Wednesday, August 27, 2003

Finally got around to seeing the Warren Zevon special on VH1, which I had taped.

All in all, I thought it was very well done. Stupid questions were kept to a minumum, celebrity cameos were short and sweet, and the focus remained where it should: on the man, his music and his situation. I'm amazed and glad Zevon has hung in there as long as he has; initial diagnoses gave him until October 2002, and it's now approaching one year since the announcement of his predicament. All I can say is that I hope that he's not in too much pain now and is still getting something out of life. One of my first reactions after watching was surprise at how long it had been (maybe because of my own situation right now- the months have flown by) since his illness was made public. This documentary only took us until just after the album was complete, and didn't specify the date.

One thing remains constant with Zevon, no matter what- his dark sense of humor. He gets off several morbidly funny quips during the course of the hour. And what I heard of the album sounds pretty good. I haven't gotten around to listening to the streaming audio yet. There was a bit too much Billy Bob Thornton for my taste, but hey, he's apparently a good friend of WZ's so what can I say. It was cool seeing David Lindley play, with his raccoon tail sideburns, and they got quotes from some interessting people including his sometimes collaborator, author Carl Hiaasen.

All in all, an interesting, but sad hour. I hope Zevon continues to beat the odds.

No comments: