Mortality, Music, and the Meaning of Life

There’s perhaps no better reminder of your own mortality than when the people you grew up watching, reading, and listening begin to slip the surly bonds of earth.

While I’m not a huge fan of The Pogues or Shane MacGowan, I’m quite familiar with their impact as an 80s kid. And I’m shaken by the increasing number of deaths of artists I know. But they’ve all left their mark on the world

In the great critique on controlling your own destiny that is “City Slickers,” Curly reminds us that life is all about “just one thing.”

Curly was right. We all must find “just one thing” that matters to make our life incredible. Maybe Shane did that. Maybe.

“Shane, my friend in life and in whiskey. May the wind be at your sails. Keep River company and all our brethren who passed way before their time.

“I’ll never forget your support the last few years chum. LOVE Always, JD.” 

— Johnny Depp

I can only hope that those I love can celebrate my life and our time together when I’m gone, regardless of whatever else I’ve done. And maybe I’ll get to go out to a banger like this…

Assorted Links for Friday, May 13, 2022

  1. This Is Spinal Tap Will Get a Sequel 40 Years Later, Reuniting Rob Reiner, Michael McKean, Christopher Guest & Harry Shearer
  2. The Rolling Stones released Paint it Black on May 13, 1966
  3. How to Enter a ‘Flow State’ on Command: Peak Performance Mind Hack Explained in 7 Minutes
  4. Smithsonian, with first exhibition, previews planned National Latino museum
  5. A timeline of the past two years of COVID-19 deaths
  6. Seven health insurance CEOs raked in a record $283 million for 2021
  7. 90s jazz design: cups, controversy, and nostalgia
  8. Cultivating Digital Literacy through Real-World Learning