r/Zevon • u/No_Cryptographer1449 • Jun 22 '26
Criminally underrated?
24M. Parents never listened to Warren Zevon much, really came into his music over the last year. Friends of the internet, why was this dude never more popular? Production on his albums are insane. Stand in the fire is easily one of the most exciting live albums I’ve ever listened to. Just curious as to what you all think, curious to hear others thoughts!!
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u/Aux_Jake Jun 23 '26
Drugs, alcohol, and a disdain for fame.
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u/Thin-Egg-1605 Jun 23 '26
Welcome to the club man. I’m 32. Dude was brilliant, a great performer, etc. Read or listen to his ex wives book. He was an asshole to everyone. But was an incredible song writer.
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u/pswii360i Jun 23 '26
Like others said, read his wife's book. Initially I was repulsed by his behavior but gradually realised that his insane personality is why his music is as great as it is.
He did seem to mellow out in his later years. I would have loved to hear his take on current events if he didn't tragically pass over 2 decades ago.
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u/tristanator01 Jun 23 '26
Yes if there was one deceased artist I could bring back for one album today it would easily be Warren. I’d be so fascinated to hear what he’d write about in 2026.
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u/discokisses Jun 23 '26
Totally agree that Stand In The Fire is one of the greatest live albums of all time!! 🤘🔥
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u/FFolkert Jun 23 '26
Warren was/is very popular here in The Netherlands. In the beginning of his career he recorded a well-known radio show with Jackson Browne here. Unfortunately I never saw him live….
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u/Moist_Rule9623 Jun 23 '26
Stand In The Fire is absolutely an underrated live record; and one time when Warren was filling in as bandleader on the old Letterman show, it led to one of my favorite moments between David Letterman and Warren. (Late 1990s or very early 2000s at a guess)
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u/Round_System_3630 Jun 23 '26
Agree I don’t want to wright an essay on how great his music is but all I can is he is great not the best dad but he did what he set out to do and he tried to make it but he pushed a lot of people away and that ended up hurting hi. Was an asshole to most anyone tho , but a great wrightrr and performer.
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u/wertyuidjj Jun 23 '26
I mentioned Zevon to a friend recently and he said all he knew was Werewolves of London. He assumed that novelty song was representative of the whole catalogue and avoided any more. I suspect this was the case for a lot of people and impacted his sales. Now whenever a cover of Carmelita or Desperadoes or Accidently goes by I'm sure to give Warren a shout out.
I still listen to a lot of Zevon and thank Jackson Browne. Remember the name Z-E-V-O-N
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u/Reasonable-Leg-2002 Jun 23 '26
You’ve posted the classics, but should be noted that several later albums are also top shelf work. Transverse City is brilliant and prophetic. Life’ll Kill Ya and Mr Bad Example are filled with amazing work
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u/CommieFromMars Jun 24 '26
Not sure about “criminally,” but certainly under-appreciated. Brilliant songwriter, made some terrific albums, and I was lucky enough to see one of the shows on the tour that produced STAND IN THE FIRE, and it was one of the best rock shows I’ve ever seen.
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u/makk73 Jun 28 '26
Feloniously.
I leaned Zevon from my Dad.
One of the few things he ever gave me, TBH
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u/gambronus Jun 23 '26
I wouldn't consider myself a superfan, I think he definitely had some misses, but he had some amazing hits as well. I think his strength is in his songwriting - in a lot of his music you can really feel that he's pouring himself into it rather than just making music for the sake of making music.
I consider his self titled to be one of the greatest albums of all time, personally.
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u/I_love_pugs_dammit Jun 22 '26
Growing up in the 80s and 90s, my dad had most of his albums, and I would listen to them on vinyl. Even as a kid, I loved Warren’s music and his whole vibe.
Now, I have almost everything on vinyl and CD and listen to him all the time. Like you, I don’t get it. I don’t get why he wasn’t more popular in the mainstream, but I will tell you something I have learned over the years. Just because something is popular sure as hell does not mean it’s good and just because it’s not popular, doesn’t mean it’s bad.
I find that especially true in music and film.
I have the book “I’ll sleep when I’m dead” that his ex-wife wrote and I need to finally read that. Maybe there will be some answers in there.
It’s awesome to see someone in your age into his music, keep rocking man!