| Keep Me In Your Heart | | Date Created: Mar 19, 2005, 03:25 PM |
 What would you do if you were diagnosed with lung cancer and told you had only three months to live? If you were singer/songwriter Warren Zevon, you'd decide to write as many songs as your health allowed and film the recording of your final album. The result is a somber but heartwarming farewell card from a superb artist.
"This is my gift to my friends and family," Zevon explains.
The documentary first aired on VH-1 as (Inside) Out; Warren Zevon, and the Keep Me in Your Heart DVD is now available. It includes extended interviews with Zevon and many segments not included in the original documentary. It's highly recommended if you'd like to watch something with more heart and emotion than car chases and explosions.
The son of a Russian gangster, Zevon was more of a critic's fave than commercial success, but he will forever be known for his songs infused with humor and death like Werewolves of London, Poor Poor Pitiful Me and Exciteable Boy.
The film is a delicate look at Zevon, who refused chemotherapy until he was able to finish his album. Stars like Bruce Springsteen, Jackson Browne, Dwight Yoakam, Tom Petty, Don Henley, Joe Walsh and others come to offer their musical talents as their farewell to Zevon. (Click for a preview of the finished album "The Wind" .) Or click to the official Warren Zevon site.
Zevon muses he has abandoned reading since being diagnosed, and shares one of his favorite quotes: "we love to buy books because we believe we're buying the time to read them," from late 18th/early 19th century philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer. Zevon managed to surpass the doctor's prognosis to live slightly longer than a year following the diagnosis.
In addition to touching moments with his children (his daughter was pregnant with twins at the time of the filming), each meeting and farewell has an emotional resonance that defies description, including a sequence of Zevon flying across the country to make his final public appearance on the David Letterman show.
Zevon's advice to Letterman: "Enjoy every sandwich..." |
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