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I'll Sleep When I'm Dead: The Dirty Life and Times of Warren Zevon Paperback – Illustrated, May 6, 2008
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When Warren Zevon died in 2003, he left behind a rich catalog of dark, witty rock 'n' roll classics, including "Lawyers, Guns and Money," "Excitable Boy," and the immortal "Werewolves of London." He also left behind a fanatical cult following and veritable rock opera of drugs, women, celebrity, genius, and epic bad behavior. As Warren once said, "I got to be Jim Morrison a lot longer than he did."
Narrated by his former wife and longtime co-conspirator, Crystal Zevon, this intimate and unusual oral history draws on interviews with Bruce Springsteen, Stephen King, Bonnie Raitt, and numerous others who fell under Warren's mischievous spell. Told in the words and images of the friends, lovers, and legends who knew him best, I'll Sleep When I'm Dead captures Warren Zevon in all his turbulent glory.
- Print length480 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherEcco
- Publication dateMay 6, 2008
- Dimensions6 x 1.2 x 9 inches
- ISBN-100060763493
- ISBN-13978-0060763497
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“In one of the most unflinching examinations of the rock & roll life ever, Warren Zevon’s ex-wife Crystal paints a harrowing picture of a brilliant mind ravaged by alcohol ― using excerpts from the late singer-songwriter’s journals and interviews with friends including Jackson Browne and Bruce Springsteen.” — Rolling Stone, The Best of Rock Issue
“I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead turns out to be one of the most casually insightful rock bios ever.” Grade: A- — Entertainment Weekly
“ The book reveals a smartass satirist . . . as bankrupt as the characters he documented in his songs.” — Los Angeles Times
“[A] new, riveting oral history... unflinching interviews with his friends, admirers and fellow hell-raisers.” — Rolling Stone
“... an unforgettable journey into the depths of Mr. Zevon’s mad genius.” — New York Times
“Few books have captured so well the L.A. rock and roll scene in all its mindlessness and eloquence.” — Los Angeles Magazine
“…I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead definitely piles up enough horrendous behavior to back the title’s claim.” — New York Times Book Review
“It’s a frank account of yet another great talent taken down by his own demons.” — Time Out Chicago
“.. a fascinating collection of anecdotes... as assembled by his ex-wife, Crystal Zevon. ” — Philadelphia Daily News
“[It’s] a satisfyingly sordid read that’s full of bad behavior…” — Philadelphia Inquirer
“… that’s what this book is about―humanizing this mythic character” — Harp Magazine
“… a grisly but fascinating rock ‘n’ roll journal…” — Birmingham News
“Crystal Zevon succeeds in channeling Warren Zevon, giving us a complete, engrossing picture of a compelling artist.” — Orlando Sentinel
“...the book [is] a tender song in itself.” — Seattle Times
“It’s a lurid, page-turning read, filled with big successes and deep lows.” — Fort Worth Star-Telegram
“…packed full of... the cynical humor for which Warren Zevon was so famous.” — Bangor Daily News
“This often searing, humorous, and brutally honest book captures him at his best and his worst.” — Booklist
“All pop music collections need this book.” — Library Journal
“This is an extraordinary book -- unflinchingly honest, scarily funny, relentlessly cynical and always immensely entertaining. Just like Warren Zevon.” — Dave Barry
“A moralist in cynic’s clothing, Zevon nails a part of the American character rarely captured in pop music.” — Bruce Springsteen
“Warren Zevon...was one of the most interesting writers of the era, and certainly ahead of his time. ” — Gore Vidal
“A harrowing ride through the backstreets of the L.A. music business with the King of Song Noir.” — Jackson Browne
“Zevon...was a brilliant, funny, biting, tender storyteller...and [this] will keep him in your heart.” — Mitch Albom, author of FOR ONE MORE DAY and TUESDAYS WITH MORRIE
About the Author
Crystal Zevon is Warren Zevon's former wife and lifelong friend. She lives in Vermont near her daughter, son-in-law, and twin grandsons.
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
I'll Sleep When I'm Dead
The Dirty Life and Times of Warren ZevonBy Crystal ZevonHarperCollins Publishers, Inc.
Copyright © 2008 Crystal ZevonAll right reserved.
ISBN: 9780060763497
Chapter One
Wild Age
You've seen him leaning on the streetlight
Listening to some song inside
You've seen him standing by the highway
Trying to hitch a ride
Well, they tried so hard to hold him
Heaven knows how hard they tried
But he's made up his mind
He's the restless kind
He's the wild age
Warren's father, William Rubin Zivotofsky, was born in Kiev, Ukraine, in 1903. His father, Rubin, left for New York in 1905, and the Zivotofskys of Ukraine became the Zevons of Brooklyn.
Of his childhood, there was only one story Willie Zevon told when asked:
William "Stumpy" Zevon: Life was shit. We were poor, and it was either too hot or too cold. There was never enough room to move around in, and never enough food to eat. My best memory is one birthday. I was around ten, and my father came home with a cucumber. We never tasted a cucumber, and he took out his knife and divided it up. We each got a slice. It was cool and it tasted like candy to us. What did we know? We never had candy. That was the best birthday I remember. What I knew was I had to get out of that shithole. And, I did.
Sandy Zevon, Warren's first cousin: Willie and the youngest brother, Hymie, left New York and headed West. Willie was in his mid-teens. Their first stop was Chicago. They got into some gambling business. Sam Giancana, the famous mobster, put him into some shady business . . . It was like a Damon Runyon story.
In 1946, when Willie was forty-two, he met an innocent twenty-one-year-old beauty, Beverly Simmons, in Fresno, California. Although she had been born with a congenital heart condition and had always lived under the protective wing of her overbearing Mormon mother, Beverly believed she had found a "diamond in the rough."
Warren Zevon was born on January 24, 1947, in Chicago. His parents had a rocky marriage from the start. Beverly was after a family life that would prove impossible for Stumpy to handle. Throughout his childhood, Warren was passed back and forth between his parents as they fought bitterly, separated, got back together, then split again.
When Warren was nine years old, his father made a rare visit to Fresno, where Warren and his mother were living next door to Beverly's parents. On Christmas Eve, Stumpy disappeared for a night of gambling. He returned on Christmas morning, with a Chickering piano he had won in a poker game. Beverly was furious and ordered his "headache machine" removed from her house.
Warren wanted that piano. He silently cheered on Stumpy as he grabbed a carving knife meant for the turkey that wasn't even in the oven yet. It was the chilling image of Stumpy's poker face as he hurled the knife at Beverly's head that made a lasting impression on Warren. Time stood still as he watched the lethal blade miss his mother's head by no more than an inch. Without a word, Beverly stalked out the door and went to her parents' house down the block.
After his mother left, Warren's father sat him down on the piano bench, and they had their first ever father-to-son talk. He said, "Son, you know I gotta go. She's your mother, so I guess you gotta stay. But, there's something you better know. Your mother and your grandmother have been telling you you're the pope of Rome, right? Well, you ain't never going to be no pope, you know why? Because you're a Jew. You hear me, son? You're a Jew. Don't ever forget that."
By the time Warren was ready to enter junior high school, his father had charmed his mother into leaving Fresno to try living together again—this time in a lavish home with an ocean view in San Pedro, California.
Crystal Zevon: Warren began studying music with the Dana Junior High School band teacher, who also worked as a classical session player—a trumpet player. His teacher believed that Warren had a quality that set him apart, so he took Warren to a Robert Craft/Igor Stravinsky recording session—a day that left an indelible stamp on Warren's life and music.
From Warren's notes: I went [to Stravinsky's home] several times. Five or six times. So, I met Stravinsky, and talked to him, and sat on the couch with him. We read scores and he and Robert Craft inspired me to study conductors and conducting. But in no way was I an intimate friend of his. I was thirteen years old. In the latest definitive biography about Stravinsky, written by Robert Craft, there is a reference to me and my visits. Craft's description is pretty accurate. He, in fact, commends me for not claiming to have had a close relationship with Stravinsky. Although, I must admit, I haven't always dissuaded the press if they chose to make a little more of it than there actually was. He was very gracious to me, and the experience is one of my most treasured and inspirational memories.
Robert Craft, excerpted from his original typescript entitled "My Recollections of Warren Zevon": . . . I remember him [Warren Zevon] very clearly as he arrived late one afternoon at the Stravinsky Hollywood home, 1260 North Wetherly Drive. Though he seemed much younger than I had anticipated, he was self-possessed and articulate far beyond his years. After some conversation, I played recordings of contemporary pieces, not available commercially and unknown to him. He was keenly attentive and his responses were unambiguous; very young people are always judgmental, of course, but he supported his judgments with acute arguments. We followed scores of Stockhausen's Gruppen and Carree as we listened to air-checks of German radio performances.
After an hour or so, Stravinsky came into the room—his living room—and I made introductions. As always, Stravinsky was warm and hospitable, and Mr. Zevon, whatever he felt and thought, was in perfect control. Part of Stravinsky's late—afternoon . . .
Continues...
Excerpted from I'll Sleep When I'm Deadby Crystal Zevon Copyright © 2008 by Crystal Zevon. Excerpted by permission.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
Product details
- Publisher : Ecco; Reprint edition (May 6, 2008)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 480 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0060763493
- ISBN-13 : 978-0060763497
- Item Weight : 2.31 pounds
- Dimensions : 6 x 1.2 x 9 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #195,212 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #567 in Rock Band Biographies
- #576 in Rock Music (Books)
- #1,961 in Actor & Entertainer Biographies
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If you love Zevon as I do, you're pretty odd. But you might just like this book!
Over the course of the book it is fascinating to watch Zevon's progression from struggling songwriter to minor superstar to forgotten has-been to respected icon. In addition to being an incredibly talented musician, songwriter, and band leader, Zevon was the Kevin Bacon of rock and roll. The liner notes of his albums often read like a list of inductees to the Hall of Fame, and his life story is packed with famous names, from Igor Stravinsky to Bob Dylan to David Letterman. As for the contributors, Jackson Browne's candid and caring testimony is the most invaluable. Bruce Springsteen, on the other hand, has insightful praise for Zevon, but is reluctant to say anything negative about his late friend. He may be the only one with such reservations, however, as dozens of friends, family, girlfriends, musicians, managers, actors, and authors air their grievances here. Despite all the physical and emotional scars, if there's an underlying theme to the book it is forgiveness. After detailing the petty, malicious, and/or bizarre treatment they received from Zevon, almost all of the interviewees express an undying admiration, respect, and love for the man.
Crystal Zevon does an excellent job of editing together these numerous and disparate voices. She's not always so great at editing herself, however. Since she married the man and gave birth to his daughter, she understandably dominates much of the book, but tends to let herself run long. Also included are a number of excerpts from Zevon's own journal, which read like lists of people he saw, shows he played, or songs he wrote on a given day. Though these entries often contain some revealing comments, they could have been more judiciously selected, as about half of them don't contribute a whole lot to the narrative. Nevertheless, despite these minor complaints, the oral history approach works. Every famous rock star should have such a biography, though few are lucky enough to get it.
The Kindle edition of this book contains dozens of photographs, but they're all very low resolution. Several scanned documents are included--handwritten lyrics, letters, contracts, etc.--but the pixelation renders them illegible. Even the oldest Kindle models are capable of reproducing fine detail, but not when the source files are of poor quality. One expects better from a major publisher like Harper Collins.
Crystal Zevon presents this in the form of diary excerpts and interviews with Warren's friends, contemporaries, girlfriends, family and others that encountered him whether briefly or for a lifetime. This is the life of a troubled man and his incredible genius for creating some of the best and most highly respected music of our times.
No matter how incorrigible and difficult Zevon could be, he always ends up with the respect and love of the people who surrounded him in his life and legions of fans world wide.
Warren Zevon was much, much more than 'Werewolves of London". He was a laundry list of music that was the brainchild of one of the greatest writers/composers/singers/instrumentalists to grace the concert stage.
Highly recommended for the reader who loves to read outside the box and who craves biography in all it's glorious and no-holds-barred best.
Now for my personal take on Warren Zevon the man, he was indeed a person haunted by the terribly sad and abusive childhood and family life he was subjected to.
Unfortunately, Zevon was never able to overcome the ghosts of his past and those are the torments that stayed with him his entire life, affecting him in all corners of his existence. I think deep down he wanted to be a better person, a better father, a better husband and friend but, he was unable to accomplish this because he had no guidance for this.
The reason I feel this way has to do with remarks made by others when they recount an event when Zevon treated someone badly and afterward Zevon puzzles as to, "Why did I do that?" or "I hated to be that way to him!"
There are of course other reasons for my feelings on this but, just by reading between the lines and understanding human emotions, I feel sorry for him in many ways. Other ways, yes, I do find his behavior reprehensible but, one must also go back and remember the events that happened to create this personality.
I feel in many cases, Zevon's friends and contemporaries knew how badly he needed help, and not just for his alcohol addiction but for his emotional problems stemming from his early life traumas. These people knew there was little they could do but still accept Zevon for the person they knew him to be which in many other ways was a lovable and incredibly talented man.
Even the most difficult of people can have those around them in life that know the truth about them and those are the people that will stand by and lend support to the best of their abilities. These are the people that gathered and supported Zevon into rehabilitation and a 17 year sobriety.
Notice how Zevon eventually falls from sobriety once he learns his fate in the end. He had two ways to go, either sober and brave or drunk and realistic about the fact that death was the ultimate end of the story.
I do not think Warren Zevon had any ability to take the former path. He had no guidance in how to do that.
Sad that this was the way things ended for such a great artist that will forever be unmatched. Sad story on all counts.
Warren Zevon today is probably best known as the guy who put out "Werewolves of London," but his decades-worth of albums -- and this book -- prove that he was as talented and devoted to the art of writing as he was underrated and flawed. This is an honest book, with humor and tenderness. If you're a fan of Warren, or of rock and roll history, this is well worth it.
Reviewed in the United States on July 20, 2022
Warren Zevon today is probably best known as the guy who put out "Werewolves of London," but his decades-worth of albums -- and this book -- prove that he was as talented and devoted to the art of writing as he was underrated and flawed. This is an honest book, with humor and tenderness. If you're a fan of Warren, or of rock and roll history, this is well worth it.
Top reviews from other countries
His music has extraordinary depth, both musically and lyrically, and his vocal style combines attack with precision. I am slowly working my way through his oeuvre. His first album is one of the best I have ever heard.
I have read a number of rock biographies, and this is one of the best. It hides a little, but not much. It is particularly interesting to me in what it reveals about what happens to a guy when he stops drinking at about the age of forty after more than twenty years. All the stuff which the drink mopped up has to be dealt with, one way or another, and WZ was tough enough to do just that.
His ex-wife clearly worked exceptionally hard to bring together the thoughts of several dozen people he was close to and this book is extremely moving.














