''My Ride's Here'' is the eleventh studio album by American singer-songwriter Warren Zevon. The album was released on May 7, 2002, by

Artemis Records Artemis Records was a New York–based independent record label, founded in June 1999 by Danny Goldberg with Daniel Glass as president, and closed in April 2006. The label was acquired by E1 Entertainment. As of 2006, Artemis Records was owned b ...

. Zevon described it as "a meditation on death"; it was released several months before Zevon was diagnosed with terminal mesothelioma. On ''My Ride's Here'', Zevon collaborated with a number of writers from outside the world of music. The song "Basket Case" features in Carl Hiaasen's novel of the same name where it was performed by a fictional rock band. He also covers

Serge Gainsbourg Serge Gainsbourg (; born Lucien Ginsburg; 2 April 1928 – 2 March 1991) was a French singer-songwriter, actor, composer, and director. Regarded as one of the most important figures in French pop, he was renowned for often provocative rel ...

's "Laissez-Moi Tranquille" which roughly translates as "leave me alone". Gainsbourg first recorded it in 1960 on the ''Romantique 60'' EP. "I Have to Leave" was a song written by Zevon's high school friend, Dan McFarland.

Reception

Mark Deming of

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

rated ''My Ride's Here'' two out of five stars. He stated that "the jokes tend to be a bit obvious", and that "the more introspective moments don't connect the way one might hope". However, he said that some of the tracks "are strong enough to remind listeners of just how talented Zevon still is". He concluded by saying that the album "is a misfire from an artist capable of much better work."

Robert Christgau Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and later became a ...

rated the album an A−, stating that Zevon was "at his best in the fictional-mythic mode that prevails".

Track listing

Personnel

*Warren Zevon – guitar, keyboards, vocals * Charlie Bisharat – violin on "Genius" *Larry Corbett – cello on "Genius" *Joel Derouin – violin on "Genius" * Anton Fig – drums * Sheldon Gomberg – bass guitar *

David Letterman David Michael Letterman (born April 12, 1947) is an American television host, comedian, writer, producer, and auto racing team owner. He hosted late-night television talk shows for 33 years, beginning with the February 1, 1982, debut of ''Late N ...

– background vocals on "Hit Somebody! (The Hockey Song)" * Tony Levin – bass guitar on "Hit Somebody! (The Hockey Song)" * Sid McGinnis – guitar on "Hit Somebody! (The Hockey Song)" *Katy Salvidge –

fiddle A fiddle is a Bow (music), bowed String instrument, string musical instrument, most often a violin or a bass. It is a colloquial term for the violin, used by players in all genres, including European classical music, classical music. Althou ...

, tin whistle * Paul Shaffer – organ on "Hit Somebody! (The Hockey Song)" *Evan Wilson –

viola The viola ( , () ) is a string instrument of the violin family, and is usually bowed when played. Violas are slightly larger than violins, and have a lower and deeper sound. Since the 18th century, it has been the middle or alto voice of the ...

on "Genius" * Michael Wolff – organ on "You're a Whole Different Person When You're Scared" * Jordan Zevon, Ariel Zevon,

– additional vocals Production *Warren Zevon – producer, mixing, arranger *Michael Delugg – engineer * Harvey Goldberg – engineer *Klint Macro – engineer * Will Schillinger – engineer * Noah Scot Snyder – engineer, mixing * Stephen Marcussen – mastering *Michael Krumper – A&R * Henry Diltz – photography

Charts

Album

References

{{Authority control Warren Zevon albums 2002 albums Artemis Records albums Albums produced by Warren Zevon