My Notes on Lawyers Guns & Photos - Photographs and Tales of My Adventures with Warren Zevon by George Gruel
For and to George Gruel, aide-de-camp for Warren Zevon from 1978-1983.
Thanks for creating this wonderful book! As a lifelong fan of Warren William Zevon, from 1976′s “FRANK AND JESSE JAMES” to 2003′s “Keep Me In Your Heart.” He was one of the best! There is no Rock and Roll Hall of Fame until he gets in! I was thrilled to hear about your new book and bought it the day it was released. It works as a great companion piece to CRYSTAL ZEVON’S 2007 Biography “I’LL SLEEP WHEN I’M DEAD: THE DIRTY LIFE AND TIMES OF WARREN ZEVON.” As I was reading it, I felt like I was back there on tour, tagging along with Warren and yourself during his first great peak period of 1978′s “Excitable Boy” through 1982′s “THE ENVOY.” Warren would have a couple more career peaks starting with 1987′s “Sentimental Hygiene” through 1991′s “Mr. Bad Example.” Then again in 2000 with “LIFE’LL KILL YA” before ending with his 2003 Grammy Award winning heroic farewell masterpiece “The Wind.” It would be nice if someone comes forth and documents those times as well with two more scrapbooks but for now your book does a great stand-alone job of showing Warren in all his glory!
The photos are great (there is even a chapter titled “Photos by Warren” and over 150 never seen before) and the “Little Known Facts” are even better! Now knowing that the couple of loud claps going off in the beginning of “BAD LUCK STREAK IN DANCING SCHOOL” are the authentic actual sounds of Warren firing his Smith & Wesson .44 Magnum will forever give me a smile every time I hear that song anew! For my money the book is worth it just for that alone! Everything else is gravy. I can also finally give up my search for “Mohammed’s Radio” as it doesn’t exist! There is also a substantial amount of Warren’s best known lyrics, right next to the page numbers as you flip through the book. It is fun trying to place which song titles they are from! Two of my favorites are e.g. page 12 I saw a werewolf drinking a pina colada at Trader Vic’s and page 134 I predict this motel will be standing until I pay my bill.
Warren was known as a songwriter’s songwriter and that is evident by the list of over 120 Musicians that have played on Warren’s recordings. Everyone from Bob Dylan and David Letterman. Tom Petty to Bruce Springsteen on down the line to Neil Young! Warren’s response to this could be the note he wrote to himself about song writing on an old peel-off cassette label that is pictured which reads
“keep going regardless
Start songs – remember: a
title becomes a chorus becomes a verse becomes a line.”
George, I do agree with you, this is another one of the amazing things in the collection!
I won’t give away any more of the juicy tales and adventures in it, except to say that all Warren Zevon fans should do themselves a favor and buy it! (http://www.biggorillabooks.com/) It is one enjoyable read! Thanks again for sharing your special time with us and Keep on riding, riding, riding….
Your cover photograph has also inspired this shot (no pun intended) of myself!
Marc Percansky / WARREN ZEVON / MY RIDE’S HERE / 1947-2003 / 20 X 60 Wood Carved Sculpture by Ross Olsen / Flying Squirrel (http://www.chainsawsculptors.com/galleries/rossolsen/index.htm) / Acrylic Painting by Gretchen Seichrist (http://www.headquartersandimes.com/) / Copyright October 12th, 2012 / Photo by Doug Webb / Connect Artists (http://www.connectartists.com/)
LAWYERS GUNS & PHOTOS Photographs and tales of my adventures with Warren Zevon by George Gruel
Published by BIG GORILLA BOOKS
ISBN 978-0-615-61772-5
Released April 27th, 2012. 142 pages.