I'll Sleep When I'm Dead

Warren Zevon's last album recently came out. I've only heard a couple tracks from it so far, on the radio, and while they seemed more subdued than, say, "Excitable Boy" "Mr. Bad Example", or "Lawyers, Guns, & Money" they were solid stuff. The Wind is not a bad way to go out.

For those unaware, Zevon's been living under a death sentence the past year: a diagnosis of terminal lung cancer. His response was to start recording another album. Of course there was no shortage of famous friends who went out of their way to lend their performances - and moral support - to the recording sessions. But the focus is still on him, and I trust him to pull it off; only a man with his wry attitude toward mortality would have the artistic guts to record "Knockin' On Heaven's Door" while he's doing so himself.

I've heard some people say that they hope this isn't really Zevon's last album, that he'll live to record more, etc. I hope not. Don't get me wrong: I'd be happier if he were healthy, and I'd love it if he could stick around and share more of his talent with us. But personally, I wish him a timely departure, with a minimum of discomfort. Nobody ever gets enough time to do everything they wanted, but his goal was to record one more album, and despite some times when it looked like he wasn't going to finish... he did. He lived the see the birth of his twin grandchildren. But he's too weak for a "farewell tour", or even to do publicity interviews for the album. Short of a miracle (yeah, right), he's not going to get any better. From what little I know of the man from his recordings, and based on everything I've read, he's as ready to die as a person can be. Sounds like the right time to go. We should all be so lucky.

Sleep well, Warren. Thanks.