Zevon, who had regularly appeared on the show over the preceding decade, was unusually given the majority of the episode to talk with Letterman and perform three songs.

The episode is known for the humor that Zevon used throughout the interview, as well as his quip that his terminal diagnosis was a reminder to "enjoy every sandwich".

David Letterman, a comedian who began the late-night NBC Late Night franchise in 1982, was a major fan of Zevon.

[6] Zevon hoped to promote his new album on an episode of the Late Show, which typically booked two guests and a musical act.

Letterman immediately endorsed the idea, and the only parts of the episode that did not feature Zevon were a traditional opening monologue and the recurring Top Ten List comedy segment.

[1] Before taping the Late Show's episode on October 30, 2002, Zevon pushed Letterman to prioritize humor over awkward questions.

[1] Audience members were specifically instructed to avoid sympathetic reactions like aww if they heard sad news.

[1] When the cameras stopped rolling, Letterman made what was for him an unusual decision to visit his guest's dressing room.

Two months after the show aired, Rolling Stone's David Fricke placed his performance of "Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner" third in their list of top music moments in the year.

[13] In a longer retrospective, Uncut magazine said that the interview gave "the impression [that Zevon was] wise-cracking his way to the grave".

Zevon's son added that his performance "was the role he was preparing to play all his life ... it gave him the chance to be like one of his tough-guy heroes" despite the toll of his medications and mental health.

[14] William Breitbart, a psychiatrist and Zevon fan, would later write an editorial about the lessons people could learn from the musician's response to his impending death.

He brought up Zevon's "enjoy every sandwich" quip weeks later in an interview with The New York Times Magazine: "Here's a guy looking right down the barrel of the gun.

[17] The quote has also been widely referenced in a variety of contexts, including people facing their own bouts with cancer and when other celebrities deal with a terminal diagnosis that the public learns about.