Warren Zevon was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in the Music Influence category Saturday night, with his good friend David Letterman doing the honors.
“In music many pretend, but Warren is a poet, leaving few of life’s vagaries unaddressed,” he said. “Warren’s music is dense with historic illusion, love and sadness tinted with unexpected whimsy, delivered with third rail voltage rock ‘n’ roll or sweet, heartbreaking, lush, symphonic melodies. Either version of the man’s music is classic rock ‘n’ roll.”
Letterman also recalled Zevon’s last appearance on The Late Show, which happened 22 years ago, just months after Zevon announced he was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer. Letterman noted Zevon’s comments that what he learned about life following his diagnosis was to “enjoy every sandwich.”
“That’s easy but it’s deeply meaningful and there’s not a person in this room who hasn’t considered that, but nobody can hang on to that on a daily basis,” Letterman added. “But by God isn’t that true of life around the planet.”
He ended his speech mentioning the guitar Zevon gifted him on that night, noting it was the guitar that had been displayed right beside him throughout his speech. He then said the guitar was “going back to work” and handed it over to The Killers guitarist Dave Keuning.
The band, along with legendary session guitarist Waddy Wachtel, a longtime Zevon collaborator, then paid tribute to Zevon with a performance of his hit “Lawyers, Guns and Money.”
Highlights from the 2025 Rock Hall induction ceremony will air Jan. 1 on ABC.
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