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The Red and Black. Thursday. February 23. 1978
•a*e 7
WARREN ZEVON
Album is a major success
CBS to celebrate 50-year history
By NFI.SON d. BOSS
Staff writer
Not .ill of the musical
product out of Southern
California these days is of
the saccharine sweet Engles
variety Warren Zevon's
second album. Excitable
Boy. puts some of LAs
finest musicians and BIG-
GEST NAMES behind some
of the darkest, offbeat and
violent lyrics ever to see the
light of day
Zevon is one of Jackson
Browne’s buddies and
Browne co-produces the
album with guitarist Waddy
Wachtel.
But musically, and lyri
cally. Zevon and Browne
couldn’t be farther apart.
Whereas Browne is the
boyish innocent. Zevon has
obviously BEEN ABOUND.
Zevon’s world is chronicled
in the violence and peculiar
humor of his lyrics.
The music is tight,
rocking California heavy on
the funk at times. But it is
the lyrics that stand out.
Although Zevon is an
original, the title cut
“Excitable Boy,’’ sounds
like Georgia's own Darryl
Khoadcs in California with
big stars.
Zevon’s similarity to
Rhoades on this one song is
in his violent lyrics con
trasted by lush female
backup vocals
The song at first appears
to be just good tight
piano-based California rock.
Zevon's piano balances well
with Wachtel’s guitar and
Russel Kunkel does his
usual outstanding job on
drums.
Heart-throb Linda Ron-
stadt and Jennifer Warnes
provide some luscious and
innocent vocal backing to
Photo by LAURa GLOVER
Zevon sings about werewolves and pot roasts...
Zevon's deep lead. There is
even some tasteful Jim
Horn saxophone thrown in
for spice.
Only one problem Ze
von's lyrics invade this big
band scene. This “excitable
“oohs" seem innocent e-
nough.
Wrong.
The total diviance of
Zevon’s “excitable boy” is
revealed in the final verse:
"He took little Suzie to the
Album review
bov' of Zevon’s has a few
social problems. He starts
out tastefully enough rub
bing a “pot roast across his
chest.” In verse two he
bites “an usherette in the
dark."
Zevon’s chorus and ex
planation for all of this is
that "he’s just an excitable
boy.” Maybe so. After all.
those Roust adt-Warnes
Junior Prom-Excitable boy
they all said. And he raped
and killed her. then he took
her home-Excitable boy,
they all said-Well he’s just
an excitable boy-After 10
long years they let him out
of the home-Excitable boy.
the all said- And he dug up
her grave and built a cage
with her bones-Excitable
boy. they all said-Well he's
just and excitable boy the>
all said.”
Warren Zevon is very
strange.
Another highlight of the
album is “Werewolves of
London "Browne used to do
this and other Zevon songs
in concert liefore he became
a major artist and began
using only his own material
“Werewolves” is an up
beat number with some of
Zevon's stranger lyrics. One
minute Zevon sings about a
"werewolf with a Chinese
menu in his hand
Next thing you know “a
little old lady got mutilated
late last night Werewolves
of larndon again.”
But Zevon’s werewolf is
not the crude and socially
unacceptable beast you
might think In the last
verse Zevon has our hero in
high society: “I saw a
werewolf drinking a pina
colada at Trader Vic's-His
hair was perfect .”
Zevon plays the broken
hearted lover (though he
doesn’t tell us what be
comes of him* on "Acciden
tally Like a Martyr" and
ends up bitter.
Bitterness, folks, is the
soft side of Warren Zevon
Zevon ends the album in
trouble. After bad encoun
ters with “a waitress who
was with the Russians” and
“gambling in Havana.’’
Zevon cries out for aid:
“Now I’m hiding in Hondur-
as-l’m a desperate man-
Send lawyers, buns and
money.
Warren Zevon’s combina
tion of LA rock and Zevon
sensibility makes this al
bum a major success. The
PTA will probably ban it
but what can you expect
from people that watch too
much television?
NEW YORK (DPI) A three
ring «irnis would look like a
snap to Alexander Cohen, who
recently was shuffling around
120odd stars including lassie
with the dexterity of a
hlatkjaek dealer
He and his wife. Hildy
Parks, also have been digging
through 25-years ot CBS
television programs, from Ed
ward R Murrow to Lucille
Ball to “M A SH."
Cohen, best known as a
Broadway producer who also
has put on the highly praised
televised Tony Awards pro
grams. is executive producer
ol the seven night, nine and
a half hour CBS birthday
salute to itself. His wife is head
writer and script editor.
“CBS: On the Air” will
celebrate the 50-year history of
CBS. hut the accent will tie on
television, which has been
around for only about half that
time The opening show, hosted
by Walter Cronkite and Mary
Tyler Moore, is scheduled for
March 26. 9-11 p.m.. Eastern
time, to be followed by 10-11
p m Eastern time programs
March 27-31. winding up with
an H 30-11 p m. gala on April 1,
during which CBS chairman of
the board William S. Paley will
appear.
Anniversary shows, like a-
wards presentations, can be
come a meaningless hodge
podge of star bows and film
clip snips that add up to no
more than a back-patting
network exercise in self-con
gratulation Cohen has avoided
that pitfall on the Tony shows
and believes he has done it
again for CBS.
Alan Alda hosts March 28.
Tuesday night M a s h." of
course, now has been switched
to Monday testing viewers
nostalgia expertise with a
“Name that Theme’’ quiz.
Guest stars include Garry
Moore and Phil Silvers. March
29 Wednesday, will team the
Peanuts characters with Dick
Van Dyke. Cicely Tyson.
Buddy Ebsen and Danny Kaye.
The Waltons, including John
boy. lake over Thursday.
March 30.
Friday, March 31. Lauren
Bacall focuses on Edward R
Murrow s Person to-Person."
and .Eve Arden “Our Miss
Brooks '. Linda Lavin. Bonnie
Franklin. Jim Nabors and
Richard Crenna Miss Brooks’
favorite student. Walter Den
ton perform an original song
by Betty Comden and Adolph
Green, lyrics by Cy Coleman.
Saturday, April 1, will put
cowboys and clowns together
in an original dance set to
music by Jule Styne, while
Carol Burnett. Art Carney, Art
Linkletter Carroll O’Connor
and Tony Randall, among
others, entertain.
“You need insistence on
perfection.' Cohen said in an
interview. You need the
constant inability to settle tor
anything else. It drives actors
crazy. I won't let them
rehearse on camera I sent
each of them a Invelv letter a
week ahead of time saying I
was looking forward to work
ing with them, telling them
where and when the shooting
was going to be. Then in a
PS all in caps and under
lines. 1 wrote. There will be
no cue cards and enclosed a
script.”
Cohen refuses to name the
actor, but he swears he arrived
at CBS one day to find a cue
card on the studio floor that
read. Hello. I'm actor’s
name ”
“I said to the cue card man.
How dare you offend this man
that way' Take all the cue
cards out of here ' 1 thought
the actor would fall over dead
But he did better than he had
ever done before.“
Cohen said the CBS series of
shows has been arranged to
associate stars and programs
with the cays of the week on
which they appeared, although
he allowed that "CBS has
loused up on every day in some
way.” He referred to the
schedule changes, so that
“Kojak." “Carol Burnett" and
“M-A-S-H.” among others, now
appear on different nights than
they had been scheduled when
the anniversary show was
prepared
March 26. opening night,
features the big parade of
stars, all the men in black tie
“not navy blue.” Cohen
insisted and all the women in
basic black Member of th*
Family" is a delightful Jerry
Herman fune written for the
show, depicting CBS as a
member of the viewer's family
and via flashbacks reminding
the audience of days gone In
particularly Sunday nights
March 27 is Monday nigbt.
comedy time for CBS with
George Burns. Lucille Ball and
Bea Arthur in a baggy pants
production number
Cohen decided all clips must
come from shows on the air at
least four years and must
include meaningful material
no subliminal glimpses ' and
all major characters
There was help offered but
no interference from Board
Chairman Paley. Cohen said
contrasting Paley with RCA s
Gen. Sarnoff.
Hamilton Jordan staying out of bars
WASHINGTON (UPI) Presi
dential aide Hamilton Jordan
says he is afraid to look at a
woman below the neck any
more.
And press secretary Jody
Powell, his longtime friend, is
urging him to “stay out of
bars."
Those observations do not
sum up all the White House
problems by any stretch of the
imagination, but the issue of
Jordan's social life has become
a headache for him and others
in the president’s inner circle.
Widespread publicity sur
rounding two incidents involv
ing Jordan, who recently
separated from his wife, have
Increased the volume of his
mail “And it's not fan mail,”
he assures reporters.
The 34 year-Carter assistant.
Who is considered closest to the
president, has had his troubles
recently. Sometime ago, it was
reported that Jordan pulled at
the dress of the wife of
Egyptian Ambassador Ashraf
Gorbal and said, “I’ve always
wanted to .sep the pyramid#'V
He denied the allegations ana
so did Mrs. Gorbal.
Last Sunday, the Washington
Post Magazine reported an
unnamed woman had accused
Jordan of spitting liquor down
a woman’s blouse at a singles
bar last month, and she
slapped him in return.
This time, press secretary
Jody Powell went to great
lengths to substantiate
Jordan's denials by issuing a
lengthy affidavit from the
bartender, and statements
from two friends who said that
Jordan had not done anything
improper.
After the first incident, the
word was passed that Jordan's
power and duties had in
creased at the White House
and that the president had
assigned him to preside at
staff meetings. Whenever a
major meeting has been
announced on both domestic
and foreign D0lVc\
Jordan's name was listed among
the chief advisers
In the face of adversity, it
appeared that Jordan still had
the backing of the man who
counts, and that does not seem
to have diminished. There is a
loyalty among the Georgia
clan that cannot be denied
The total support for former
budget director Bert Lance,
Carter’s Georgia friend, who
resigned under fire, is a case
in point.
Carter is a man who believes
in walking the straight and
narrow. He does not appear to
lower the boom on his aides.
Essentially, they can live their
own lives But they are young
Hunt exhibit doesn’t illustrate worth
When recognizing special occasions by
way of celebrations and special exhibitions,
rarely does mediocrity enter the picture.
Such occasions usually provide a show case
for the outstanding
Unfortunately, the Richard Hunt Litho
graphs. currently on exhibit at the Georgia
Museum through March 5. hardly illustrates
the quality worthy of Black History Month
Though individually pleasing, the 22 black
and white prints are strikingly similar The
sense of action with which Hunt imbues the
lithographs is appreciable, hut even this
becomes monotonous after the first few
since Hunt employs the same techniques
repeatedly
After viewing the first few. those not
: accustomed to or appreciative of non-repre-
t sentattonal art will find themselves taking
the Rorschach ink blot test.
Explained Museum Curator Richard
Schneiderman, Richard Hunt was “the only
significant black artist we had (in
storage).”
Perhaps this is reason enough to give
Art review
Hunt an airing under other circumstances
But when celebrations extend for a month
or a year, people tend to become blase about
the occasion. This is especially so when the
celebration is not spectacular
Black History Month deserves more than
the Richard liunt lithographs Certainly
there is enough good black art to
commemorate the occasion.
and they are new to the
relentless spotlight. And they
are groping on how to handle
their celebrity status.
Probably the pros in
Washington would have ad
vised Powell to grin and bear
it. They would probably have
told him it is almost impossible
to answer allegations of such a
nature without magnifying
them.
When his defense of Jordan’s
reputation was brought up at a
news briefing and was de
scribed as “Zieglerian.”
reference to press secretary
Ron Ziegler of the Nixon era.
Powell said:
“I am concerned about the
situation because frankly I
don’t know how you deal with a
situation in which a person in
public life is subject to
incorrect and vicious alle
gations as they appear in print.
“I am not sure what an
overreaction is when you
attack someone’s character
and integrity." he added “It is
possible to publish material of
that sort and then if someone
has the temerity to set the
record straight then you are
faced with allegations that you
are attacking the First
Amendment.”
While his press notices have
hardly been flattering, both
Powell and Jordan believe that
Jordan will survive the latest
brouhaha concerning his social
life But right now the going is
tough and he realizes he is fair
game in the goldfish bowl that
is Washington officialdom
Older and wiser heads are
probably passing the word for
Jordan to keep a low profile
for awhile, and right now he
seems prepared to take that
advice.
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