Accidentally Like a Martyr: The Tortured Art of Warren Zevon

by James Campion

Warren Zevon songs are like chapters in a great American novel. Its story lies in the heart of his and our psyche. The lines are blurred. We never seem to know if we are looking in a mirror or peering through a window; we only know that when we listen we see something . The music sets the scene his voice a striking baritone, its narrator our guide through a labyrinth of harrowing narratives. The plot unfolds without subtlety; each musical and lyrical arc awakens imagination. In Accidentally Like a Martyr: The Tortured Art of Warren Zevon, music journalist James Campion presents 13 essays on seminal Zevon songs and albums that provide context to the themes, inspirations, and influence of one of America's most literate songwriters. In-depth interviews with Zevon's friends and colleagues provide first-person accounts of how the music was lived, composed, recorded, and performed. Longtime fans of this most uniquely tortured artist, as well as those who want to discover his work for the first time, will get inside the mind, talent, and legacy of the wildly passionate Excitable Boy.

Genres: Music, Nonfiction, Biography

290 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2018

Reviews

[Malcolm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ostensibly a collection of 10 essays by music critic James Campion about the inimitable and irreplaceable Warren Zevon.

The introduction purports that each essay focuses on a single song but that really isn't the case. Each essay meanders through a Zevon album, spending about equal time on the prominent songs therein. The essays are in chronological order so the book also serves as an artistic biography of the man.

The essays are insightful, giving historical and artistic context to each song discussed.

If you're a fan, it's an emotional journey culminating in Zevon's death. If you're not a fan, why are you reading this book?

My only complaint is it pitching itself as something it isn't. It isn't a scholarly analysis of Zevon's work. It is a biography of the man as told through his art. It isn't 10 essays, it is 1 continuous essay covering Zevon's entire life. It openly gives deference to Zevon's earlier work, which I disagree with. I think the albums that Warren made from the 90s on are, on average, superior to the work of his early career (With the exception of Desperadoes Under the Eaves, which is Warren's best song. The book and I appear to be in agreement about this).

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have a bias. My father and I danced to "Tenderness on the Block" at my wedding reception and now that my dance partner of that day is gone, I remember him while "Keep Me in Your Heart" plays in my mind. Despite this strong bias, the writing bothered me and made me pay attention to it rather than to the story too many times to be able to fully immerse myself in the book. (A strong editor would have taken care of the diction, subject/verb agreement, and sometimes circuitous sentences.) Despite my aversion to the writing, some pretty strong tears accompanied the book's ending. If you are a fan of Mr. Zevon's work, take this one on and persevere.

[Raymond Rusinak · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a beautiful & fitting tribute to one of the greatest songwriters of our lifetime. From the very opening chapter (dedicated to Desperados Under The Eaves) I was transfixed by it. Using specific songs from throughout Warren’s career as a starting point, the book is more than just a looking glass at the man but also a magnifying glass to the man’s words.

The closing chapter, from the David Letterman story onward pretty much left me bawling my eyes out like a baby with a bad diaper rash.

Great job and thank you to James Campion for sharing this with us.

[Katherine Coble · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is more akin to what I hoped Crystal Zevon’s book would be. I like focusing on the songs as biography, seeing as that’s how most of us fans perceive him.

There’s still the edge of heartbreak, to read about his heartbreak and the hearts he broke in turn. But the music...

I’ve been a Zevon fan since his first appearance on Letterman. I was 12. I’m 52 now. His is the soundtrack of my life, and in a real way this book shows that the music is the best biography of Zevon we could ever have.

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

A compelling biography. It could have titled portrait of the Artist As a Young asshole...but again that is part of Zevon's genius. A must read for fans of the man.

[Jay French · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[Patrick · Rating 2 out of 5]

As another reviewer noted, this is not really the series of essays about Zevon songs it purports to be, but rather a biography told through the mirror of Zevon's songs. In terms of biography, Campion inevitably covers a lot of the same ground as Crystal Zevon's biography, I'll Sleep When I'm Dead, but he also conducts interviews that she missed, and provides more detail on recordings and performances.

This book is for Zevon fanatics, and James Campion is a much bigger Warren Zevon fan than I am. I think he wrote some great songs, and a lot of not-so-great songs, but, for Campion, Zevon is among the greatest songwriters of our age, and every word is worth poring over and elucidating. He often goes into etymology, and attempts to tie every lyric to personal events in Zevon's life. I have no doubt that Zevon's experiences and reading were the source of his songs, but there's a lot here that's very tenuous, and then there's simply a lot of overwriting and rewriting - this book could have been cut in half without reducing the content. (I tend to disagree with some of Campion's interpretations as well - "Poor Poor Pitiful Me" has always seemed to me completely ironic, but Campion believes that Zevon was documenting actual woeful treatment at the hands of women.)

[Liz O'Connor · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wasn't a fan of or very familiar with Warren Zevon but after hearing the author read an excerpt from the book, I was curious. It turned out to be a new favorite book and I'm recommending it highly. It's formatted in essays which I enjoyed, making natural breaks for reading and absorbing information (new to me) both biographical and musical. The title may not be upbeat, but to the contrary in reading the book, I learned, laughed, marvelled and grew to cherish the artist and person that Warren Zevon was. It's admirably crafted with depths of insight by James Campion who shares personal bits in the telling which creates an even more enlivening read.

[Gregory Thompson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a Warren Zevon tragic - which, unfortunately is an apt description of Zevon's life. I first discovered his music in the late 70's due to my interest in Jackson Browne's music and been a fan ever since. There's probably not a better lyricist in popular music. I read Crystal Zevon's book some years back and enjoyed it. I think the fires currently taking place in LA (my adopted hometown) in Jan 2025 prompted me to re-engage with Zevon's music as he represents this town to me - its hopes and dreams as well as its tawdry failures. California may not be falling into the ocean but it is sure going through some existential crises!
Listening to his music again prompted me to catch up on a couple of books about the man - his music and his demons. Given this, I downloaded and read the short version of two Zevon biographies:
Nothing's Bad Luck: The Lives of Warren Zevon by C.M. Kushins
Accidentally Like a Martyr: The Tortured Art of Warren Zevon by James Campion
More by good luck than good management, the shortened version of these two books ended up giving me a more rounded view of the man and his music.
Nothing's Bad Luck explores Warren's family background and takes a chronological approach. An unconventional and peripatetic childhood is an understatement! I was aware of his father's chequered background as a petty mobster but was not familiar with the fractured relationship he had with his Mormon-raised mother who subsequently remarried and basically left Warren to fend for himself. Fend for himself he did as he poured his energy into music - both classical and popular. Starting out in a duo with a high school girlfriend he was focused on his craft from an early age and bounced around doing a variety of jobs, including acting as musical director for the Everly Brothers. Zevon remained on the fringes of the SoCal music scene but that was not a bad place to be with all the talent and creativity emerging in LA at that time. As Zevon saw his use-by date drawing close he moved to Spain for a while but was encouraged to return by Jackson Browne who produced Zevon's self-titled album in 1976 (probably my second favorite album after his producer's Late For The Sky album from 1974). What would Zevon's career be like without the spectre of alcoholism hanging over him? The common wisdom in the 70's was that drugs and booze helped fuel creativity - that myth has been put to rest, but while I'm sure his career would have been different, I do not think he would have compromised his musical visions to be an Eagle.
Accidentally Like a Martyr, on the other hand, uses his song catalog as a means to better understand the man. With chapter titles of some of his more famous songs (Desperadoes Under the Eaves, Poor Poor Pitiful Me etc etc) he delves into the lyrics to get at the man - what he terms the "Zevon Corner". The author speaks to many of Zevon's friends and contemporaries to achieve this goal. Many of his songs were semi-autobiographical but overlaid with over-the-top characters. He was able to meld romance, irony, sardonic humor, desperation into a story that was about him, but spoke to us all. In this regard I like the quote from Bruce Springsteen that Zevon was "a moralist in cynic's clothing".
Warren died in 2003 at 56 years of age. In reading these book excerpts I also revisited his last appearance on the Letterman show. His life may have been cut short from a disease, but I suspect that, good or bad, he enjoyed every sandwich.
Side note: check out Dawes version of Desperadoes Under the Eaves on the Letterman show on You Tube - a great rendition. Another side note: check out Counting Crows version of Carmelita as well. Two great current bands paying homage to a unique songwriter.

[Thomas Thieme · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like opinionated books. I don't have to agree with everything but it's always interesting to read something passionate about a subject that really matters to the author. If I wanted to read something that only saw things the way I do, why read it? Tell me something I didn't know, something new to think about. Convince me something is better or worse than I thought. This is one of those books. Warren Zevon had to deal with "Werewolves of London", a freak hit played regularly at Halloween, hanging around his neck for most of his career. So a one-off ten minute goof became his signature song and it was not indicative of where his true strengths lay. Imagine the Beatles not having a hit until "Yellow Submarine" and dealing with having it represent you. "'Revolution'?!? Hey, when you gonna play 'Yellow Submarine'?" Such was Warren Zevon's burden. He was a very literate writer but that doesn't necessarily mean he has to use big words. He had a biting wit that cut his Laurel Canyon compadres to shreds. Even if they went on to make fortunes while his fortunes sank so low he didn't even qualify as cult artist, more relegated to a very interesting has-been. This book picks a handful of songs and uses them to make its case for Zevon's greatness. If you only know Warren Zevon from the Excitable Boy album, the songs Linda Ronstadt covered and maybe a song or two elsewhere, Mr. Campion will convince you you've been missing out. You don't have to take his word for it, you could ask Dylan or Springsteen, who not only cover his songs in concert but pointedly appear on his records. Or Keith Richards, who's called him "one of the best songwriters ever". Sometimes it's the characters in his songs, sometimes the strikingly original chords (He was a frustrated classical composer.), sometimes the turn of a phrase or the combination of passion and intelligence in his expression. Sometimes he leaves just enough room in a song for you to insert your own interpretations and make them meaningful to you. This book is likely to, if not make you a major fan, draw you into his way of thinking from his sheer enthusiasm and articulate support for his views. Worth reading.

[R.G. Evans · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are a Warren Zevon fan, you won't want to miss this book. It will bring back fond memories of every period of Zevon's career and provide deep insights into his life and work that you may not already know. If you are not a Zevon fan, you will be by the time you finish Campion's book. Not strictly a biography, Accidentally Like a Martyr is more of a cultural history of Zevon's "dirty life and times." Campion devotes each chapter to one of Zevon's songs and uses that song as a lens to focus on Zevon's artistic process, events in his life, and the state of the world at the time. Highlights are the chapters "Mohammed's Radio," an homage to Zevon's strength as a live performer and "The Wind" which examines the making of Zevon's final album, much publicized since it was written and produced as Zevon was dying. This book is not dry reporting, but rather a meticulously researched, lovingly written tribute by a fan of one of the great, overlooked songwriters of the rock and roll era.

[Della Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think I have made the mistake of reading too many books about Warren Zevon(I hadn't realized there were that many) in too short time span. They are so sad.

I'm not giving this one 5 stars simply because it really does get a little into the tall weeds with literary and historical references when interpreting song lyrics, sometimes reaching too far. But with Zevon, of course, that temptation is always there. It does provide background on how songs came into existence, who was involved with various recordings, etc. Don't assume that he only deals with those in the chapter titles--he pretty much deals with all of them. There is also quite a lot about the unfinished symphony of Warren Zevon, which, apparently was quite real. There were also excerpts from VH1 programs and other interviews, which I had not heard, since I seldom watch cable television.

All of WZ's fans miss him every day.

[Andrew Capra · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite music reads in a while.

I fell into Zevon after listening to as many 70's L.A. and Laurel Canyon songwriter as I could. This book paints an honest portrait filled with so many great stories and anecdotes. Beyond this, Campion has a hell of a way with words, and his analysis is just as compelling as the lyrics cited. It's a refreshing break from the he-said-she-said of interview-filled biographies.

Do yourself a favor and make a mix with the songs/albums referenced and listen along as you go.

[Kathleen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ugh. A begrudging two stars. I can’t bring myself to rate a book about Warren Zevon fewer than two stars…. but….this thing reads like a bad undergrad thesis. It’s padded with random facts and nonsensical “connections” and littered with already released content from much better books about WZ’s life. And the commentary on WZ’s songs is so insipid and moronic it almost succeeds in making WZ’s brilliant music seem trite and stupid. I’d like to punch James Campion in the face. 10 poorly written essays from a super fan who sucks the joy from the WZ catalogue.

[Robert Collette · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful book, I enjoy reading anything about Warren Zevon. It's clear the author put a whole lot of time and thought into the essays in here and his true love of the material shines through. Well worth reading for anyone who is a fan of Warren Zevon. It was great to hear the excitable boy howl one more time.

[Barry]

The “tortured art” truly comes through in this elegantly written personal and musical journey through much of the life of the late, great Warren Zevon. The famous and infamous cast of characters lend a weight and substance to each chapter that will make you go back and listen to every song and then reread the chapter. A great musical and emotional ride!

[Chris Dixon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Warren Zevon is one of rock n roll’s most underrated songwriters. A complicated man with a unique approach to music, he channeled his personal struggles and appreciation for literature and history into his art. “Tortured art” is a fitting description by Campion in the title and the author explores Zevon’s work with such honest and thorough care. It was an intriguing and insightful read.

[Ben · Rating 4 out of 5]

A look at the life and music of the late, great Warren Zevon. Each chapter focuses on either an album or a particular song, and discusses both the song as well as the events in Zevon's life that inspired the song. Very interesting, though probably only to Zevon fans.

[Delores13 · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't like the over-analysis of Warren Zevon's music. I did like the biographical snippets and the stories from friends and family; especially Jordan and Ariel.

[Corey Herlevsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've often wondered why more people don't listen to Warren Zevon. This book makes me want to shout that question from the rooftops.

[Melissa Downes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best Zevon, or even best rock star bio I've ever read. If you're a zevonite, it's a must read.

[Tracy Meszaros · Rating 3 out of 5]

A book for the fans, but packed with information and insights

[Michelle Jerome · Rating 5 out of 5]

I started this book the day it arrived in my mailbox. It was packed so full of wonderful Warren Zevon facts that I had to get a highlighter so I could mark up all the information I wanted to go back and reread. I made it difficult for myself, because I wanted to remember every word. So I took a break from reading it. But the book haunted me, I wanted to know more. I wanted to learn more about this gifted songwriter. So I picked it up again and just read, no highlighting, just pure enjoyment. If I have learned anything from Warren Zevon's life, it is that we get too serious and forget that we need to pause and take the time to enjoy every sandwich.

[Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful and thought provoking dive down the Zevon rabbit hole, or should I say into the Zevon Corner. Each essay covers both a song/album and either a facet of Zevon's life, a time in his career, or some obstacle he was up against. And he was up against plenty of them, often self-inflicted. Smart, well researched, liberty-taking, and multiple view-offering, it's what you've come to expect from a Campion book.

[William Hogan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exceptional book about the most exceptional musician of the Baby Boomer generation.