Accidentally Like a Martyr: The Tortured Art of Warren Zevon by James CampionMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
I’ve read a few books and articles on Warren Zevon. They all seem different, focusing on different things. This one was quite focused on the music, especially the lyrics. You still get a great feel for the person, with many friends, relatives, and musicians interviewed and plenty of anecdotes. But this one comes not from the mind of a biographer, but from the mind of a rock critic. I grew up reading Rolling Stone and the like, and found that some of the music writers really focused on what I’ve come to call the hyperbolic writing style. These writers have never met a metaphor they couldn’t stretch into extremes. You picture them breathlessly typing with maniacal smiles as they try to top their last pithy yet over-the-top phrase describing some aspect of a song. What I actually picture is Mel Gibson in “Conspiracy Theory” or John Nash in “A Beautiful Mind”, with bulletin boards full of snippets of info connected with yarn. The best rock writers share this belief in hyperbolic connectedness with conspiracy theorists.
Ends up I enjoy an occasional trip through a conspiracy theory, and likewise through a rock critic talking about a whole lot of songs. So many things can mean so many things, sometimes it’s just fun to go along with the author. That’s what I did here. Fun ride. And overall, I found I liked this better than those other Zevon books and stories because it’s aimed at the fan who wants to get a glimpse behind the scenes of the songs and the person. I enjoyed the detailed review of lyrics throughout, and I even liked the many references to authors and books that influenced Zevon. This is a real fan’s book. I don’t think people that aren’t already fans of Zevon would appreciate this as much.
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