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: Bad Karma for a Musical Genius = Terrific Book
Summary: 5 Stars
During his long demise to cancer, Warren Zevon asked his ex-wife, Crystal, to write a book about his life; it was something they had discussed in the 1970s, but until this point little thought had been given to this project. Warren gave Crystal instructions to include everything, both the good and bad parts of his life. The written story of Warren Zevon's life resulted in "I'll Sleep When I'm Dead: The Dirty Life and Times of Warren Zevon."
Crystal Zevon has done a masterful job of interviewing the performing masters of the last 40 years, friends, lovers and acquaintances of Warren, co-workers and using Warren's diaries and notes to develop a chronological picture of Warren Zevon. From a troubled childhood to a successful songwriter to a performer who hit the top of the charts; to a brilliant performer who could never quite shake his demons; to a brilliant man with a large variety of interests to a man with obsessive compulsive disorders; to an estranged father to a father with children that shared mutual love: this and much more constituted Warren Zevon.
I am a Warren Zevon fan and have been one for more than 30 years. I thought he was the best songwriter around, and it's nice to see that so many other performers felt some degree of the same way. At the same time, it hurts to read about his many problems, oftentimes self-inflicted. But as with other people that we consider heroes that had the nerve to show us that they are human, one cannot take away the achievements of Warren Zevon through his music and its meaning. Feet of clay - we all have them. Warren's intellect, creativity and musical ability - that is what I will remember the man for. Crystal Zevon's wonderful book has opened the life of a gifted man, and I highly recommend reading it. Sometimes it just ain't too pretty at all. But then I'd rather feel bad than feel nothing at all.
Book Review: Brilliant
Summary: 5 Stars
Possibly the greatest book ever written about a Rock Musician. The highest highs and the lowest lows. Even if you know nothing about Warren or music in general - you wont be able to put this book down.
Crystal Zevon has created a the ultimate loving tribute you her late ex-husband. The woman deserves a medal for having to endure some of the things that happened in this book.
Book Review: Essential For Warren Zevon Fans
Summary: 4 Stars
I could count on one hand the number of celebrity biographies I have read in my life but I am such a huge Warren Zevon fan that this was irresistible. I was expecting either a laundry list of "rock 'n roll bad boy" stories or a superficial memoir by a wife trying to cash in on a rock star's death. To my surprise this was neither. It is an honest, brutally frank (without being sensationalistic), multi-sided look at the life of a very multi-sided personality. Everything from his family history to his early years in Los Angeles to his unfortunate but seemingly inevitable death from lung cancer is fascinating. With a very large dose of reminisceneses from those who knew him best during the various chapters of his life this is probably about as objective and accurate an account of his life as could be possible. A must for Warren Zevon fans. Book Review: Riveting story
Summary: 5 Stars
This book explores the career of Warren Zevon, from his childhood and earliest song-writing efforts in the early 1960s through his death from lung cancer in 2003. Crystal Zevon met Warren in 1970 and they married in 1974. Although they divorced in the early 1980s, Cyrstal remained a friend and confidante for the rest of his life, and when Warren was diagnosed with terminal cancer, he asked Crystal to write his life's story. She immediately began gathering information about Warren's life by reading his journals and interviewing many of Warren's fellow musicians, friends, family members, and lovers. Crystal, a talented playwright, presents all of this material as a dialog, using the direct words of the interviewees, all skillfully woven together to recreate the story of Warren's life in chronological order. The book is illustrated with black and white pictures throughout the text. End material includes a "Who's who" list of the many people whose lives intersected with Warren's in some way.
From the very beginning of his career, Warren Zevon was known for his powerful lyrics, which could be simultaneously hysterical and profound. In this book, Crystal recounts some of the tales behind classic Zevon songs like "Excitable Boy". She also sheds light on his darker side. Warren's public problems with drinking were well-known in the popular press by the late 1970s and early 1980s, when he appeared drunk on stage or had to cancel concerts for rehab treatments. In this book, Crystal fills in more of the details, describing not only Warren's excesses and losses due to his alcoholism, but also his battle for sobriety and his many years of clear-thinking, when his song writing reached new heights. This book is fascinating biography and a well-rounded examination of one of the leading song-writers of the Twentieth Century.
Book Review: Don't It Make You Want To Rock and Roll
Summary: 5 Stars
An alternate title to Crystal Zevon's oral history of Warren's life could be "It Aint That Pretty At All," because this is not a pretty story. It is a memorable story though. Warren Zevon was a man and musician of many contradictions, and those are superbly cataloged in this brilliant history. This collection of memories truly lives up to Warren's expectations of it. Warren and Crystal discuss a posthumous book on his "dirty life and times," and Warren declares, "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." (P.430)
Warren Zevon was a musical genius and undeniably literate writer who never "dumbed down" his material for popularity's sake. I've been a fan since the late 70s, but I never knew the extent of his obsessive-compulsions or womanizing. Even by LA rock star standards, Warren's legend stands out. He was Mr. Bad Example," and he knew it; more than once he was quoted as claiming, "I got to be Jim Morrison a lot longer than he did." One of this book's best examples of this is the hilarious true story of his rubbing a pot roast all over his chest, inspiring the lyrics to Excitable Boy.
I am saddened by the discrepancy between the tremendous esteem many of Warren's peers had for him and his talent (Springsteen, Mitch Albom, and Billy Bob Thornton) and the indifference of the public and most of the industry. This began to be rectified at the end of his life, and as the book demonstrates, like many fallen idols, he'll be more respected as an artist in death than he ever was alive.
Crystal Zevon's style makes this volume easily digestible. Kudos to her and the editors for capturing Warren's spirit. This book includes entries from Warren's diary, but these are only to clarify events. The story is told by those closest to WZ. For both the insight into his madness and the illustration of the scope of his genius, I cannot recommend this book any higher. Congratulations Crystal, you've captured Warren on paper.