Bob, I don't know how else to say it: thanks for your touching post on funeral music. I'm sorry about the relatives you've lost. It's a touching sentiment that you took time to remember them on Mother's Day like you did. Thank you for sharing your feelings and thoughts here. And what song lists you've compiled. They're as amusing as they are inspiring. How could one not love this JMDL with posts such as these?
And I'm sure there are things in life more disconcerting than not being able to stop the Johnny Cash classic "Ring of Fire" from playing over and over in my head, but I can't think of one right now. Oh, but wait...there's always death. In my younger, wilder, devil-may-care days I made it clear to anyone who would listen that I wanted but one song played at my funeral. Preferably live (unintended pun, I swear) by the man himself: From the album _Catholic Boy_, the Jim Carroll Band's immortal "People Who Died." I communicated that I would consider it a tremendous, albeit posthumous, honor if Mr. Carrol added a stanza to the song recounting my own demise. And it was to be played LOUD, with a raging mosh pit of my closest friends dancing wildly right up front, recklessly jostling my open casket. And I wanted a very large video screen behind the casket showing unedited video footage of Iranian President Ayatollah Khomeini's funeral procession throughout the song's performance. His was the mother of all funerals, in my opinion. One of my buddies, bless his heart, had faithfully promised to attend to every detail of my morbid (by definition!) last wishes if I kicked the bucket before him. Take note Dionne, Stevie and Elton: *that's* what friends are for. -Julius People Who Died By Jim Carroll (played with a driving, punk beat) Teddy sniffing glue he was 12 years old Fell from the roof on East Two-nine Cathy was 11 when she pulled the plug On 26 reds and a bottle of wine Bobby got leukemia, 14 years old He looked like 65 when he died He was a friend of mine Refrain: Those are people who died, died Those are people who died, died Those are people who died, died Those are people who died, died They were all my friends, and they died G-berg and Georgie let their gimmicks go rotten So they died of hepatitis in upper Manhattan Sly in Vietnam took a bullet in the head Bobby OD'd on Drano on the night that he was wed They were two more friends of mine Two more friends that died / I miss 'em--they died Repeat Refrain Mary took a dry dive from a hotel room Bobby hung himself from a cell in the tombs Judy jumped in front of a subway train Eddie got slit in the jugular vein And Eddie, I miss you more than all the others, And I salute you brother/ This song is for you my brother Repeat Refrain Herbie pushed Tony from the Boys' Club roof Tony thought that his rage was just some goof But Herbie sure gave Tony some bitchen proof "Hey," Herbie said, "Tony, can you fly?" But Tony couldn't fly . . . Tony died Repeat Refrain: Brian got busted on a narco rap He beat the rap by rattin' on some bikers He said, hey, I know it's dangerous, but it sure beats Riker's But the next day he got offed by the very same bikers Repeat Refrain; repeat song to Eddie > Ah, death! > ...> > As for what music I would like played at my funeral, I really can't decide. > Should I leave 'em laughing when I go? Or should I pick music that would > guarantee that's there's not a dry eye in the house? Or maybe try to > accomplish a little of both with music that's so enigmatic, they won't know > whether to laugh or cry? And of course, there's always schmaltzy and tacky, > which can be great at a funeral . . . So with that in mind, I've made a few > lists of my selections in those four categories. > > > --Bob, heading for the Light -- Bud Light!
