Don't forget Gladys. mack
> 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!
