Crystal Zevon

Much as I hate these photos of me (this one is especially grim), I loved being with Jorge and thought you might like to see it.

Filed by Crystal at 12:37 pm under Uncategorized
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It’s 6 a.m. and as tired as I am, my friend Sissy’s cat woke me up and I can’t get back to sleep. I feel like I haven’t stopped moving for months. My legs literally tingle… like they don’t know how to stop. But, at the same time, moving straight from the East Coast book tour to the LACE Grand Opening to the California leg of the book tour continues to be exciting and a lot of fun.

In Santa Barbara, I stayed with my friend Linda Jones (former wife of David Jones of the Monkees!) and she and a few other friends hosted a reception before my book signing. I got to see a lot of old friends from my days in Santa Barbara back in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s. Then, it’s always exciting to see who will show up at signings. In SB, Gordon Forbes, a guy I went to high school with in Aspen was there. Also, our friends Roger and Sue Kritz… their daughter, Jennifer, was Ariel’s best friend when we lived on Featherhill Road (the house we bought at the peak of success - the house that ‘made Warren nervous’ and where he shot the Excitable Boy album cover and entered his first treatment for alcoholism). At one time, the Kritz family spent a year in Paris when Ariel and I were living there… (okay, okay… what does that have to do with the book tour and Warren… just my little diversion down memory lane). Other people who showed up were Jennifer Holtz (The Professor - from the book), my dear friend Francis Scaffidi whose daughter Anita was one of my dearest friends in Paris, and lots and lots of old friends.
A couple of fairly major events occurred while I was in Santa Barbara. That morning, just after I’d done an in studio interview on KTYD, I got a call from the President of Antioch University SB. They are starting an MFA in writing program, low residency, and he asked me if I’d like to teach there. Very exciting possibility for me. Later, someone from the Bachelors program wrote and asked me to lead a writing workshop there in November. I said “yes” to both without even remembering to ask about compensation, time commitment, etc.

The other major, major event was that I asked my agent to call my publisher to run by an idea I have for a next book… and the publisher loved it. They’ve asked to see a short proposal which I’m going to work on today. So… thanks to Warren and this book, I may actually be beginning the career I’ve always dreamed of at 58 years of age!

I left Santa Barbara at around 5 a.m. and drove to the Silverlake district of L.A. where I picked up my dear friend, Sissy. We stopped in Laguna Beach at a lovely bookstore, Latitude 33, where I signed a few books, then we went on to the Borders in San Diego. I managed to get two Mexican meals in before and after my signing. The surprise attendee at this one was Cliff and Orion Odenhal. This goes back a long way… Cliff and Orion’s mother lived in their VW bus in front of the Twice Nicely house (Waddy’s band when we all first moved to L.A. in 1968) until days before Orion’s birth. Cliff was the epitome of hippiedom back then… now he’s an evangelical minister and his son, Orion, is a missionary. I can assure you, I would never have predicted that one… but, it was great seeing them.

After a night at La Quinta motel, we drove back to L.A. Somewhere on the overcrowded I-5, we had no choice but to plow straight into this massive ball of plastic and plaster that was obstructing our lane. It caught on the undercarriage and we dragged it quite a ways trying to get off the freeway. When we finally stopped the car, it had blown, blt by bit, away, but left a residue smelling of burnt plastic… the smell is still there and quite unpleasant, although it doesn’t permeate the interior.

Again, I digress. The event last night was at The Mystery Bookstore in Westwood. This one, though poorly attended, was very special. I had asked Jorge Calderon to join me which he did. He told stories of songwriting, and we talked about how we’d all met, and it was kind of like sitting around the living room reminiscing. The most intimate gathering yet… Matt Cartsonis was there and he and Jorge ended the event by playing “Keep Me In Your Heart” to the 8 or 9 people there. Another guest last night was Warren’s friend Porny Neighbor. Unfortunately, I didn’t know how to reach her when i was writing the book, but there are journal entries of Warren’s and she told us all some stories of her own last night.

Tonight is the big Book Soup event. Jorge will join me again, and I’m hoping there will be some other folks in the audience to tell a tale or two. I’ll report back before I hit the road - San Francisco bound in my rented red Mustang.

Here are a couple photos from the Boston event at Porter Square Books and with Ben’s parents, Marie and Patrick Powell in Camden, Maine at The Owl and The Turtle.

Filed by Crystal at 9:47 am under Uncategorized
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The LACE opening and Jackson Browne concerts was more incredible than anyone could have imagined… I’m going to post a photo which won’t do it justice, but it was truly an event that no one in Barre, Vermont is likely to forget anytime soon.

Filed by Crystal at 8:55 am under Book
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http://www.timesargus.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070612/NEWS01/706120364/1032

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http://www.timesargus.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070609/NEWS01/706090337

I hope anyone who comes to this site will read these articles.  I can’t even talk about the weekend without weeping.  Dreams do come true and in our family they are coming true beyond even the dreams themselves.

I am in Santa Barbara trying to iron something to wear to a 9 a.m. radio interview.  Then, there will be a gathering of friends at 4 p.m. (Warren and I moved to Santa Barbara to be near Ross MacDonald in 1978… we also ended our marraige here… but it is a town we both loved) and a book event at Borders tonight.  Bones Howe is joining me for this one so it should be a lot of fun.

I haven’t stopped moving and am still not sleeping much, so I truly apologize for the long lapses in communicating on this blog.  I will get back to putting up more WZ stuff once it all settles down… however, that won’t be for awhile.  Looks like I’ll be in Colorado in August.  Possibility of going to New Mexico if there is a demand there.

And, I just keep moving… trying to remember to breathe!  Thank you, so many of you, for the wonderful letters and moving personal stories.  It is all so rewarding that I’m already thinking about my next book.

Filed by Crystal at 9:09 am under LACE, Jackson Browne Concert
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My friend, Tony Campos, in Barre, Vermont taped this from my reading there on May 3rd.  He just let me know he’d posted it on You Tube… so for anyone who can’t make it to a reading, this is really one of my favorite passages from the book.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5qo1jl_eNq0 

Filed by Crystal at 7:42 am under Book, Book interview
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New York has been mind spinning.  I’ve done so many interviews I’ve lost count.  Last night was a pinnacle event for me because I attended my first Rock Bottom Remainders concert where they did a tribute to Warren.   Aside from an evening of hilarity and even good music, it was also like old home week.  Before the concert, my brother-in-law, Adi VonGontard (who took the photo of me on the book’s jacket) and I stopped into a pub across the street to grab a quick bite to eat and someone called my name.  It turned out to be Gary Cotugno (who has done so much to promote the book and to whom I’ve spoken but never met in person).  He and Joe Girani from WEHM 92.9 were sitting at the table next to us.  When we got to the venue, they put me to work signing the 150 books we’d donated to be sold for charities that promote reading, child literacy and freedom of speech.

www.getcaughtreading.org  www.826nyc.org  www.abffe.org

While I was signing away, someone tapped my shoulder and it was Sandy Zevon - Warren’s cousin (the cardiologist about whom Stumpy, Warren’s dad, once told me, “You know, if you ever need anything, you can always call on your cousin, Sandy.  He’s a fancy doctor in New York and he’s a Zevon.  He’ll always be there for you.”  (And, I have to tell you, Stumpy did not mis-speak.)  The next person to come up to me was one of my best friends from L.A., Bill Higgins who writes for Variety.  Next came my agent and friend, Marian Young.  Then, after the concert, I ran into Maggie Drennon who organized the Pittsfield, MA book event and Charlene and Greg Storey who have devoted more time and energy to getting Warren’s name recognized than I can tell you.
But, the highlight of the night was the tribute to Warren.  Mitch Albom’s spoken tribute literally made me cry.  I swear, you could FEEL Warren in the room.  In fact, I could almost see him up there with those guys.  Then Mitch sang a few lines from his (and my) favorite song… “Don’t let us get sick, don’t let us get old, don’t let us get stupid, alright?… Just make us be brave and make us play nice and let us be together tonight.”

Then, of course, the band joined in for “Werewolves of London” which brought the crowd to a near frenzy - in spite of standing shoulder to shoulder on a hot and humid New York night.

This is probably more than anyone wanted to know, but I woke up this morning still thinking about it, and I thought I’d share it here!  Now on to Barnes & Noble - Lincoln Center where Dave Barry will moderate a panel with Kathi Kamen Goldmark, Ridley Pearson and me.  Should be a lot of fun.

Filed by Crystal at 7:41 am under Book, Photos
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I wanted to be sure everyone understands that when I posted the radio interviews along with the appearances, that does NOT mean I will be in all those cities.  Most of them are phoners… and among those, some are taped to air later.

I am working with my sister to try to make a visit to Colorado, but that’s top secret… shhhhhh.

Things are going very well in New York.  I’ve been doing a lot of interviews at all hours… it’s been fun and I’ve been getting lots of support.

Tonight is the Rock Bottom Remainders concert and I’m looking forward to being an audience member (my comfort zone at last!) and having a great time.  My brother-in-law from Colorado and Montana arrived yesterday… it’s the first time he’s been East (he just visited Ariel and hammered a few nails at LACE), so this should be the ultimate New York experience.

Okay, off to do the Leonard Lopate show on WNYC.

Filed by Crystal at 7:46 am under Uncategorized
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