Zevon -- damn

I just learned (a half-year later than his real fans I guess) that Warren Zevon is about to die of lung cancer.

Teh suq. I always liked his stuff, and kind of assumed that I would get an album every year or so for the rest of my life with that typical combination of raucous tunes, cynical ballads, and self-pitying bluesy songs. On the other hand, at least he has a zillion morbid death-related songs to choose from for his funeral… Life’ll Kill Ya… I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead… The Vast Indifference Of Heaven… etc. etc. etc.

When authors you like start dying off, what the heck, authors are always old guys anyway. But when musicians you like start dying (of natural causes anyway) then you know you are getting old.

That’s a damn shame. I remember when I first got the news that Mark Sandman had died on stage in Italy. I was utterly devastated. Any death is a tragedy, but when the world loses people who had such unique artistic contributions, that affected so many other people, it’s just that much worse.

[i]Roland stalked the continent for the man who done him in,
He found him in Mombassa, in a barroom drinking gin,
Roland aimed his Thompson gun, he didn’t say a word,
But he blew Van Owen’s body from there to Johannesburg

Roland the headless Thompson gunner…[/i]

No one writes songs like this any more. Come to think of it,
no one else did.

I’ll miss him.

That header scared the crap out of me. Thought Warren had died tonight. I’m a huge Zevon fan and I’ve been dreading the moment when I log on and the guy’s gone.