Jubilation In The Land: Warren Zevon Finally Enters The Rock Hall

“Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum
Hoist the mainsail, here I come
Ain’t no room on board for the insincere
You’re my witness
I’m your mutineer.”

Warren Zevon said the song “Mutineer,” from the 1995 album of the same name, was his love letter to his loyal fans. At that point, their dedication was worthy of the attention. I first saw him in concert in July of that year while he was touring with an Irish band, the Odds. I had just returned from the last of my 138 Grateful Dead concerts, the disastrous final show at Deer Creek in Indianapolis. As I wrote in my first book, Drunk On Sunday (which Glide generously reviewed in 2020), my life was at a crossroads. It turns out that Zevon’s was as well. He was on Giant Records after being unceremoniously dropped by Asylum in 1982. The ensuing period, now classified as his “second comeback,” was recently celebrated on this year’s Record Store Day with the 4 LP set Piano Fighter: Giant Years.

At the time, it didn’t feel like a comeback for him. I felt similarly lost. I had gotten myself fired from my first real job after college. My favorite football team, the Chargers, finally reached the Super Bowl. As a kid, that’s all I ever thought I wanted, but I never considered how it would feel if they lost, let alone by twenty-three points. Mutineer was Zevon’s last album until Life’ll Kill Ya on Artemis in 2000, which marked the third, and sadly final, era of his career. As most people undoubtedly know, he passed away from mesothelioma in 2003.

Back in 2016, I wrote a Glide piece about the injustice of Zevon never even being nominated for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. That article remains the work from which I have elicited the most enthusiastic feedback. As of this writing, it has 73 comments. After it ran, Warren’s family and colleagues reached out to thank and congratulate me. They also shared their doubt that he would ever actually get into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Simply put, then-Chairman Jann Wenner had essentially blackballed Zevon for the drunkenness and gunplay that landed him on the cover of Rolling Stone in 1981. The hypocrisy is beyond glaring, given what we now know about Wenner, who privately pledged that Zevon would never receive support from the magazine or, eventually, the Rock Hall. 

In 2020, I wrote about Zevon again for Glide. I had just published my first book and hoped that maybe the Hall (Jann Wenner had been replaced as Chairman by John Skyes) had softened enough on Zevon. Bruce Springsteen, one of his Zevon’s collaborators and supporters, released Letter to You, which included “Janey Needs a Shooter,” a song he aborted in the 1970s and “gave” to Zevon. Jorge Calderon, one of Warren’s closest collaborators, recently told the story of how, after Zevon showed up obliterated at one of Springsteen’s shows, the Boss fed him coffee and took care of him all night. Springsteen, who played Portland’s Paramount Theater on December 18, 1978, also honored Zevon by joining him for the encore at his own show the night before at the Paramount. They appropriately dueted on “I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead.”

Eddie Vedder performed “Keep Me In Your Heart” to celebrate David Letterman’s receipt of the Mark Twain prize in May of 2017. Vedder knew little of Zevon before, other than Letterman’s long-time championing of him and his music. Letterman, of course, inducted Pearl Jam into the Rock Hall a month later. Vedder would later perform the song on the Howard Stern Show and eventually in Pearl Jam concerts on the Dark Matter tour, during his solo acoustic slot before the “encores.” 

Then, in 2023, Zevon finally appeared on the ballot for the Rock Hall. I returned here to Glide to discuss the possibility of his finally getting in. I, like so many others, voted every day on the Hall’s site to show my support. In the end, he placed third, behind George Michael and Cyndi Lauper and ahead of Iron Maiden and Soundgarden. Only George Michael was inducted from that group, and it truly felt like the window for Zevon to get in had closed. When he didn’t appear on the ballot the following year, I, along with almost all of Warren’s fans, essentially gave up. That November, Shooter Jennings reprised his “Werewolves of Los Angeles” project in Brooklyn for a one-off performance. The show was on the surface a promotion for the release of the live album of the band’s debut from 2022. But the event, held two days before the album dropped, was really a “fuck you” to the Rock Hall. Shooter Jennings and the Werewolves of Los Angeles Do Zevon was released on November 3, the same night of the induction ceremony at the nearby Barclays Center.

Sitting among the 500 people at the show that night, I felt comfort that so many others were still angry at Zevon’s omission. No one privately held much hope for his induction, but we had a great time singing along to the music that meant so much to us. Then, on New Year’s Eve of 2024, John Skyes did an interview for Vulture, which revived some optimism. Devon Irie, who wrote the piece, went through all the bands with Skyes that had been snubbed over the years. She asked about the Pixies, and he said: “Yes, the Pixies have been discussed. There’s been a group of nominees who’ve been passionate about the Pixies. The same thing with Warren Zevon, who actually did get on the ballot one year. I’m passionate about Warren, and he’ll get in, too.”

I did a double-take upon reading and went back to make sure I wasn’t kidding myself. After confirming he had indeed said this about Zevon, I still felt there was little chance of it happening. I found that most fans shared my skepticism after reposting the interview in every dedicated Facebook group to the cause I already belonged to. Since 2016, I have tweeted “No Zevon, No Give A Shit” every year when a new class is inducted. When Zevon’s official account responded, “Ross has spoken,” I figured that was as close as I would get to seeing him inducted. 

Then, on April 27, American Idol announced on air that Warren Zevon would be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. My phone started blowing up. He wasn’t even nominated, and I certainly wasn’t watching the show. I was actually focused on the Chargers’ draft haul that weekend. It turned out that Zevon would be inducted as a. “Musical influence,” which didn’t require him to be on the ballot. Some fans bemoaned this wasn’t a real induction, since he wasn’t voted in as a performer. I was just happy he got in. I was surprised at how emotional I felt that Sunday. Being a super fan of anything can sometimes bring that feeling when things work out, however rarely it happens. In retrospect, I think the “musical influence” category was how Skyes kept his promise about Zevon. He wouldn’t have to be nominated or survive the “selection process.” Salt-N-Pepa were also inducted as a “musical influence,” and they didn’t seem to mind one bit. In fact, they blew the room off the Peacock Center so much so that when David Letterman fittingly stepped onstage to induct Zevon, he told the crowd he wouldn’t blame them if they went home after their performance.

When my 14-year-old son asked if I would finally take him to Los Angeles for a Chargers game this year, I said we could only swing it if it happened to be the weekend of the ceremony. The stars aligned, and as Lin-Manuel Miranda would say, we got to be in the room where it happened. The entire show was fantastic and is currently available on Disney+. Incidentally, Soundgarden and Cyndi Lauper, who were also snubbed in that 2023 vote, also got in that night.

Letterman’s speech, and the video tribute that featured Springsteen, Don Henley, Jackson Browne, Jorge Calderon, and Waddy Wachtel, spoke not only to Zevon’s family, who sat at a table in front of the stage, but to all who fought and waited for this moment. There were others at the Peacock Theatre who were clearly there for the same purpose, although Soundgarden definitely had the largest contingent present.

Rob Bleetstein, who does double duty on Sirius XM’s Grateful Dead and Pearl Jam channels, kindly lent me his photos for this from Compton Terrace when Zevon opened for the Dead. As I mentioned in that first Glide article, Zevon’s first appearance in front of Deadheads in 1978 was seen as a drunken disaster at the time. The band covered “Werewolves of London” that year. It’s the only time the Dead played a song currently on the charts, unless you count “La Bamba” in 1987. At my first sho,w they did so in the middle of “Good Lovin’.” In that case, the song was only on the radio because of the movie of the same name and because Jerry Garcia was closely connected to Los Lobos, which sang Valens’ music on the soundtrack. Incidentally, Warren Zevon returned the favor and covered the Dead’s “hit” Casey Jones on the 1991 tribute album Deadicated with the late David Lindley. Along with Shooter Jennings’ album, the result is well worth your time.

After the video tribute, Letterman recounted the 2002 Late Show episode dedicated entirely to Zevon. He announced his diagnosis on air and famously told us all to appreciate life by enjoying every sandwich. This mantra has been quoted in countless places, including Rabbi Steve Leder’s invaluable tome on grieving, The Beauty of What Remains. I shouldn’t be surprised by the places Zevon references pop up. As Jackson Browne said on video, he’s finally being honored as a musical influence, even though no one else currently does what he did.

After Letterman picked up the guitar Zevon gave him after saying goodbye for good in 2002, he introduced the Killers and Waddy Wachtel to officially put the man where he always belonged, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Brandon Flowers sang “Lawyers, Guns, and Money” with all the power needed and threw in a few “Ah-hoos” to reference Zevon’s most famous song. The fact that they didn’t play it and only performed a single composition was incredibly fitting. Or, as certain werewolf’s hair could be described while drinking a pina colada at Trader Vic’s,

It was perfect.

To quote the song that officially ushered Zevon into the hall, the shit has officially now hit the fan. He was once the innocent bystander, but now he’s rock royalty.

Thanks to Jordan Zevon, Adam Unger, C.M. Kushins, George Gruel, and of course to my son Aaron for making the trip with me.