Warren Zevon began life the son of "Stumpy" Zevon, a Jewish immigrant born William Zivotofsky in the Ukraine before changing it to Zevon. To feed his family Zevon worked as a bookie handling volume bets and dice games for notorious Los Angeles mobster Mickey Cohen. Zevon ended up working for years in Cohen's gang and was best man at Cohen's wedding.
Stumpy's son Warren, once student to the legendary, world renowned classical composer Igor Stravinsky, turned professional musician, singer, songwriter while still in high school, forming a duo whose first single, produced by Bones Howe, reached number 65 on Billboards Pop Chart in April 1966. No bad for a first timer!
Soon afterwards, Zevon's parents divorced. He quit high school and, driving a sports car his gangster father won in a card game, moved from Los Angeles to New York to become a folk singer.
And so begins the 55 year odyssey from the release of his ironically titled 1970 debut album Wanted Dead Or Alive to his posthumous induction into the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame on November 8, 2025.
Join us, along with David Letterman and the man himself, as we retrace the steps of his journey from Stumpy Zevon's kid to Rock N Roll Hall of Fame Inductee.
It will be quite apparent after perusing the song titles for today's show that Listener Discretion Is Advised as there is some objectional language used and subject matter not suitable for all audiences.
THE SONGS:
Live acoustic version of Zevon's My Sh*ts Fuc*ed Up https://music.apple.com/ca/album/my-shits-f-d-up/828491542?i=828491636 from his 10th studio album Life'll Kill Ya released in 2000
Detox Mansion https://music.apple.com/ca/album/detox-mansion/1443603309?i=1443604761 from Zevon's 6th studio album Sentimental Hygiene released in 1987
Carmelita https://music.apple.com/ca/album/carmelita/764026483?i=764026510 from Zevon's 2nd album, self titled, released in 1976. Curiously, it was Canadian folksinger Murray McLauchlan who first recorded the song four years earlier on his 1972 self titled debut album
Mohammed's Radio https://music.apple.com/ca/album/mohammeds-radio/764026483?i=764026508 from Zevon's 2nd album, self titled, released in 1976, produced by Jackson Browne
Accidently Like A Martyr https://music.apple.com/ca/album/accidentally-like-a-martyr/1048475674?i=1048476312 from Zevon's 3rd album Excitable Boy released in 1978
Excitable Boy https://music.apple.com/ca/album/excitable-boy/1048475674?i=1048476310 from the album of the same name released in 1978
Lawyers, Guns And Money https://music.apple.com/ca/album/lawyers-guns-and-money/1048475674?i=1048476316 from Zevon's 3rd album Excitable Boy released in 1978
Roland The Headless Thompson Gunner https://music.apple.com/ca/album/roland-the-headless-thompson-gunner/1048475674?i=1048476309 from Zevon's 3rd album Excitable Boy released in 1978
Interlude No. 1 https://music.apple.com/ca/album/interlude-no-1/296202444?i=296202510 and Play It All Night Long https://music.apple.com/ca/album/play-it-all-night-long/296202444?i=296202512 from Zevon's 4th album Bad Luck Streak In Dancing School from 1980
Werewolves Of London https://music.apple.com/ca/album/werewolves-of-london/1048475674?i=1048476311 from Zevon's 3rd album Excitable Boy released in 1978
Poor Poor Pitiful Me https://music.apple.com/ca/album/poor-poor-pitiful-me/764026483?i=764026506 from Zevon's 2nd album, self titled, released in 1976, produced by Jackson Browne
*Please Note: Audio portions of this podcast have been reproduced under the fair use doctrine. This use is intended to be transformative, adding perspective to the original work, serving an educational purpose rather than commercial gain. This use is intended academically and does not serve as a substitute for the original.
Special thanks to David Letterman and the Rock N Roll Hall Of Fame
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