Nothing's bad luck : the lives of Warren Zevon

Nothing's bad luck The lives of Warren Zevon

C. M. Kushins

Book - 2019

"As is the case with so many musicians, the life of Warren Zevon was blessed with talent and opportunity yet also beset by tragedy and setbacks. Raised mostly by his mother with an occasional cameo from his gangster father, Warren had an affinity and talent for music at an early age. Taking to the piano and guitar almost instantly, he began imitating and soon creating songs at every opportunity. After an impromptu performance in the right place at the right time, a record deal landed on the lap of a teenager who was eager to set out on his own and make a name for himself. But of course, where fame is concerned, things are never quite so simple. Drawing on original interviews with those closest to Zevon, including Crystal Zevon, Jackson... Browne, Mitch Albom, Danny Goldberg, Barney Hoskyns, and Merle Ginsberg, Nothing's Bad Luck tells the story of one of rock's greatest talents. Journalist C.M. Kushins not only examines Zevon's troubled personal life and sophisticated, ever-changing musical style, but emphasizes the moments in which the two are inseparable, and ultimately paints Zevon as a hot-headed, literary, compelling, musical genius worthy of the same tier as that of Bob Dylan and Neil Young. In Nothing's Bad Luck, Kushins at last gives Warren Zevon the serious, in-depth biographical treatment he deserves, making the life of this complex subject accessible to fans old and new for the very first time."--Amazon.com.

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Subjects
Zevon, Warren.
Rock musicians > United States > Biography.
Biographies.
Genres
Biographies
Published
New York, NY : Da Capo 2019.
Language
English
Main Author
C. M. Kushins (author)
Edition
First edition
Item Description
Includes discography (pages 365-372).
Physical Description
viii, 406 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations ; 24 cm
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references (pages 373-381) and index.
ISBN
9780306921483
9780306921476
  • Overature
  • Part 1. Sons Noir
  • Chapter 1. (1903-1966)
  • Chapter 2. (1966-1970)
  • Chapter 3. (1970-1976)
  • Chapter 4. (1977-1979)
  • Chapter 5. (1979-1980)
  • Chapter 6. (1980-1983)
  • Part 2. Heavy Metal Folk
  • Chapter 7. (1983)
  • Chapter 8. (1984-1987)
  • Chapter 9. (1988-1990)
  • Chapter 10. (1990-1995)
  • Part 3. Adult Contemporary
  • Chapter 11. (1995-2002)
  • Part 4. The Last Temptation of Warren William Zevon
  • Chapter 12. (2002-2003)
  • Chapter 13. A Leaf in the Wind
  • Coda
  • Discography
  • Sources
  • Acknowledgments
  • Index
Review by Booklist Review

Warren Zevon had a reputation for being a tough guy, a singular artist, and an excitable boy who sang about lawyers, guns, money, and werewolves. First-time author Kushins examines Zevon's heritage as the son of a WASP mother and a Ukrainian-Jewish professional-gambler father with organized crime ties; mastery of songwriting and smooth-talking ; recording career; love of the rock-and-roll lifestyle; substance and alcohol abuse issues; and a life-long phobia about doctors. Kushins captures the essence of the brooding yet wickedly witty singer. Zevon could be wildly irresponsible, his behavior erratic even on a good day, and, worse, many of his years were wasted in self-loathing. It wasn't for nothing that Zevon once told the Chicago Tribune that All my songs are really about fear. He was known, and admired, for his acerbic lyrics, but also for his lovely ballads, including his swan song, Keep Me in Your Heart. No less than the great Irish poet Paul Muldoon collaborated with him. A straightforward account, including a comprehensive discography, of Zevon's fascinating creative life cut short by mesothelioma when he was only 56.--June Sawyers Copyright 2019 Booklist

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review

With refreshing candor, journalist and musician Kushins traces the ups and downs of Warren Zevon's incendiary life and music career in intimate detail. Drawing on interviews with Zevon's family, friends, and fellow musicians, Kushins provides a year-by-year chronicle of his subject's struggles to stay sober, write songs, and make records. Born in Chicago in 1947 to a bookie father and Mormon mother who divorced, Zevon gravitated to music in junior high and developed a love of classical music to which he would return later in life. By the time he was 20, he was writing songs prolifically and in 1976 released his first record, Warren Zevon, to critical acclaim. Zevon had been drinking heavily throughout his 30s, and in 1984 he entered rehab. A sober Zevon in 1987 released Sentimental Hygiene, which contained his humorous take on rehab in the song "Detox Mansion," which was "a deliberate push in introducing Warren to a new generation of fans." When Zevon was diagnosed with cancer in 2002, he worked tirelessly to finish The Wind, which was released just before he died the following year. Kushins's energetic writing and his deep dive into Zevon's life and music offers a rounded and complete portrait of an enigmatic musician. (May) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Library Journal Review

In the first proper biography of Warren Zevon since his untimely death in 2003, Kushins crafts a thorough and unvarnished portrait of this legendary yet troubled musician. Zevon was a brilliant and cutting lyricist who achieved mainstream success through only a handful of songs, such as "Werewolves of London" and "Lawyers, Guns and Money." Linda Ronstadt had repeated success covering some of his early songs, but it's likely that his idiosyncratic style relegated him to the status of cult favorite. Zevon dealt with multiple addictions and obsessive-compulsive disorder throughout his life, and they are well documented here, as are a number of fierce friendships and romantic relationships that probably kept him alive during the 1970s and 1980s. Ex-wife Crystal Zevon published a forthright oral biography of Zevon in 2007 (I'll Sleep When I'm Dead), and Kushins interviewed many of the same sources for this new book. While the overall story of Zevon's life and career is given equal treatment in both works, Kushins's benefits from being a more objective overview. -VERDICT An engaging and worthwhile read for Zevon's devoted fans.- Peter Thornell, Hingham P.L., MA © Copyright 2019. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

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