Crystal Zevon

I can’t imagine that anyone is still checking in here after all this time, but I just got an email that I had to post.  I should also write a bit about the Miami Book Fair and my trip to Long Island thanks to Gary Cotugno and Joe Girani of WEHM Radio Long Island.

Miami was more fun than I can describe.  In addition to doing my own presentation on a panel alongside Susie J. Hogan who did a wonderful photo book called “Punk Love” and David Meyer who wrote a comprehensive book about Gram Parsons called “Twenty Thousand Roads: The Ballad of Gram Parsons”, I got to do a presentation at Kathi Goldmark and Sam Barry’s workshop “The Author Enablers”.  But, most exciting was when Kathi pulled me on stage on Friday night for the Rock Bottom Remainders gig at a club called Tobacco Road and I sang on the chorus of “Wild Thing”.  The next afternoon when the RBRs played at the Book Fair, there were three of us honorary Remainderettes singing and dancing and tossing our kazoos into the audience.  I never thought I wanted to be on stage but I have to admit it was a LOT of fun.

Long Island was also great but in a different way.  Gary and Diane Cotugno picked me up and showed me around the area before we met Charlene and Greg Storey who drove down for the rock art show at a winery where I signed books.  We all went out to a wonderful restaurant with Joe and his wife after the event, and the next morning a stretch limo picked me up and drove me back to JFK and home.

Since I’ve been back home, Ariel and I have been doing 15 hour days at LACE.  We’re hoping to do some good sales over the holidays.   We’ll be having the LACE Saturdays in December “CRAFTAPLOOZA” with many of our craftspeople including spinners and basket weavers and candle and jewelry makers there doing demos, and our cheese and wine makers giving out tastes… and Santa will be there every Satruday in December (until Christmas) from 3 - 6 p.m.  Anyway, Ariel, Ben and I are the primary staff for the place now, so we’ve practically moved in!!!!

Anyway, here’s the email I got this morning from a couple we met in Sitges.  I wrapped me in my fondest memories of Warren this morning, so I thought I’d post it in case anyone still comes here!

Hello Crystal,  We met on a train in Spain June 2-3 1975.  My name is Pat Harkin from Oklahoma, my wife, Patty and I were travelling around Europe after attending our last college semester in Sweden when we met you and Warren.  I just dug out my old journal where it mentioned  meeting the 2 of you.  We shared some wine and listened to Warren’s tape recorder on the overnight train.  Patty and I were heading to Rome from Barcelona but had the day to kill (3rd) so we decided to go to Sitges in order (we hoped) to find her lost bathing suit which she left at our rented apartment (we spent a week there towards the end of May).  It was still there, and we bumped into you and Warren again there in Sitges and went out for some gazpacho.  We had a lot of fun meeting the 2 of you and listening to Warren.  He told us we would be hearing more from him as his aspirations were to make it big in the music business.  He was right.  Over the years I purchased several of his albums and listened to them over and over.  I always got a chuckle when I saw him on Letterman and remembered the time we shared in Spain.  I wrote him once back in the early 90’s in care of one of his music agents inviting him for a visit if he wanted to get away from the glitz for awhile.  My aunt and uncle had (has) a large ranch in NW Oklahoma where I told him we could “howl at the moon”.  I was sad to learn of your divorce and even sadder to get the news of his illness and death .  I did pick up his last album “The Wind” after his death but I don’t listen to it very often.  I seem to always gravitate to “Excitable Boy”, or “Werewolves of London” as they remind me of happier times.  A couple of days ago a good friend of mine brought me a copy of your book about Warren and I look forward to reading it.  Anyway, Patty and I wish you all the best, and congratulate you on your grandchildren and your new book.  We wish you well.  Sincerely,  Pat Harkin

Filed by Crystal at 6:28 am under Uncategorized