Note: This is a re-edited version. I deleted Warren's performance of "Raspberry Beret" to avoid a certain copyright strike from the song's publisher, Universal Music Group.
Warren Zevon appeared on Late Night eight times. Here they all are, plus some Zevon-related clips. And bonus material at the end.
a. February 1, 1982. The January 30-February 5, 1982, edition of TV Guide had listed Warren among Dave's first guests on Late Night's premiere. But by Friday, January 29, his name had been omitted from the show's rehearsal log. I asked then-Head Writer Merrill Markoe if she had any memory why Warren hadn't appeared although earlier scheduled: "I think the show was already too full." So while Warren was listed in TV Guide, he had been bumped long after there was time for the magazine to revise its listing.
The clip here is from seven years later on Late Night, February 2, 1989. It was a current show and the second LN aired that evening (the 7th anniversary special had aired earlier in prime time but taped nine days earlier). Dave and Paul briefly talked about the 1982 debut show, and Dave, recalling that night's guests, mentioned that Warren "was supposed to be here but was not here."
b. August 2, 1982. Former major league pitcher Bill Lee talks about a song Warren wrote for him called, appropriately, "Bill Lee," which appears on Warren's 1980 LP, "Bad Luck Streak in Dancing School."
1. September 27, 1982. Warren's actual first appearance on Late Night. He performed "Excitable Boy," chatted with Dave for two segments, and then sang a second number, "The Overdraft."
2. July 17, 1987. Five years passed until Warren released a new LP and appeared again on Late Night. Here he performed "Boom Boom Mancini," then spent the next full segment chatting with Dave. (Note the band's bumper music after the performance.)
3. November 18, 1988. Warren sat in with the band throughout the show for the first time and also performed some of Elvis Presley's "Trouble" before segueing into "Lawyers, Guns and Money."
4. November 16, 1989. Warren again sat in with the band and then performed "Splendid Isolation." Then another chat with Dave.
5. November 28, 1990. Another show-length band sit-in, and a performance of "Raspberry Beret." - Update: Song deleted in order to avoid a copyright strike. Which is too bad; it was a great performance.
6. October 29, 1991. This time, Warren's pal Waddy Wachtel sat in with the band and then accompanied him in a performance of "Finishing Touches."
c. April 8, 1992. Dave announces his upcoming marriage to audience member Eileen and quotes a lyric from one of Warren's recent song releases. He'd cite it many times throughout the rest of his broadcasting career.
7. June 26, 1992. Warren's fourth band sit-in, plus a performance of "Searching for a Heart," which includes the lyric Dave had quoted two months earlier.
8. April 28, 1993. Warren's last Late Night appearance included his fifth band sit-in and a performance of ""Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner."
9. October 30, 2002. A bonus video: Warren's final appearance on Dave's Late Show. After a homebase chat where "Enjoy every sandwich" originated, Warren performed "Multineer," "Genius," and, for his finale, the same song he performed on his final appearance on Late Night nine years earlier, "Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner."
After the show's taping, Warren gave Dave his guitar. He passed away on September 7, 2003.
"Dave's the best friend my music has ever had."