Published on Mar 7, 1997
To the uneducated like myself, Warren Zevon is a one-hit wonder.
His hit “Werewolves Of London” will probably be the song that will
define his career.
When Zevon released
Learning To Flinch, his second live album, I barely stifled
a yawn. I had barely made it through his last effort at the time,
Mr. Bad Example, and wasn’t ready for another
disappointment.
I don’t know what made me finally add
Learning To Flinch to the now-famous Pierce Memorial
Archives (admission price slightly lower than Disneyland), but what
I heard blew me away. This was an album by a man who was out to
prove that he was a songwriter, and a damn good one at that.
Armed only with an acoustic guitar and piano, Zevon plows
through over an hour of old and new material recorded around the
world in the most intimate setting possible. From the comfort of
your living room, you feel like you’re watching Zevon in the front
row – and you’re in for one hell of a show.
Zevon opens with “Spendid Isolation,” showing off his skill on
the 12-string guitar. His vocals are in top form, and it almost
sounds like the solo performances relaxed him – these performances
are flawless. Kicking into “Lawyers, Guns And Money” (a song I
discovered when I played the wrong side of a 45 on a college
jukebox), Zevon puts a whole new spin on an already dark song, but
manages to pull it off.
Even “Mr. Bad Example” takes on a whole new light on this album
– Zevon almost turns it into a party anthem and makes it quite
listenable. But Zevon’s songs aren’t all lighthearted little
ditties. Cuts like “The French Inhaler,” “Hasten Down The Wind,”
“Roland The Headless Thompson Gunner” and “The Indifference Of
Heaven” show off a different side of Zevon, one of a prolific
songwriter. (To the uneducated like myself, it is a side we never
had the chancce to see from the shadow of the hit single.)
Let’s take “Boom Boom Mancini” as an example: what could have
been a song about a has-been boxer (best remembered as the last
fighter Duk Koo Kim faced before Kim’s death in the ring) is given
a very human touch. Zevon re-creates the feeling of Mancini’s glory
days, when people would rush home to watch Mancini fight. And Zevon
manages to put a positive spin on Mancini’s part in Kim’s death.
(Zevon’s guitar work at one point made my jaw fall into my lap –
god damn, what a riff he played!)
The show wouldn’t be complete without a performance of
“Werewolves Of London” – and even that sounds like it got a fresh
coat of paint thanks to Zevon’s delivery of the lyrics.
While
Learning To Flinch may not be a substitute for a greatest
hits collection, it’s the perfect place for the uneducated like
myself to start learning how talented Zevon is. I sure learned my
lesson – there are now many more of his albums gracing the walls of
the Archives. Pick this one up – it’s an education worth
having.