Americana Music Reviews

 

Warren Zevon
My Ride's Here
Artemis Records

by Jud Block

It's past my bedtime; of course, most people think that was back in the '80s.
- - Warren Zevon

Warren Zevon falls into that category of dubious distinction known as "Living Legend." Certainly it's flattering to be recognized for your contributions in a field, but such an honor also seems to be weighted by the past tense. It has the implication that your best work is behind you, thus, either relegating you to an influence cited by every neophyte attempting to establish creditability (whether or not they really know who you are) or being lied to by having your every feeble effort lauded as a new stride in genius (see Bob Dylan and Neil Young). Well, Warren definitely has had his rough moments, so much so in the 90s, in fact, that he retired from the music business. Thankfully, he was encouraged to return to the recording studio and in 2000 released Life'll Kill Ya, one of his strongest collections of songs in over a decade and one of the best CDs of the two-zips. It was a stripped-down affair of mostly acoustic guitar, drums, bass, piano, and, of course, Mr. Zevon's satirical take on life's absurdities. So after that triumphant return, the logical question was, would he follow it up? The answer, obviously, is yes, and on My Ride's Here, Warren Zevon shows he's nowhere near ready for the oldies circuit.

The premise of the disc is interesting, Zevon co-wrote seven of the ten tracks with his favorite literary writers, including Carl Hiaasen, Mitch Albom, Paul Muldoon, and Hunter S. Thompson. Initially I wasn't sure how this was going to sound because lyric writing is different from straight prose, and much more difficult than most people imagine, especially if you're trying to communicate something more profound than adolescent longing. Also, if you've heard his prior collaborations with Mr. Hiaasen (my favorite writer) on Mutineer, you know the results can sometimes be less than stellar. But on My Ride's Here, it works.

There are four tracks that stand out on this disc. The first, not surprisingly, is the only song on the disc that Warren Zevon wrote alone, "Lord Byron's Luggage." It has a slightly Irish feel to it, and a melody that reminds me of a slowed down version of another one of his songs called "Dirty Little Religion." The narrator seems to be a middle-aged version of Byron's "hero," still wandering around, a little less defiant and looking to settle down.

Still out there in the wind and rain
Look a little older but I feel no pain
And it stands to reason
I'm still looking for love

"Macgillycuddy's Reeks," a mountain range in Kerry, and not an olfactory comment on some old Irishman, is a song co-written with Irish poet Paul Muldoon. The song is performed in a traditional Irish style using a bodhran and pennywhistle and is about unrequited love, a favorite Celtic topic, but is told from a modern perspective using, in one verse, language usually associated with the corporate world. In other words, it's the synergy of the new and the old, suitable for the pub but able to attract new clients, a win-win situation. Let's pull the trigger on this puppy.

She was a systems analyst
For a dot com company
She said, "You think because we've kissed
I'll be yours eternally
I'll sign another pre-nup
And we'll merge our P.L.C.s
That's why most girls go belly-up
In this economy

But when it comes to jump start
Your forecast's rather bleak
The NASDAQ goes by dips and starts
Like Macgillycuddy's Reeks . . ."

"Hit Somebody (The Hockey Song)" was co-written by Mitch Albom and is the centerpiece of the CD. I wish I could quote the whole song to you, but it's just too damn long. Suffice it to say it is the closest we'll probably ever come to a Canadian Casey at the Bat. It's about a hockey player whose life's ambition is to score a goal, but you'll have to get the CD to see how it turns out. Also, it has the added bonus of David Letterman contributing, well, to say background vocals would be stretching it a bit, background shouts is more like it.

He was born in Big Beaver by the borderline
He started playing hockey by the time he was nine
His dad took the hose and froze the backyard
And little Buddy dreamed he was Rocket Richard
He grew up big and he grew up tough
He saw himself scoring for the Wings or Canucks
But he wasn't that good with a puck

Buddy's real talent was beating people up
His heart wasn't in it but the crowd ate it up
Through pee-wee's and juniors, midgets and mites
He must have racked up more than three hundred fights
A scout from the Flames came down from Saskatoon
Said, "There's always room on our team for a goon
Son, we've always got room for a goon."

"My Ride's Here" is the second song on the disc co-written by Paul Muldoon, which is also an influencing factor as to why I'm currently out trying to find any of his books of poetry, and is one of the more unique and light-hearted takes on death I've ever heard. It makes the whole thing seem like nothing more than a road trip, and a hell of a lot more palatable.

I was staying at the Marriot
With Jesus and John Wayne
I was waiting for a chariot
They were waiting for a train
The sky was full of carrion
"I'll take the mazuma"
Said Jesus to Marion
"That's the 3:10 to Yuma
My ride's here . . ."

My Ride's Here is simply a testament to an artist whose talents are going through a kind of second-prime. Just as everyone was ready to write him off, he comes back with two of the most impressive recordings of his career. He may not be receiving the commercial accolades that others are, but, then again, for someone who seems to understand absurdity as well as Warren Zevon does, he probably never expected anything less.

Go to www.warrenzevon.com for tour dates, photos, and a very interesting interview with ol' Velvet Nose's keeper, or to www.artemisrecords.com to pick up My Ride's Here as well as Life'll Kill Ya.


Contact Jud Block at jud-at-rockzilla.net

 
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