Superlatives
A Vulture series in which artists judge the best and worst of their own careers.
Now with a twist!
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Is he too misunderstood?
Does the novelty humor of Werewolves of London thwart his reputation?
Are critics biased against rockerswho play the piano?
Of all the people to enthusiastically posit these questions with, there are few as suited as Letterman.
As Zevon put it during their exchange, Daves the best friend my music ever had.
Warren should have been in this establishment, Letterman says of his late friends Rock Hall chances.
It doesnt get much more rock and roll than that.
I mean, come on.
He did so much for us, and it means nothing to him.
(He had previously advocated for Zevons inclusion wheninductingPearl Jam in 2017.)
But hes torn: Irrespective of my participation, I want the guitar back.
Ill tell you my first awareness listening to his music supersedes my memory of this.
There was a profile of WarreninRolling Stoneand it was about a hundred pages long.
I like guns and alcohol, and Im drunk and playing with guns, and leave me alone.
The humanity of the guy is what I think of when I think of Warren.
Song that always makes you laugh
I think this speaks to my own ignorance.
Some of the allusions in these songs are so erudite and so esoteric that I take them completely seriously.
I listened to it a couple of years ago, and its me singing.
I have a lovely singing voice me screaming, Hit somebody!
All I had to scream was Hit somebody!
It sounds so disingenuous, artificial, manipulated, and contrived that it does in fact ruin the song.
Thats what he wanted, and I couldnt even deliver that.
So I guess I find it amusing.
I think thats why hes not in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
Yes, thank you and see you down the road.
Oh God, maybe I can rerecord it.
If I had the chance, where would I go?
I would get good and drunk.
Theres no fond memories with regard to recording Hit Somebody!
But theres something that puzzled me when it came up and still kind of makes me laugh.
Warren would sometimes take Paul Shaffers place on days he couldnt be in the studio.
Warren fit right in because I loved him, everybody there loved him, and Paul loved him.
I think I opened for somebody there once.
And I asked, What are your memories of that, Warren, when you recorded that?
And he responded, I have no memory of that show at all.
And I thought, Yeah, okay.
I have no complaints with that.
Ive described now to you about the only musical conversation he and I ever had.
This is a weakness on my part.
See, I blame my staff.
I think I was surrounded by incompetence.
Somebody should have said, Hey, dumbass, why dont you ask him about some of these songs?
That didnt happen, but Im not taking blame for that.
It may be an iceberg next to the iceberg.
I just wonder if thats all people knew of him.
I mean, good Lord, nobody writes things like this.
Wheres another funny silly song about the werewolf in London?
Thats the only Warren song you hear on the radio.
Now, being ignorant on these topics, I dont know if its fiction.
And then you have the crushingly emotional love songs.
I was listening to Transverse City last night, and thats a whole different deal.
The writing kind of overtakes the musicality.
As unusual as that is, I think thats the hallmark.
He might have a song featuring the wordbrucellosis.
Song that doubled as the biggest history lesson
I just love Veracruz.
Its not a rock-and-roll song, but God, its romantic.
I should know what the trouble was in Mexico hes referencing and alluding to, but I dont.
I could go on and on and on.
That and Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner with all of the mercenaries.
And look at a song like Transverse City.
Down in the Mall and Gridlock as well.
He details problems of what American life has now caused that seem to be irreversible and deadly dangerous.
Hes a musician, and he knows enough about the world to include references that are beyond my education.
Its a pretty good package.
Boom Boom Mancini is a short story.
I want to see that screenplay of Even a Dog Can Shake Hands.
And Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner is a movie, isnt it?
Its mysterious and exotic and, holy God, what are we up to?
Patty Hearst makes an appearance in the song, which, okay, thats fine.
Theres nothing more depressing than a sunny and warm autumn afternoon in Los Angeles.
Searching for a Heart.
Im sure there are love songs as good as that, but any better?
I think its easy to overlook things he wrote later in his career, which we shouldnt.
Were going to have to go to the judges.
Id tell someone to listen to Werewolves of London because we all get a kick out of that.
But then listen to Searching for a Heart.
And you tell me, is that the same guy?
As you may know, I have no friends.
But I remember being surprised when Eddie Vedder once told me that I introduced him to Warrens music.
He was like, Wow, I had no idea who this guy was.
I forget that Im of a different generation than Eddie Vedder.
I guess I was surprised because I thought singer-songwriters got to know and love Warren.
Doesnt that surprise you a bit?
I think people who are good musicians and writers know this guy.Bob Dylanknows of this guy.
Bruce Springsteen knows of this guy.
It makes me feel great when my love for the guy is validated by somebody else I respect.
I think that was the best piece of advice.
I still live my life that way.
No, Im lying to you.
None of this happened.
Dont get me wrong here.
Warrens not the kind of guy you went to seeking advice.
Hes talking about the end of his life.
Id never seen an example of a guy, a person, go, Hi, Im here.
Well, Im dying.
I mean, the human spirit is infinite.
It was confirmation of that for me.
I felt completely unprepared.
The minute it was finished, I wish I had done a better job.
That haunts me to this day.
I have not watched it since.
Maybe if I saw it now I would feel differently about it.
But at the time, I felt that I did not do a proper job for him.
Those are the two things I remember.
I may start sobbing now.
Its a cinematic story of him packing up his guitar and handing it to me in the dressing room.
If the interview is poignant, its because of Warren.
I cant watch it again.
That suggests a responsibility thats nearly insurmountable.
Last sandwich you enjoyed
What do you think the genesis of that was?
Was it a song?
I thought at the moment that it was something that had occurred to him when he got the diagnosis.
Now this is history.
The cement has dried on this.
It was an ad lib.
Because who can answer whatever the question was?
It was perfect in its simplicity and its nonsensical reference.
But nonetheless, its universally true.
Let me tell you something.
I enjoy every sandwich.
The last sandwich I enjoyed was a couple of weeks ago.
It was ham and cheese nice, sharp cheddar cheese, ham, and some mayonnaise.
And heres the key: brown mustard.
Ive tried them all.
Ill tell you something else.
Wrap sandwiches: bullshit.
You might as well put it in an envelope.
Get yourself a burrito or an enchilada.
Thats not a sandwich.
This ought to be your headline here: Wrap Sandwiches Are Bullshit.
I believe Warren would agree with me on this.
My follow-up question to Enjoy every sandwich should have been What about wrap sandwiches?
