I'll Sleep When I'm Dead: The Dirty Life and Times of Warren Zevon by Crystal Zevon Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of I'll Sleep When I'm Dead: The Dirty Life and Times of Warren Zevon
Book Review: Thanks Crystal for Painting a Complete Portrait of Warren
Summary: 5 Stars
I read this book in 4 days, and I can't remember the last book I read. Crystal Zevon does a wonderful job of conveying Warren's life and times. As well as personal insights, there are points of view from many others, including Warren. I really feel like I got the full picture by reading several versions of the same event. I cursed, I laughed, I cried and at one point I declared "Warren's a God". Of course Warren was a human like the rest of us. He just happened to be a human who was a great song writer and entertainer. Enjoy Crystal's book and Enjoy Every Sandwich.Book Review: Sex, Drugs & Rock and Roll
Summary: 4 Stars
with heavy emphasis on the sex and drugs. If you're looking for some insight as to what went on in the studio, how Warren's songs were constructed, details behind each album....forget it. If you want to learn all about Zevon's personal life, the drug addiction (and his subsequent withdrawal), his rabid sex addiction, the women (verbally, mentally and sometimes physically abused by Zevon) who seemed to never go away...what IS it with groupies, anyway?...this is the book for you. It's like watching a train wreck in slow motion. And just when you think he's straightened his life out by kicking drugs and alcohol, the seemingly uncontrollable sex addiction takes over. Fascinating stuff, though I probably won't play a Zevon album for awhile. Sometimes the distant image of a favorite rock star is best left that way.Book Review: The Life and Times of an 'Excitable Boy'...
Summary: 5 Stars
Sometimes its' hard to find out the truth about your heroes. You'll read some un-authorized biography of a celebrity and half way through you'll put the book down and realize it's nothing more than a tell-all, hatchet job. You tell yourself, "I liked this person's public persona, enjoyed what they contributed to our culture and I really don't want to know these kind of facts about their personal life. In other words you really didn't want know that your heroes could be such as*h*les. It sort of ruins it for you.
Crytal Zevon's biography of her ex-husband, rocker/singer/songwriter, Warren Zevon, "I'll Sleep When I'm Dead: The Dirty Life and Times of Warren Zevon" is an aptly titled book, which is the exception to this notion. It is an oral history using the voices of the late (Warren died of cancer in 2003) rocker's friends, family, lovers, collegues and musical peers to chronicle both his life and career.
Make no mistake about it, this book dishes the dirt and describes in detail, some of the more horrible aspects of Zevon's life, which included harrowing battles with alcoholism and the disease, OCD. It shows a man who had an almost Jekyll & Hyde personality. One moment he could be loving, kind...your best friend. The next moment he could be cold, callus and dismissive, ready to cut you out of his life over the smallest things. But despite these apects of his personality, It dosn't come across as a bitter tell-all. You can tell, that the people who contributed to this book really loved and cared about this guy, despite his many faults. In the end the book paints an intimate, moving portrait of a complex man, who was literally a musical genuis in his artistic, professional life, yet, led a very messy, dysfunctional, personal life. The vibe I get from reading this book is that he will be dearly missed by a lot of people, who were important to him.
There are a lot of great quotes in this book, but my favorite comes from Warren himself. His ex-wife, Crystal quotes a conversation she had with him towards the end of his life about the writing of this book in which Warren said the following, "You are my witness. The story is yours. But you gotta promise, you'll tell 'em the whole truth, even the awful, ugly parts. Cuz, that is the guy who wrote them excitable songs". That just about says it all...
Book Review: If you're interested in a behind the scenes look- get it!
Summary: 5 Stars
I read this is 24 hours. I thought the writing style was very enjoyable and the nitty gritty details were out there for all to see (as it seems Warren wanted it). I think my favorite biography is Belushi by Judy Belushi Pisano but this is a close second. Book Review: Great Book!
Summary: 5 Stars
Regardless of Warren Zevon's character flaws and various addictions, this is a great portrait of a talented musician. If you're a Warren Zevon fan, it is a must read. I disagree with reviewers who claim this book is swayed by Crystal Zevon's need for revenge. Rather, I see this book as an undeniable expression of her love for him, as a person, musician, former husband, and father of her daughter. She did an admirable job organizing and compiling all the available data concerning his personal and professional life. I wish her much success with this book and any future writing endeavors. She deserves it!