Reading Time: < 1 minute

A few years ago I did what any self-absorbed person with a laptop and a little time to kill would do – I googled my full name (in double quotes mind you, to prevent all the Warren Zevon matches with Lawrence somewhere in the page).

Imagine my surprise when I discovered I starred in a porno called “Torrid” in 1989 with April West. College was great, but damn – I think I would have remembered this! There’s not a whole lot of us Zevon’s and I’m fairly certain I’m the one and only Lawrence Zevon.

A little more digging revealed that Rame.net, the self-appointed “Home of Civilized Smut,” had simply made a typo (actual actor was Lawrence Zenon). I suppose I could get them to correct it, but it’s pretty damn funny and that little something extra I can put in my resume to stand out from all the wanna be fluffers out there.

Why would I put this on Bitness? What in the world does this have to do with fitness OR gadgets? Well other than the aforementioned self-absorbed bit, my scene would have burned anywhere from 10-40 calories. Although I never saw it, there’s a good chance some kind of gadget was involved as well 🙂

Somehow I don’t think this is what Grandpa had in mind when he said he could picture the name Zevon in lights one day.

Reading Time: 2 minutes

I remember visiting my cousin Warren Zevon backstage at concerts, usually in the green room with the names of other artists scrawled on the walls and ceiling. His manager would prevent fans from disturbing us while we enjoyed this family time. With most of our family living on the East coast, Warren’s concert schedule in New York, Boston and Rhode Island always included family coming to visit. There were very few opportunities other than his concerts to get together, so this is where our stories and pictures were shared.

Warren passed away a few years ago and after he did we connected with his daughter Ariel, her husband Ben, sons Max and Gus (the coolest twins ever) and ex-wife (and Warren’s close confidant) Crystal Zevon. Warren would have liked that we now have each other – most importantly our kids – in our lives. We don’t spend as much time together as we’d like, but we have email and Google Chat!

In a few weeks we will be together at a benefit concert Jackson Browne is giving to raise money for the local agricultural community exchange (LACE) in Barre, Vermont. LACE is Ariel’s passionate effort to bring locally grown foods back to the community, to support local growers, farmers and businesses, as well as help people eat healthier.

Crystal’s passionate work is the recently released book Warren asked her to write, I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead: The Dirty Life and Times of Warren Zevon. An honest look at Warren’s life (sometimes painfully honest – not exactly the conversations we had back stage), the book tells the story of Warren’s life from those who knew him best. I’m not done reading the book, but I can say that it is very interesting, well written and worth picking up a copy.

It’s a perfect Summer read because the chapters are broken-down with bite-size entries. If you have to put it down, jump in the waves and help dig a moat around the sandcastle, you can easily pick-up where you left off. It’s this same writing structure that has you convinced you can read the next bit and the next (and the next) and before you know it it’s 1:30 in the morning and your day begins in 5 hours!