Not long after finding out he had an inoperable form of lung cancer, Warren Zevon was booked on the Late Show With David Letterman as the only guest for the full hour. Zevon would go on to live for nearly a year after this appearance, but this would be his final public performance. He was honored as being the only guest on an episode of The Late Show with David Letterman after being diagnosed with a rare form of lung cancer in 2002. "It's not like bed rest and a lot of water will straighten you out.". On October 30, 2002, David Letterman gave his whole show over to one guest: Warren Zevon, who had just been diagnosed with a fatal and untreatable form of lung cancer. Particularly in his last appearance on his friend David Letterman’s show in 2002. "We were talking and this and that. Since sharing favorite The Late Show with David Letterman moments is all the rage today, I think it’s appropriate to pay tribute to one of the most emotional moments in Letterman’s history. One of them was Warren Zevon, who performed on the show not long before he died of cancer on Sept. 7, 2003 (five years ago Sunday). I felt like, 'I can't be in this movie, I didn't get my lines.' While talking with Letterman, Zevon ad-libbed his own epitaph. David Letterman says of meeting Warren Zevon in a dressing room after the show: “Here’s a guy who had months to live and we’re making small talk. The song was a favorite of David Letterman, and, when an ailing Zevon made his last appearance on the show shortly before his death in 2003, Letterman insisted he perform it … And as we're talking, he's taking his guitar strap and hooking it, wrapping it around, then he puts the guitar into the case and he flips the snaps on the case and says, 'Here, I want you to have this, take good care of it.' The title track was frequently covered by Bob Dylan on his U.S. fall tour in 2002. David Letterman is doing backup on the yell “Hit somebody”. Letterman asked, “from your perspective now, do you know something about life and death that maybe I don’t know now?” Zevon said, “not unless I know how much — how much you’re supposed to enjoy every sandwich.”. Warren Zevon was a frequent guest on both Late Night with David Letterman and later The Late Show with David Letterman, having been a personal friend of David Letterman. On October 30, 2002, the late, great American songwriter Warren Zevon stepped on the stage of the Ed Sullivan Theater for the very last time. If you’re not a fan, you probably know Zevon primarily, or solely, for his one big hit: “Werewolves of London.” Like most male Boomer musicians, the man was a piece of work, but he was a fine songwriter and performer, able, a bit like Randy Newman, to subvert the take-it-easy ‘70s L.A. rock style with satiric messages while still producing entertaining examples of the form. Warren had worked for Phil on his TV show as music director much as he did when he filled in for Paul Shaffer on Late Night with David Letterman. One is what the musician Warren Zevon said on the “Late Show With David Letterman.” I watched it, live, in 2002. He had been diagnosed with terminal mesothelioma. "As you know," Zevon said. Zevon died in 2003 due to an inoperable form of mesothelioma, and his appearance on Letterman in 2002 ended up being his last interview and final public performance. In an old Late Show episode from the ’90s, when Zevon was guesting as bandleader, David Letterman asks Zevon to play “Desperados Under the Eaves,” which he … We are deeply indebted to David Letterman for keeping the Warren Zevon flame lit over 20 years. Zevon had no plans to tour at this point, so he knew that his live renditions of "Mutineer," "Genius" and "Roland the Headless Gunner" (played at Letterman's request) would probably be his final public performances. “He had tonnes of charisma, but when he didn’t want people coming up to him, he had charisma in reverse,” his ex-wife Crystal Zevon remembers. While David Letterman only has a year and a half left on his contract, the Late Show host wants to extend his hosting duties beyond that, according to a Rolling Stone interview featured in the latest issue. Letterman remembers Zevon In the latest edition of Rolling Stone (the theme is comedy), David Letterman was asked about his favorite guests. Late Night host and close friend David Letterman praised the album several times on air over the years; Warren, however, had little recollection of it. The other is a quote I read 40 years ago, from the writer Laurens van der Post in 1961: “We live not only our own lives but, whether we know it or not, also the life of our time.” (Commercials) (Return from commercials with Paul and the band playing a Warren Zevon song) LETTERMAN: Johnny strikes up the band. Warren subbed for Paul when needed and appeared 34 times on Late Night. The tune Eddie played for Dave that night was Warren Zevon’s “Keep Me in Your Heart,” an enduring ballad Zevon wrote after getting diagnosed with terminal cancer. On this exact same night, Bob Dylan covered the song during a gig in St. Paul, Minnesota. Warren Zevon was a roommate of the famous duo in a Fairfax district apartment in Los Angeles at the time (September 1975 ) . So of course, Letterman’s favorite Zevon song wasn’t one of the rave-ups like “Lawyers, Guns and Money,” or the tough guy ballads like “Carmelita,” but rather the deeply strange and wonderful “Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner.” The song does what it says on the tin: Roland is a Norwegian soldier of fortune fighting in the 1960s Congo Crisis who is murdered by a fellow mercenary and goes on to become a headless phantom assassin, gunning down those who betrayed him. David Letterman Remembers Warren Zevon. William was a Jewish immigrant from Russia, whose original surname was Zivotovsky. He was giving me the guitar that he always used on the show. At last, Zevon had his angle. ", The Crackup and Resurrection of Warren Zevon, The October 30th, 2002 show one of the most emotional Letterman broadcasts ever, but Zevon did his best to keep things light. "I have a form of lung cancer that spread. The song is about, sort of, colonialism, revolution, and American intelligence agencies meddling in various foreign crises, but it is also about a headless Thompson gunner. Do you know something about a life and death that maybe I don't know. Then came the diagnosis: Suddenly, 55-year-old Warren Zevon was hot, sexy, and had just months to live. Here's a video of "Mutineer" from the Letterman show. This article originally appeared on Rolling Stone: Flashback: Warren Zevon Says Goodbye on 'Letterman', Flashback: Warren Zevon Says Goodbye on 'Letterman', 'The Office' cast and crew remember Steve Carell's farewell episode: 'People were crying all over the place', 'Super Sema' star Lupita Nyong'o: 'Black Panther 2' without Chadwick Boseman 'feels spiritually and emotionally correct', Britney Spears to address the court in conservatorship case on June 23, Fox News host slams network for coverage of false stories about Biden's red meat plans and Harris's book, 'Jeopardy!' Warren made his last appearance on Letterman 2/2/2008. He played in an Irish pub in Spain before Werewolves made him famous. Warren was anxious to finish his final work before passing and made several appearances on the David Letterman show to promote his work which would surely greatly aid his estate for his family … The title was taken from an offhand comment the singer made during his final Letterman appearance. Contrary to the predictions of many doctors, Zevon lived another 11 months after his Letterman appearance, long enough to witness the birth of his grandchild and see The Wind get released to rapturous reviews. LETTERMAN: Warren Zevon is the guest on our program tonight. Zevon appeared during the first year of NBC's Late Night With David Letterman, which Letterman hosted from 1982-93.And when Zevon was diagnosed in 2002 with … "After the show, it was heartbreaking — he was in his dressing room," Letterman told Rolling Stone in 2008. One daughter, Ariel Zevon; one son, Jordan Zevon. Occasionally, between 1982 and 2001, Zevon filled in for Paul Shaffer as bandleader on Late Night with David Letterman and later The Late Show with David Letterman. He'd been playing Zevon songs the entire month, sometimes playing three of them a night. Having lived under the proverbial rock for most of my adult life from music, I recently learned of the late Warren Zevon. We’ll be back with the old top ten list, everybody! Stand In The Fire: Recorded Live At The Roxy became a favorite of the Zevon faithful and later regarded as one of the best live albums ever. Dermot Stokes It was the end of an era with the great David Letterman signing off for the last time on his signature show last week. In other words, lung cancer, with about a year to live. The last song he publicly performed was "Roland The Headless Thompson Gunner" on his last Letterman appearance. Warren Zevon On David Letterman. He worked as a bookie who handled volume bets and dice games for the notorious Los Angeles mobster Mickey Cohen. "They certainly don't discourage you from doing whatever you want," he said. Eddie Vedder Performs Warren Zevon Song for David Letterman. Warren Zevon gifted his guitar to Letterman after his final performance on the Late Show. Howard recalled being moved by the performance. The album went on to reach #80 on the Billboard album chart. But he’s always had taste that runs a bit more eclectic than you’d expect for a man born in Indiana in 1947. He also talked about his in-progress album The Wind, which came out the following August. Not long after finding out he had an inoperable form of lung cancer, Warren Zevon was booked on theLate Show With David Lettermanas the only guest for … In 1995, Zevon released the self-produced Mutineer. Warren Zevon on the Late Show with David Letterman in New York, Oct. 30, 2002. Warren William Zevon is born on January 24, 1947 in Chicago, Illinois to William Zevon and Beverly Cope. Zevon’s answers suggested he’d come to feel … The great singer-songwriter Warren Zevon recorded The Wind, his final solo album, when he knew he was dying of lung cancer.Over the years, Zevon was one of David Letterman… Don’t remember the source, might have been on Letterman show. Here's a guy who had months to live and we're making small talk. For Warren Zevon: 'Enjoy every sandwich', by David Letterman & Paul Schaeffer - 2003 Warren Zevon Just Passed Away - Paul and David announced the sad new! His favorite band, the Foo Fighters, played his favorite song, “Everlong,” on last night’s final “Late Show.” On his penultimate show he called Bob Dylan the greatest songwriter of our time. Letterman remembered his memorable guests including musician Warren Zevon in a moving presentation. It brought great joy to Warren to hear that Dylan was doing this, as he held Dylan in such high esteem and it increased fan awareness of Zevon’s work which had tended to lie somewhat in obscurity. He’d been a Letterman regular since the early days, sometimes filling in for bandleader Paul Shaffer. He spoke to the … It means you better get your dry cleaning done on special." Zevon was dying of mesothelioma, and Mr. Letterman asked how his illness had changed him. At a ceremony at Washington, D.C.'s Kennedy Center, many luminaries of the genre came out to celebrate the occasion, including previous winners Bill Murray and … That was very tough.". Zevon would remain friends with both famous duos for the rest of his life maintaining neutrality during the tumultuous breakups of both the Everly Brothers and Buckingham-Nicks. His cover of "Mutineer" appeared on Every Every Sandwich: The Songs of Warren Zevon, a tribute album that came out in 2004. Letterman’s taste runs to dadrock. David Letterman kept the whole hour dedicated to Warren's Yvon. He was absolutely brilliant. In 2017, the rocker even performed a song for Letterman as he received the Kennedy Center’s Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. The legacy of David Letterman 's comedic talent was honored last night when the former host of The Late Show received the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. Many in the audience probably had trouble maintaining their composure, but Zevon never wavered. On his NBC show he famously had the legendary avant garde jazz-rocker Captain Beefheart on as a regular guest. Letterman was a huge Zevon fan and he'd featured the singer on his show dozens of times, often subbing him in for Paul Shaffer when the bandleader was busy with other projects. I remember seeing Warren's on Letterman and Warren's knew he was dying. His memory of musician Warren Zevon, who appeared on the Late Show shortly before his 2003 death from cancer, was particularly moving. (Maura Johnston has counted down some great musical moments on Letterman’s show at The Guardian. Zevon used to fill in for Paul Shaffer when he was absent from a Letterman show. "You've been the best friend my music has ever had. ), With David Letterman’s last show airing on Wednesday night, we take a look at the best live…. SHAFFER: Another great, war remembers, Zevon … On October 30, 2002, David Letterman gave his whole show over to one guest: Warren Zevon, who had just been diagnosed with a fatal and untreatable form of lung cancer. "I might have made a tactical error by not going to a physician for 20 years," he said. contestant's controversial hand gesture might not be what it seems. It was one of the best hours of television from one of the best broadcasters in history. And I just started sobbing. One of my favorite songs of all time, which I was shocked that you covered was Warren's keep me in your heart. 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