“Werewolves of London”

“Werewolves of London” is remembered as both a performance shared by Warren Zevon and the narrator and a personal tribute after Zevon’s death. Zevon insisted that the narrator take the lead on his signature tune during the Rock Bottom Remainders’ encores, transforming a song the narrator felt unworthy to sing into a recurring occasion for musical companionship.

Encore Performance

The narrator was playing rhythm guitar with the Rock Bottom Remainders, where Zevon used to perform with the group. At the encore, Zevon pressed the narrator to sing lead on “Werewolves of London.” The narrator protested, “I was not worthy,” but Zevon insisted otherwise and gave practical instructions: “Key of G,” howl with conviction, and, above all, play like Keith.

The exchange sets the song apart from a routine cover. Zevon supplied both the encouragement and the playful standard for the performance, making the encore a shared undertaking rather than a solo test. The narrator admits to never being able to play like Keith Richards, but says the effort was always there.

Musical Companionship

The remembered pleasure lies in the way the two musicians played together: Zevon matched the narrator note for note and laughed throughout. The narrator recalls having a blast with him. In that account, the song’s force comes not from technical mastery—the narrator explicitly acknowledges the limits of the imitation—but from the ease and delight of performing alongside Zevon.

The surrounding recollection also evokes Zevon through small, specific preferences: gray T-shirts and movies such as Kingdom of the Spiders. These details frame the song within a friendship remembered through both its musical ritual and its ordinary particulars.

Dedication

The later address to Zevon recasts the song’s howl as a message sent beyond the performance itself: “Warren, this howl is for you, wherever you are. I miss you, buddy.” The encore’s playful instruction to howl therefore returns as an elegiac gesture. The song remains tied to the living memory of playing together, while the dedication makes that memory a direct expression of loss and affection.