Dave Letterman Talks Warren Zevon
It was a day that most Warren Zevon fans assumed would never happen. Not because he wasn’t talented enough or had enough hits, but because Zevon was always unapologetically Warren. That was a tough guy to take sometimes. Nevertheless, Warren Zevon was one of the most revolutionary singer-songwriters of the last half century. And in November of 2025, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
The professional and personal lives of Zevon were filled with both triumph and tragedy. Both of his own hand. His cynicism and obstinance are undeniable, but so is his genius. Warren did not shatter records for selling records; however, he enjoyed the kind of success that most artists can only fantasize about. What longtime friend Jackson Browne refers to as “the success that matters: this very loyal following of people who truly get him.” Zevon crafted a brilliant yet tumultuous career spanning the late 1960s to 2003 when he was claimed by cancer. He was 56 years old.
Through his turbulent musical odyssey, Zevon was exalted by his contemporaries. His 1976 self-titled album features the likes of Lindsey Buckingham, Carl Wilson, Don Henley, Bonnie Raitt, Glenn Frey, and Stevie Nicks (among others). Bruce Springsteen was a close friend and collaborator. When Warren became ill, Bob Dylan began incorporating several of his tunes into his live sets as tribute. But there was only one guy whom WZ called “The best friend my music ever had.” It happens to be the same man that inducted Warren into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, former late night talk show host David Letterman.
It was 1981 when Dave first became aware of Zevon after reading a feature in Rolling Stone. “I became interested in the guy because the story at the time was crazy and fascinating, not atypical as it turns out of artists,” Letterman says. “And it was that that caused me to start listening to his music.” By his estimation, Dave had Zevon as a guest at least 14 times through the years. Warren also used to fill in for Letterman’s musical director Paul Shaffer when Paul was sick or out of town. And when it was announced that the singer received a terminal prognosis, Dave devoted an entire show to him. Easily one of the best shows he ever did.
In 2018 the retired talk show host began lobbing the Rock and Roll HOF on behalf of Warren. In 2023, Zevon was added to the ballot. Two years later, he finally made it. In retrospect, Dave was the perfect choice to induct him. Not only was Letterman instrumental in WZ’s inclusion, he admires the music. But most of all, he knew the man. “The humanity of the guy is what I think of when I think of Warren,” says Dave. This is Dave Letterman talking Warren Zevon.
“A very sad thing”
Today we received the news that our good friend Warren Zevon passed away. It’s a very sad thing. He was a very nice man.
“Mutineer”
Zevon made his final public appearance on Letterman’s television program in October of 2002. “It was the only time in my talk show history that I did anything like that,” remembers Dave. “I’ve never sat down and talked to anybody on television where we both understood they were about to die.” After talking with Letterman for an extended period, Warren proceeded to perform three songs. The first of these was 1995’s “Mutineer.”
“A guy that just spit in the face of death”
He’s one of these guys, even when he was here and we knew he was dying…you had a feeling maybe he would come back around and win this one. Because if you listen to his music, here was a guy that just spit in the face of death.
“Exciting and rhythmic and complicated”
I’m not a musicologist or an expert about music or anything. But I’ve tried to think very hard about what it is about this man’s music that I loved so much. One, that the music itself was just exciting. It was just thundering and exciting and rhythmic and complicated and unusual rock and roll. It was not the kind of rock and roll you would hear much of.
“Oh my god, the lyrics”
And then the lyrics. Oh my god, the lyrics were so vivid. Just very evocative. And each song that you listen to was like watching a motion picture. He was a poet and a storyteller and a good friend.
“Enjoy every sandwich”
Zevon’s last appearance on Letterman’s show is as emotional as it gets. At one point, Dave asks Warren if he knew anything about life and death that maybe the rest of us didn’t. A quintessential Zevon response followed: “Not unless I know how much you’re supposed to enjoy every sandwich.” Warren passed less than a year later.
“So reassuring and so obvious”
The day Zevon’s death was announced, Letterman reflected on the now infamous “enjoy every sandwich” comment. “It was so simple and so reassuring and so obvious. And I felt so good that he didn’t really know any more than you’re supposed to know.
“Love and sadness tinted with unexpected whimsy”
In music many pretend, but Warren is a poet, leaving few of life’s vagaries unaddressed. Warren’s music is dense with historic allusion, love, and sadness tinted with unexpected whimsy. Delivered with third rail voltage rock and roll or sweet heartbreaking lush symphonic melodies. Either version of the man’s music is classic rock and roll.
“Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner”
The closing song that Warren sang on his final appearance on Dave’s show was his 1978 classic “Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner.” It is one of Letterman’s favorite songs and was Zevon’s last public performance.
