited to dig in to that. Summer is binge viewing season for me. I just can’t muster the enthusiasm for baseball at this point in my life. I think this break in constant sports viewing helps save my marriage. That and the wine club I signed my wife up for.
Picking your kid up from prom is better than being up all night wondering what they’re doing post prom, Rob.
silver lining!
I will do as you wish, Mayhugh. I’ll never ignore your boxing recommendations.
Happy to help, Rob.
Evil Genius is four episodes. We binged it in one shot. Wild Country is up next.
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