Crystal Zevon Signs Books At Exile

 

Crystal Zevon signed books, answered questions, and told stories on May 3, 2007 at Exile On Main Street.

She was here to autograph copies her new book, I'll Sleep When I'm Dead: The Dirty Life And Times Of Warren Zevon, which had just been released. This tell-all book about an unusual rock-n-roller had people talking, and more than anything they wanted Crystal to tell them about her ex-husband, Warren Zevon. We sold out of books in less than two hours.

When Crystal married Warren she didn't know she'd be writing his life story after he died of mesothelioma, a form of lung cancer caused by exposure to asbestos. She didn't know they'd have a daughter, or that they'd get a divorce. And she had no idea she'd be telling very personal stories to a group of total strangers at Exile On Main Street in Barre, Vermont.

Telling hundreds of strangers personal stories became Crystal's responsibility when Warren asked her, his journalist ex-wife, to write a book about his life. When Crystal accepted, she was looking a dying man in the face. He was her ex-husband. The father of her child. An iconic songwriter and musician. A friend.

Of course, he was also abusive. A drunk. An adulterer. And something of a mystery.

This was no small favor, and Warren undoubtedly chose Crystal for a myriad of reasons. Probably top among them was that Crystal would have the stomach to portray him and his life as he wanted it portrayed, an arduous task. She would sift through endless journal entries. She would conduct numerous interviews. And she would tell "all of the story, even the ugly parts," which was just what Warren wanted.

I'll Sleep When I'm Dead: The Dirty Life And Times Of Warren Zevon doesn't let Warren, or the public down. Reading from her heavily bookmarked copy, Crystal took us to the side of Warren's bed. He was near death. We jumped on his chest, scared and watching his heart rate, and gave him CPR. When he died, we saw his family gather around his body.

As Crystal continued to read, we heard the irritability in Aerial's voice as she tried to figure out where her father would want his ashes spread. And we heard Jordan's shock as he realized the porn his dad wanted him to get rid of wasn't the store-bought stuff, but homemade material with Warren as porn king.

When Crystal finished reading, nobody clapped. Nobody said anything. Nobody knew exactly what to say. Warren would have loved it.

Crystal autographed books for the Exile crowd for more than two hours and graciously agreed to sign more, once copies were back in stock.We made a list of inscriptions.

Best of all, everyone got to talk to Crystal. We all asked questions, and every question brought up a different facet of Warren, of his life, and, sometimes, of their life together. A very interesting man, and, although very different from Warren, an equally interesting woman.