Mr. Bad Example

Mr. Bad Example
Studio album by
Warren Zevon
ReleasedOctober 1991
Recorded1991
Studios
GenreRock
Length40:15
LabelGiant
ProducerWaddy Wachtel
Warren Zevon chronology
Transverse City
(1989)		 Mr. Bad Example
(1991)		 Learning to Flinch
(1993)
Singles from Mr. Bad Example
  1. "Finishing Touches"
    Released: 1991
  2. "Searching for a Heart"
    Released: 1991

Mr. Bad Example is the eighth studio album by the American musician Warren Zevon, released through Giant Records in October 1991. Zevon supported the album with a North American tour, with Odds serving as both opener and backing band.

Production

Mr. Bad Example was produced by Waddy Wachtel. Los Angeles session musicians contributed to the album. Zevon sometimes struggled for songwriting ideas, but always finished a song once he had started.

Dwight Yoakam provided backing vocals on "Heartache Spoken Here"; Dan Dugmore played pedal steel. David Lindley played a variety of instruments on "Quite Ugly One Morning". "Searching for a Heart" appeared on the soundtrack to the film Love at Large.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusicStarStarStar
Calgary HeraldC
Chicago TribuneStarStarHalf star
The Encyclopedia of Popular MusicStarStarStar
Rolling StoneStarStarStar
Uncut8/10
Vancouver SunStarStarStarStar

The Boston Globe called Mr. Bad Example "a wonderful, resonant album, eclectic and accessible." The Chicago Tribune deemed it "a return to the terse guitar-drums-keyboard format of [Zevon's] '70s albums." The Sun Sentinel considered it to be "pure, earthy rock accessibly colored by Zevon's typically wry imagery."

The Calgary Herald wrote that "Zevon's become a somewhat torpid renegade wailing away about his rebellion while safely ensconced in L.A. security." The Austin American-Statesman determined that "Zevon's first-person characters on this record are shocking, reprehensible and relentlessly slapstick."

Track listing

All tracks composed by Warren Zevon, except where indicated.

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Finishing Touches" 4:05
2."Suzie Lightning" 4:04
3."Model Citizen"LeRoy Marinell, Waddy Wachtel, Zevon4:39
4."Angel Dressed in Black"Julia Mueller, Waddy Wachtel, Zevon4:24
5."Mr. Bad Example"Jorge Calderón, Zevon3:22
6."Renegade" 4:51
7."Heartache Spoken Here" 3:48
8."Quite Ugly One Morning" 3:53
9."Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead"LeRoy Marinell, Waddy Wachtel, Zevon2:53
10."Searching for a Heart" 4:16

Personnel

Production

Charts

Weekly chart performance for Mr. Bad Example
Chart (2025) Peak
position
Hungarian Physical Albums (MAHASZ) 39

References

  1. ↑ Gundersen, Edna (October 9, 1991). "Standout fall LPs still due". USA Today. p. 5D.
  2. ↑ Ehrlich, Dimitri (October 1991). "Mr. Bad Example by Warren Zevon". Interview. Vol. 210, no. 10. p. 28.
  3. ↑ "This Week". Fanfare. Newsday. December 15, 1991. p. 2.
  4. ↑ Pareles, Jon (December 19, 1991). "Warren Zevon and the Odds, The Marquee". The New York Times. p. C13.
  5. ↑ "Mr. Bad Example by Warren Zevon". Billboard. Vol. 103, no. 43. October 26, 1991. p. 82.
  6. 1 2 Potter, Greg (January 2, 1992). "Some wickedly memorable recordings to wrap up the old year". Vancouver Sun. p. C6.
  7. ↑ Cromelin, Richard (February 4, 1992). "An Excitable Boy Becomes 'Mr. Bad Example'". Los Angeles Times. p. F3.
  8. ↑ Garofoli, Joe (October 27, 1991). "Warren Zevon's extreme examples are his best". The Milwaukee Journal. p. E2.
  9. ↑ Gettelman, Parry (November 8, 1991). "Warren Zevon". Calendar. Orlando Sentinel. p. 8.
  10. ↑ Puterbaugh, Parke (February 1992). "Mr. Bad Example by Warren Zevon". Stereo Review. Vol. 57, no. 2. p. 132.
  11. ↑ Allan, Marc D. (November 11, 1991). "'Mr. Bad Example' offers good sample". The Indianapolis Star. p. B5.
  12. ↑ Mark Deming (October 15, 1991). "Mr. Bad Example – Warren Zevon | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved October 23, 2015.
  13. 1 2 Wagamese, Richard (October 20, 1991). "Recent Releases". Calgary Herald. p. C7.
  14. 1 2 Kot, Greg (October 24, 1991). "Recordings". Tempo. Chicago Tribune. p. 7.
  15. ↑ Larkin, Colin (2007). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (4th ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0195313734.
  16. ↑ "Warren Zevon: Mr. Bad Example". Rolling Stone. November 28, 1991. Archived from the original on May 22, 2008. Retrieved October 23, 2015 – via Web.archive.org.
  17. ↑ "How to buy Warren Zevon". Uncut. October 2023. p. 71.
  18. ↑ Sullivan, Jim (October 24, 1991). "Warren Zevon Mr. Bad Example". Calendar. The Boston Globe. p. 10.
  19. ↑ Lannert, John (May 22, 1992). "Warren Zevon Kicks Off U.S. Tour with Carefree Show". Features Showtime. Sun Sentinel. p. 30.
  20. ↑ Graff, Gary (October 31, 1991). "'Bad Example' isn't". Onward. Austin American-Statesman. p. 20.
  21. ↑ "Album Top 40 slágerlista (fizikai hanghordozók) – 2025. 44. hét". MAHASZ. Retrieved November 5, 2025.