Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner
| "Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner" | |
|---|---|
| Song by Warren Zevon | |
| from the album Excitable Boy | |
| Released | 1978 |
| Recorded | 1977 |
| Genre | Rock |
| Length | 3:47 |
| Label | Asylum |
| Songwriter(s) | Warren Zevon, David Lindell |
"Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner" is a song composed by
About the song
Zevon met co-writer Lindell in 1973 in Sitges, Spain, where the latter was running a bar, the Dubliner, after a stint working as a mercenary in Africa.[3] Always interested in the darker side of life, Zevon decided to collaborate with Lindell on a song about a mercenary.
The fictional character Roland is a Norwegian who becomes embroiled in the aftermath of the
Film reference
The song is a favorite of screenwriter David Koepp. He named the big-game hunter in The Lost World: Jurassic Park "Roland Tembo" as a reference to the song, and then "thought it would be fun to make his nemesis' last name Van Owen, like in the song", thus leading to the name of the protagonists being Nick Van Owen.[4]
See also
- Africa Addio or Africa: Blood and Guts
References
- ^ Leigh, Spencer (September 9, 2003). "Warren Zevon Singer-songwriter author of 'Werewolves of London'". The Independent. Archived from the original on April 23, 2009. Retrieved April 1, 2009.
- ^ "Zevon performs on Letterman". Late Show with David Letterman. October 30, 2002. CBS. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021 – via YouTube.
- ^ Marsh, Dave (November 2002). "Warren Zevon on the Loose in Los Angeles". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on October 1, 2007. Retrieved April 1, 2009.
- ^ "Movie Answer Man, Roger Ebert / December 27, 1998". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved May 7, 2008.
External links
- Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner at AllMusic
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