Roland The Headless Thompson Gunner | Historia Ephemera

"I sing of arms and a man." Support:   / pseudiom   Twitter:   / pseudiom   Warren Zevon's Roland is a character that walks out of the fog of history. The dirge of a mercenary in an era now mostly forgotten. Roland is a figure composed of the worst days from the African continent. The days when war was common and mercenaries were plentiful. Against this backdrop, the figure of "Roland The Headless Thompson Gunner" works his trade. A reaper who sings his dirge through the Cold War. Revenge his only paycheck. Of all of Zevon's songs, "Roland The Headless Thompson Gunner" is often seen as his masterpiece. A song Warren worked with an actual mercenary to draft. It contains folklore, espionage, regrets, and revenge. The thread of history runs through it all. Though not always perfect, it takes heavy inspiration from the mercenary wars of Africa. The many now forgotten characters who traveled across the seas to join in them. Characters that fascinated Warren Zevon. Roland's ghost still walks to this day... ————— Video Sources (Support the creators/uploaders): -VH1 (INSIDE) OUT: WARREN ZEVON: https://bit.ly/3iqopfQ -Warren Zevon - His First David Letterman Show, 1982.: https://bit.ly/3nX8HKm -Warren Zevon - Leave My Monkey Alone (HD): https://bit.ly/38TBEm9 -Warren Zevon - Werewolves Of London - Live in Passaic NJ, 1982: https://bit.ly/3qomKKC -Wonderland - Dutch documentary on Los Angeles Music Scene 1977: https://bit.ly/3itLSNw -A Conversation with Igor Stravinsky, 1957: https://bit.ly/38U0EKc -Warren Zevon - Bynon Tak Show Interview: https://bit.ly/2NJHEWx -Little River Band : Glenn Shorrock (L.R.B.) + Warren Zevon - Interview (MTV Australia, April 1990): https://bit.ly/3iY2L35 -Sitges Spain 1963: https://bit.ly/3iAFIuQ -UN troops from Tunesia pour into Congo,1960: https://bit.ly/3qHjTwA -Aftermath of the "Mercernaries Revolt"| Mercenaries & Refugees | Congo-Rwanda Border | August 1967: https://bit.ly/2Y64LNa -LES MERCENAIRES EUROPÉENS AU CONGO EN 1967: https://bit.ly/3cgtman -Rhodesian Broadcasting Corporation 1970: https://bit.ly/3o7XGG7 -Révolte à Léopoldville: https://bit.ly/2Mkbct2 -Battle For Onitsha | Aftermath of First Major Engagement | Nigerian Civil War | December 1967: https://bit.ly/3iJuTH8 -"Mad Mike" Hoare Talks Africa: https://bit.ly/2MlCsax -Col. Rolf Steiner Commander of the 4th Commando Brigade Biafra: https://bit.ly/3r1eUH0 -Panique au Biafra: https://bit.ly/3oiH4vC -Der lachende Mann/The Laughing Man – Bekenntnisse eines Mörders (GDR, 1966 - ENGLISH SUBTITLES): https://bit.ly/3pzpbdy -Biafra Babies part 1: https://bit.ly/36hcU5N -Biafra Babies part 2: https://bit.ly/36hcZq7 -Alf Cranner om Rolandskvadet + Roland og Magnus konge (trad.): https://bit.ly/3r3nPYS -Warren Zevon - Roland The Headless Thompson Gunner - His Last David Letterman Show - Part 4/4 (HD): https://bit.ly/3pxD9wu ————— Music: Warren Zevon - "Play It All Night Long" (00:00-00:39) Craig MacArthur - "The DeLong Incident" (00:39-02:35) Frédéric Chopin — "Galop Marquis", preformed by Aya Higuchi (02:35-02:45) Dan Leibowitz - "Come On Out" (02:45-04:30) Dan Leibowitz - "Freedom?" (04:29-06:41) Silent Partner - "Soldier On" (06:40-08:34) RKVC - "That One Bar Scene" (08:29-12:07) The Whole Other - "An Army of None" (12:06-15:58) The Mini Vandals - "Nomads" (15:54-18:18) DJ Williams - "Spy vs Spy" (18:18-20:14) The Whole Other - "Valley of Spies" (20:14-23:49) The Whole Other - "Go Get 'Em Tiger" (23:43-25:06) Alf Cranner - "Rolandsvadet" (25:06-25:35) The 126ers - "Simple Times" (25:34-28:34) ————— Sources: -Kushins, C. M. Nothing's Bad Luck: The Lives of Warren Zevon. Da Capo, 2019. -Baxter, Peter. BIAFRA: The Nigerian Civil War, 1967-1970. HELION & COMPANY LIMITED, 2014. -WARREN ZEVON THE SECOND STANZA: https://bit.ly/2WuSX6c -Warren Zevon and the Art of Dying: https://bit.ly/3akeqXE -Warren Zevon, Laughing Last: https://bit.ly/3mxukAh -Warren Zevon Other Page: Warren Zevon on the Loose in Los Angeles: https://bit.ly/37AXIRY -The Warren Zevon Other Page: Warren Zevon – An Appreciation: https://bit.ly/2LHXZKj -Dave's Diary – 15/09/03: https://bit.ly/34rnZQU -Roland And The Mozambique Drill – Frontier Partisans: https://bit.ly/37za6lu -The Roland Saga: https://bit.ly/3mANRQz -A list of known Soldiers of Fortune who served in the Congo conflict some time during the 1960's: https://bit.ly/37w82uy -NIGERIAN CIVIL WAR: THE MERCENARIES OF BIAFRA: https://bit.ly/366Z8SZ -Only American Known to Have Fought for Biafra Tells of War: https://bit.ly/3hkoX6N -How Ireland got involved in a Nigerian civil war: https://bit.ly/34wEJG8 -Biafran Invaders: https://bit.ly/37BONji -'Mad Mike' Hoare, mercenary leader – obituary: https://archive.vn/61y3I -Mercenary 'Mad Mike' Hoare dies aged 100: https://bit.ly/3mLD71S -'Mad Mike' Hoare, Irish Mercenary Leader in Africa, Dies at 100 – The New York Times: https://bit.ly/2KgBaNJ ————— Time, Time, Time Again For Another Thanks For Watching