Warren Zevon: A Quiet Normal Life

WARNING: Songs in this article has NSFW LANGUAGE and subject matter. Do not play Warren Zevon around kids, he will totally blow their minds, and they will learn phrases that will get them in trouble with their parents.

With that out of the way. Today I tell you about one of the albums I love. Warren Zevon's A Quiet Normal Life. If you don't think you know Warren Zevon, you totally do.

Wow! Look at that video remember when music videos could mostly be about the band playing...neither do I, I was born in the 80's.




Mr. Zevon was a songwriter whose songs got famous when other people did covers of them. Widly respected by other artists, but unknown to a huge chunk of the population aside from Werewolves of London*.  This next video is hopefully going to rectify that for you. Probably my favorite Zevon song. I'll admit it, I originally picked up on this song, because I was obsessed with the Dark Tower novels, and their hero (another gunman named Roland).

This album is full of mostly dark songs that will get stuck in your head. I could rant about how awesome this album is from beginning to end, but you can find out for yourself. Amazon sells the entire album for 5 dollars via mp3 downloads. Go now, and get this album. Unless you can't handle songs, about a headless bounty hunter, and werewolves that mutilate little old ladies**. After all these are not werewolves of teenage fiction.

*Some may feel the need to mention Kid Rock. Don't. He will be forgotten soon, as Ronnie Van Zant, and Warren Zevon will rise from the grave, and fix the problem that has besmirched their musics' great names. Or they may just hire Roland to do the deed (once he's done in Libya).

**Fair warning, the song Excitable Boy is about a psychopathic rapists. He's not idolized in the song he's just the subject matter, but if that's a sore spot feel free to delete this song after downloading.

RUSH: Beyond the Lighted Stage

There is no reason why I should not like Rush.  The guys in this power trio are consummate musicians, staunch individualists, honest, intelligent, and far enough from the mainstream to be unaffected by the tide of commercial music.  More than just that, Rush was a huge inspiration for me growing up.  The music and lyrics meant something significant to me.  Supposedly, a lot of people feel the same way, because Rush has been considered the world's largest cult band.

With that said, it's kind of strange that their entire story hasn't been told until now.  Last year, a documentary came out, Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage, that goes in depth with the history, dynamics, influence, trials, tribulations, and musical evolution of the group.  It's a thoughtful and well-crafted film that gives the band its due time in the limelight (pun intended).

For Rush fans, it's a smorgasbord of footage, especially old footage that featured founding drummer John Rutsey, which has never before been seen by most people.  Along with the band reminiscing their career, there's a lot of interviews with other rock stars, solidifying the fact that Rush is one of the most influential bands to other musicians.

While there is a lot for the Rush fan to love, there really is something that even those who aren't so attuned to Rush's music can appreciate.  Whether or not you're a Rush geek, this movie will give you a newfound respect for the guys in the band, as individuals and musicians.  If you're a Rush fan and you don't own this, get this movie, now.



Next week, I'm doing a video (gasp).  Yeah, I know, you get to see how homely I am, you unfortunate bastards.  I'm gonna showcase my new toy, the Retron3, and give you my impressions.