I remember back to when one of my friends, Roy, died. He knew he was going to go, and he obviously laid out how he wanted his funeral to happen ~ down to music that was played at the service.
First off, I don't want a religious service when I die. No priest or reverend or other such stuff. Religion need not apply when I die. I'm not "in a better place now."
I want to be cremated. So the place I'll be in is some kind of receptacle.
For the service, just gather people together to have a good time, to celebrate that they're still alive. And you can talk about me if you like, but the point is that you're still alive, you lucky bastards.
I don't know if a funeral parlor will allow this, so you may have to rent some kind of a hall for the proceedings. Have a potluck dinner where people bring what they like to eat or maybe dishes I liked to eat. Food is important. I like pie, so note that point.
There needs to be libations. If possible, get a keg of Schlitz for the party. If Schlitz isn't available, Sam Adams Boston lager will work. Also, some manner of a good IPA is necessary. Bourbon is my favorite hard liquor, so have some of that on hand, but not any of the boring and rudimentary bourbon like Jack Daniel's or Jim Beam. Some good choices are Four Roses Single Barrel, Heaven Hill 100 proof 6 year old (you'll have to travel to Indiana or Kentucky to acquire that juice), Eagle Rare, Elijah Craig, Old Forester 100 proof, Evan Williams 100 proof, and Buffalo Trace. I also like gin, so I suggest Beefeater and Bombay regular. Gin and tonics would be a good choice if I croak in the summertime.
But overall, you just need to get together and have a good time some night to celebrate life.
Like my friend's funeral, I want to control the music choices. So what follows is the playlist that should happen.
This is a long list, and it's done via alpha order (via iTunes) of the artists:
- Born Under a Bad Sign, Albert King
- I Stay Away, Alice in Chains
- Shake the Walls, Amanda Shires
- Katherine Belle, American Aquarium
- Burn. Flicker. Die, American Aquarium
- Moanin', Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers
- Show Me How to Live, Audioslave
- Shadow on the Sun, Audioslave
- Down with the Shine, Avett Brothers
- Talk on Indolence, Avett Brothers
- I and Love and You, Avett Brothers
- Head Full of Doubt/Road Full of Promise, Avett Brothers
- Never Stop, The Bad Plus
- In 3s, Beastie Boys
- Shake Your Rump, Beastie Boys
- Selfless, Cold, and Composed, Ben Folds Five
- Army, Ben Folds Five
- Shimmer and Shine, Ben Harper
- Ground on Down (Live from Mars version), Ben Harper
- Till I Get My Way, Black Keys
- Tones of Home, Blind Melon
- Change, Blind Melon
- No Rain, Blind Melon
- Shine On, Blitzen Trapper
- Street Fighting Sun, Blitzen Trapper
- See a Little Light, Bob Mould
- Black Sheets of Rain, Bob Mould
- Disappointed, Bob Mould
- Welfare Music, The Bottle Rockets
- Perfect Far Away, The Bottle Rockets
- Zoysia, The Bottle Rockets
- Give Me Room, The Bottle Rockets
- Shape of a Wheel, The Bottle Rockets
- Keep Your Heart Young, Brandi Carlile
- St. Thomas, Branford Marsalis Quartet
- Lonesome Day, Bruce Springsteen
- American Land, Bruce Springsteen
- Waitin', Caitlin Rose
- Everywhere I Go, Caitlin Rose
- When I Win the Lottery, Camper Van Beethoven
- One of These Days, Camper Van Beethoven
- Life Is Grand, Camper Van Beethoven
- Come On In My Kitchen, Cassandra Wilson
- All the Talkers, Centro-matic
- Salty Disciple, Centro-matic
- Murderer of Blue Skies, Chris Cornell
- A Murder of One, Counting Crows
- Holiday in Spain, Counting Crows
- Pedestrian at Best, Courtney Barnett
- God Shuffled His Feet, Crash Test Dummies
- Afternoons and Coffeespoons, Crash Test Dummies
- From the Right Angle, Dawes
- All Your Favourite Bands, Dawes
- You Are a Tourist, Death Cab for Cutie
- The New Year, Death Cab for Cutie
- The Sound of Settling, Death Cab for Cutie
- Little White Lies, Deer Tick
- American Pie, Don McLean
- The Day John Henry Died, Drive-By Truckers (John Henry is my favorite folktale)
- Grand Canyon, Drive-By Truckers
- Postcard from 1952, Explosions in the Sky
- One Day, Fishbone
- Everyday Sunshine, Fishbone
- When My Train Pulls In, Gary Clark Jr.
- Shout It From the Rooftops, Glossary
- Nothing Can Hurt You Now, Glossary
- Poor Boy, Glossary
- Headstones and Dead Leaves, Glossary
- Hold Me Down, Glossary
- Days Go By, Glossary
- Save Your Money for the Weekend, Glossary
- Trouble Won't Always Last, Glossary
- A Shoulder to Cry On, Glossary
- Some Eternal Spark, Glossary (I obviously like the band Glossary a lot. It's a band most people don't know about.)
- Welcome to the Jungle, Guns-n-Roses (Delta Delta)
- The Humorist, Ha Ha Tonka (a song about Mark Twain, one of my favorite writers)
- Kiss You Down There, Hackensaw Boys
- Hey Good Looking, Hank Williams (My mom used to sing this often.)
- Long Gone Lonesome Blues, Hank Williams
- There's a Tear in My Beer, Hank Williams
- Stomp and Holler, Hayes Carll
- Bad Liver and a Broken Heart, Hayes Carll
- She Left Me for Jesus, Hayes Carll
- Stuck Between Stations, The Hold Steady
- Stay Positive, The Hold Steady
- Sittin' on Top of the World, Howlin'Wolf
- Used to Did, J Roddy Watson and the Business
- I Don't Want to Hear It, J Roddy Watson and the Business
- Gone, Jack Johnson
- Sleep Through the Static, Jack Johnson
- We Can't Make It There, James McMurtry
- Choctaw Bingo, James McMurtry
- Something in the Way She Moves, James Taylor (for Mrs. Nasty, our wedding song)
- Ocean Size, Jane's Addiction
- Grown, Jason Isbell
- The Blue, Jason Isbell
- Streetlights, Jason Isbell
- Alabama Pines, Jason Isbell
- Songs That She Sang in the Shower, Jason Isbell
- Relatively Easy, Jason Isbell
- 24 Frames, Jason Isbell
- Goddamn Lonely Love (Live in Alabama version), Jason Isbell
- Waiting for the Sun, Jayhawks
- When You're Hot, You're Hot, Jerry Reed
- Bad, Bad Leroy Brown, Jim Croce (one of my favorite songs when I was a kid)
- Come On (Let the Good Times Roll), Jimi Hendrix
- Beautiful World, JJ Grey and Mofro
- On Fire, JJ Grey and Mofro
- 99 Shades of Crazy, JJ Grey and Mofro
- Harp and Drums, JJ Grey and Mofro
- John Deere Green, Joe Diffie (I used lots of quarters for this song to play at The Flamingo)
- Stay and Dance, Joe Pug
- The Great Despiser, Joe Pug
- Downbound Train, Joe Pug
- Blue Train, John Coltrane
- Satan and St. Paul, John Fulbright
- Human Wheels, John Mellencamp
- Longest Days, John Mellencamp
- Stones in My Pasway, John Mellencamp
- Ring of Fire, Johnny Cash
- A Boy Named Sue (live), Johnny Cash
- Man in Black, Johnny Cash (My daughter's favorite Johnny Cash song)
- Wolves, Josh Ritter
- Thin Blue Flame, Josh Ritter
- Change of Time, Josh Ritter
- Rattling Locks, Josh Ritter
- Another New World, Josh Ritter
- Getting Ready to Get Down, Josh Ritter
- Where the Night Goes, Josh Ritter
- Lone Pine Hill, Justin Townes Earle
- Ain't Waitin', Justin Townes Earle
- Hangover Heart, Kudzu Kings
- What Are You Willing to Lose?, Lucero
- Mercy Mercy Me (the Ecology), Marvin Gaye
- One, Metallica (one of the best music videos of all time)
- For Whom the Bell Tolls, Metallica
- Yea Alabama, Million Dollar Band (Alabama's fight song ~ please play this more than once)
- Ho Cake, Mofro (mmmm, a song about Southern cooking)
- Brighter Days, Mofro
- Fireflies, Mofro
- I Just Want to Make Love to You, Muddy Waters
- Don't Let It Bring You Down, Neil Young
- Heart of Gold, Neil Young
- Walk On, Neil Young
- Thrasher, Neil Young
- Pocahontas, Neil Young
- This Tornado Loves You, Neko Case
- Zigaboogaloo, Nicholas Payton
- Elephant in the Corn, Nickel Creek
- Lithium, Nirvana
- Shake Em On Down, North Mississippi All Stars
- I Can't Turn You Loose, Otis Redding
- Crazy Train, Ozzy Osbourne
- Evenflow, Pearl Jam
- Go, Pearl Jam
- Blood, Pearl Jam
- Love Boat Captain, Pearl Jam
- Faithful, Pearl Jam
- Do the Evolution, Pearl Jam
- Wishlist, Pearl Jam
- Infallible, Pearl Jam
- Wish You Were Here, Pink Floyd
- Everybody's Trying, Poi Dog Pondering
- Fruitless, Poi Dog Pondering
- Spirits in the Material World, Police
- When the World Is Running Down, You Make the Best of What's Still Around, Police
- To Defy the Laws of Tradition, Primus (one of the best shows I saw was a double-bill of Primus and Fishbone)
- Harold of the Rocks, Primus
- Tommy the Cat, Primus
- Rye Whiskey, Punch Brothers
- Who's Feeling Young Now?, Punch Brothers
- Magnet, Punch Brothers
- Little Lights, Punch Brothers
- Find the River, R.E.M.
- It's the End of the World as We Know It (and I Feel Fine), R.E.M.
- Feeling Gravity's Pull, R.E.M.
- Driver 8, R.E.M.
- These Days, R.E.M.
- Sad Professor, R.E.M
- Wake Up. Rage Against the Machine
- Two Birds, Regina Spektor
- All the Rowboats, Regina Spektor
- Unsatisfied, The Replacements
- Left of the Dial, The Replacements
- I Don't Know, The Replacements
- Valentine, The Replacements ("You wish upon a star, and it turns into a plane." For whatever reason that sentence has haunted me for years.)
- Can't Hardly Wait, The Replacements
- Anywhere's Better than Here, The Replacements
- Happy Town, The Replacements
- 10,000 Chinese Walk into a Bar, Robert Earl Keen
- Soul Refreshing, Robert Randolph and the Family Band
- Blues Jam, Rollins Band
- Of Kindred Souls, Roy Hargrove
- Strasbourg/St. Denis, Roy Hargrove Quintet
- Working Man, Rush
- Ring Them Bells, Sarah Jarosz
- Broussard's Lament, Sarah Jarosz
- Sing a Simple Song, Sly and the Family Stone
- Everyday People, Sly and the Family Stone
- I Am One, Smashing Pumpkins
- Out of the Picture, Son Volt
- Driving the View, Son Volt
- Bandages and Scars, Son Volt
- Down to the Wire, Son Volt
- When the Wheels Don't Move, Son Volt
- Rusty Cage, Soundgarden (If I could have a "walk-up" song before I teach like baseball players before they hit, this would be it.)
- Jesus Christ Pose, Soundgarden
- 4th of July, Soundgarden
- Superunknown, Soundgarden
- Non-State Actor, Soundgarden
- Rowing, Soundgarden
- Voodoo Chile (Slight Return), Stevie Ray Vaughn
- Testify, Stevie Ray Vaughn
- Higher Ground, Stevie Wonder
- Consider Me Gone (Bring on the Night live album), Sting
- Another Day (Bring on the Night live album), Sting
- Life Ain't Fair and the World Is Mean, Sturgill Simpson
- Turtles All the Way Down, Sturgill Simpson
- Come See about Me, Tedeschi Trucks Band
- Let Me Get By, Tedeschi Trucks Band
- Hunger Strike, Temple of the Dog (basis for our pledge class song)
- Monk's Dream, Thelonious Monk Quartet
- Birdhouse in Your Soul, They Might Be Giants
- This Land Is Our Land, Todd Snider
- Moon Dawg's Tavern, Todd Snider
- Statistician's Blues, Todd Snider
- D.B. Cooper, Todd Snider
- Keep Off the Grass, Todd Snider
- Ballad of Devil's Backbone Tavern, Todd Snider (great message)
- Happy New Year, Todd Snider
- In the Beginning, Todd Snider
- Big Finish, Todd Snider
- Runnin' Down a Dream, Tom Petty
- Wildflowers, Tom Petty (For my daughter ~ I want it to be the song played for the dad-bride dance at her wedding.)
- Even the Losers, Tom Petty
- Suburbia, Trombone Shorty
- Hurricane Season, Trombone Shorty
- Gin, Smoke, Lies, Turnpike Trobadours
- Mooshiner, Uncle Tupelo
- Chickamauga, Uncle Tupelo
- Linus and Lucy, Vince Guaraldi
- Thanksgiving Theme, Vince Guaraldi
- Skating, Vince Guaraldi (Some of my favorite childhood memories are watching Charlie Brown specials with my parents. Reading Peanuts and then comic books primed my passion for reading.)
- Thank God for Girls, Weezer
- Hard Luck Story, Whiskeytown
- Tennessee Square, Whiskeytown
- Ain't Life Grand, Widespread Panic
- Coconut, Widespread Panic ("Gone" by Jack Johnson and this one are songs I used to play in my daughter's room in St. Louis, and we'd dance.)
- This Land Is Your Land, Woody Guthrie
- Uptown Ruler, Wynton Marsalis (I listened to Soul Gestures in Southern Blue, particularly vol. 2, often when revising my dissertation.)
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