I'll Sleep When I'm Dead: The Dirty Life and Times of Warren Zevon

published	2007 by Ecco
binding	Hardcover
isbn	0060763450 (isbn13: 9780060763459)
pages	480
description	Told in the words of his musical accomplices, fellow–travelers, friends, and lovers, "I'll Sleep When I'm Dead" is an intimate and unusual biography of fabled singer–songwriter Warren Zevon, the musical force behind such dark, witty rock–and–roll classics as "Werewolves of London" and "Roland, the Headless Thompson Gunner." ...more [close] Told in the words of his musical accomplices, fellow–travelers, friends, and lovers, "I'll Sleep When I'm Dead" is an intimate and unusual biography of fabled singer–songwriter Warren Zevon, the musical force behind such dark, witty rock–and–roll classics as "Werewolves of London" and "Roland, the Headless Thompson Gunner." Narrated by Crystal Zevon, Zevon's former (and only) wife, it draws on interviews with Jackson Browne, Tom Petty, Emmylou Harris, Linda Rondstadt, Stevie Nicks, Lindsay Buckingham, the Everly Brothers, and a host of other denizens of Southern California's influential rock scene to tell the story of the original "Excitable Boy": literary hoodlum, OCD sufferer, brilliant songwriter, and rock–and–roll icon.
date added	04-06-07 edit book

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Stiv_Matters rated it:

07/13/07

Read in June, 2007

I grew up listening to Warren Zevon, bought all his records when they came out, and saw him live several times throughout his career. He is one of my favorite performers. Personal information about Warren was always hard to come by. I knew he had a legendary drinking problem back in the 70's/early 80's and he spent a lot of time getting on the wagon and falling off again. Rarely were there any specifics. This book gets specific about nearly all phases of his life and kind of beats you over th...more I grew up listening to Warren Zevon, bought all his records when they came out, and saw him live several times throughout his career. He is one of my favorite performers. Personal information about Warren was always hard to come by. I knew he had a legendary drinking problem back in the 70's/early 80's and he spent a lot of time getting on the wagon and falling off again. Rarely were there any specifics. This book gets specific about nearly all phases of his life and kind of beats you over the head with just how very flawed Warren was. Over the years as I listened to his songs I built up an idealized image of who he was and how he spent his time and this book effectively crushes any illusions. The book is fascinating and heartbreaking at the same time. Former wife, Crystal Zevon, interviewed most of the people who knew and worked with him during his career and this book is a chronicle of his life told through these interviews with occasional narrative from Crystal. The good news is that the book provides a detailed look at the 70's Southern California rock scene with lots of great stories involving Jackson Browne, various members of The Eagles, Bonnie Raitt, and many of the musicians who played on some of the biggest records of the 70s. The book also tells the origins of many of Warren's songs and offers lots of behind the scenes stories about the recording of various Zevon albums. Over 80 people were interviewed for the book and it's well documented just how much Warren was respected not only by fellow songwriters and musicians, but also by noted novelists, actors, and politicians. Much of Warren's humor and charisma come through in this book. The bad news is that Warren had a difficult childhood, which made him grow up to be a difficult adult. He suffered from OCD, had an addictive personality, and was extremely selfish and self-absorbed. He spent much of his drinking years in blackout. During these blackouts, he sometimes became a violent, dangerous person who punched his wife more than once. He neglected his children and was wildly promiscuous. When he stopped drinking in the mid 80's, he appears to have filled the void of alcohol addiction with an insatiable sex addiction while still attempting to maintain serious long-term girlfriends. His OCD manifested itself in many strange personality quirks and he was extremely superstitious.

I find it hard to recommend this book to anyone who is not familiar with Zevon's music and even then, I'm reluctant. The book is heavily weighted with the negative aspects of his character and actions. Reading this book, it really doesn't come through why his friends and family loved him and overlooked or tolerated (and enabled) his behavior. The final chapter comes close to capturing why everyone loved him but I can imagine a lot of people who are not familiar with his wonderful songs, reading this book and coming away with the impression that he was just a monumental asshole. Even for me, a huge fan, many of the stories related here are just heartbreaking. The darkers aspects of Warren's life were indeed dark. The man had a lot of demons and every single one of them is documented in this book. If you're a fan, this book is a dark and scary but vastly entertaining chronicle of Warren's life. If you're not familiar with the songs of Warren Zevon, your time would be better spent listening to some of his records. This book is exactly what Warren would have wanted but it fails to capture his heart and spirit. For that, you gotta listen to the songs. ...less

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Jeremy rated it:

09/27/07

bookshelves: biography-and-memoir, music

I love Warren Zevon. I think he's just the best. Even when he was alive, his voice sounded kind of like how a ghost might sing - all wiggly and sad and weird and funny. Though he undoubtedly would have been fun to have a drink or two with, I feel bad for the people who had to spend any significant amount of time with him, since, as this biography, not to mention his own lyrics, will often attest, the guy behaved like a drunken asshole most of the time. I simply do not care. He never did any...more

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I'll Sleep When I'm Dead: The Dirty Life and Times of Warren Zevon

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