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David Letterman “disappointed” Warren Zevon was snubbed by Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Fri 5 May 2023 20:59, UK

Former late-night talk show host David Letterman has shared his thoughts on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame snubbing his friend and frequent guest, Warren Zevon.

“Warren Zevon was on the ballot for the first time, and was not voted in,” Letterman told Barbara Gaines and Mary Barclay. “I will say that I’m disappointed. I’m not angry, because I would’ve been surprised had it gone the other way. I think to be angry would’ve been 30 years ago, when he should’ve been inducted.”

Zevon was given his first nomination by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame voting committee this year. The ‘Werewolves of London’ singer was heavily backed by rock hall inductee Billy Joel, who spearheaded his campaign to get in.

Letterman and Zevon were longtime friends. Zevon appeared on Letterman’s late-night shows Late Night with David Letterman and The Late Show with David Letterman a number of times, including a famous 2002 appearance after the singer was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer. Zevon died in 2003, ten months longer than his initial prognosis.

“It was the only time in my talk show history that I did anything like that,” David Letterman later observed in a retrospective piece published by The Ringer. “I’ve never sat down and talked to anybody on television where we both understood they were about to die.”

During the same talk, Letterman expressed his fondness for the indie rock band The National. Check out the conversation down below.