My Ride's Here

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

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 – 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, tin whistle
 * Paul Shaffer – organ on "Hit Somebody! (The Hockey Song)"
 * Evan Wilson – viola on "Genius"
 * Michael Wolff – organ on "You're a Whole Different Person When You're Scared"
 * Jordan Zevon, Ariel Zevon, David Letterman – 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