Warren Zevon on Letterman
Last night I Tivo'd Letterman with the Warren Zevon performance on it. As Mike said, this is great televsion. When Letterman is serious, when he's talking with someone he loves and respects, it shows up so clearly. He gives Zevon a chance to tell his story, gently coaxes the story of his lung cancer out of him. There are some laughs, tears. Zevon sings "Mutineer," which Dylan did so nicely in the shows I saw, very moving. I've been listening to Zevon's first album, the one with "Lawyers, Guns and Money," and others on it. I haven't paid a lot of attention to him over the years, since that first album, and another one along the way. My loss.
We live in a time when there is such a richness around us. There is so much great music, so many great books, great poets, storytellers, actors, painters, etc. around us, it's almost overwhelming. And the thing that really breaks your heart is that you know there are many, many wonderful artists of all stripes who don't show up on the radar of popular culture, or high art. Maybe they're just singing in a bar or in the shower, or peddling their pictures on the the street corner or acting in commercials on local TV. The world isn't big enough for all the riches it contains.
11:21:26 PM Permalink
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