The meaning of life as told by Viv Savage

Last night as I lay down to fall asleep, the Warren Zevon song “Numb as a Statue” popped into my head. It is a great song off his final album, “The Wind”. I’m always intrigued by this album because he recorded it after he was diagnosed with terminal cancer therefore knowing it would be the last album he ever made.

That’s a pretty heavy concept… when you consciously know that you are doing something for the last time in your life, how does it affect you? When that act is writing a collection of songs, what do you write about?

Originally, my interpretation of “The Wind” was that Warren didn’t really care about death. It seemed that he acknowledged it, of course, but I read him as being generally indifferent towards both life and death. This seemed to line up with his entire career body of work, in my opinion.

Looking back on what happened, though, I think I read it all wrong. Warren was diagnosed with inoperable cancer and told he had few months to live. He refused treatment (I suppose the logic was, I’m going to die anyway, so why go through all that), instead opting to write an album with the little time he had left. In the act of performing his final task, however, he ended up living for over year. It seems to me that a person who should really only live a short period of time but instead extends that without the help of modern medicine really doesn’t want to die. He may give the appearance that he is indifferent about life or death, but somewhere deep inside him he wanted to live.

Now I interpret “The Wind” as Warren coming to grips with the fact that as much as his conscious mind wanted to believe that he didn’t give a shit about life or death, he couldn’t deny his unconscious drive to keep going. I think there was an incredible war within him over this point, both sides fighting for control of his body. And as he was writing the album, I think he realized the battle’s outcome was not what he originally predicted or even wanted to believe.

I really wish the man was still alive so I could ask him about this. But alas, his time has come and gone and that conversation will never happen. His ride on the wheel of life finally came to an end as he was crushed under the wheel on its trip around and around and around and around.

This is the fate of all of us. For some the wheel has a large circumference and the ride lasts quite a while before we find ourselves pinned between the wheel and the road. For others, the wheel is tiny and the trip short. Rest assured, though, at some point we will all be squashed.

This brings me to my own philosophy on life as told perfectly by Spinal Tap’s Viv Savage:

“Have a good time, all the time”

Life is limited and there is likely no true meaning to it at all. So you may as well have a good time as long as you are on the ride!

Hey, don’t think I’m overly shallow here. Of course doing good and leaving this place better than we found it are important as well. I’m just saying that you shouldn’t lose sight of having a good time while you’re at it. If you don’t do it now, you might find that it is too late.

That’s why after I’m done writing this I’m going to go sit on the back patio, turn on the radio, crack open a beer and stare at the sky.

You’re welcome to join me if you wish.

-David