Pacific Sun 10.26.2012 - Section 1

@j `k [\X[# fi `j `k D\dfi\o6 Arranging your funerary mix tape can take a lifetime...

presents

Steven Russell Black

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few years back, I journeyed CaliforThis isn’t the ďŹ rst nia’s vast and sweltering Interstate time I imagined my 5 from Los Angeles back to the Bay funeral. Throughout Area. It is a sojourn I have made often over my life, serious and the last several decades but this particular not-so-serious nearmid-July trip was rather psychically transdeath experiences led formative. me to vivid images First, I should admit that I was a bit hung of friends and famover. The evening prior to my return home ily streaming out was spent sucking down tequila with some the door of comold high school friends and smoking cigamunity centers, rettes outside one’s West Hollywood apartweeping for their ment. The morning found me dehydrated, loss. In fact, I ďŹ rst hazy and mildly bruised. began imagining Next, anyone who has ever found herself my demise and subsein the unfortunate location of the Central quent funeral service as a young child Valley during the summer months knows who passed by a vicious Australian cattle dog that July doesn’t exactly offer a refreshing on my daily walks to the bus stop. This horriďŹ c experience. Especially while driving an old mutt, T.S. (which was short for “Tough Shitâ€?), clunky 1990 Volvo with no A/C. Though growled, pounced and nipped at my heels evequipped with a large Whole Foods bag of ery school day for nearly 10 years, resulting in coconut water, kombucha and smoothies a decade of obsessing over what kind of music for the drive, the combination of the heat, would be played at my service after ďŹ nally sucthe tequila seeping out of my post-binge cumbing to this nasty creature’s blood-thirsty pores and nostalgia for my youth brought fangs. Luckily, I survived those early years with on what can only be described as a mobile T.S., and my loved ones escaped the fate of revision quest. membering me every time they heard songs As the 110 degree heat continued to like “Sunrise, Sunset,â€? “We Are the World,â€? or soar—reaching a temperature of what I re- Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ on a Prayer.â€? fer to as “personal hellâ€?—I was convinced As I grew older and had more serious that I would meet my maker out there on near-death experiences—like the time my the side of the freeway, and over the next teen boyfriend and I totaled his parents’ several hours in my sweat lodge on wheels, new Volvo while blasting Metallica’s “Ride I imagined my own funeral. And for some the Lightningâ€?—my musical taste had reason it involved my friend Gabe narratexpanded from Casey Kasem’s Sunday ing a slide show of my life. My existence morning Top 40 countdown of my preslowly clicked away before my eyes like an teen years. I soon found myself recording old Kodak projector; Gabe’s voice echoing eclectic mixed-tapes in which the unlikely through the vast array of songs I combination of the Smiths, Hall imagined would accompany and Oates, the Violent Femmes, my photographs at the memoElton John, Led Zeppelin, the rial service.

Pixies, Bob Dylan, Prince and by I know this seems morose.

Black Sabbath would provide Dani But really, who hasn’t enterthe soundtrack to my teen tained these dramatic projecself ’s tragic and untimely Burlison tions? death.

D`o\[ d\jjX^\j On the off-chance that the entire staff at the PaciďŹ c Sun perishes in a freak apocalyptic pterodactyl attack, I’ve asked them to be prepared, too. Here’s what our staff funeral mix tape would sound like: “When The Saints Go Marching In,â€?traditional —Missy Reynolds, art director “Gasolineâ€? by the Silent Comedy;“Womanâ€?

by Wolfmother —Stephenny Godfrey, trafďŹ c coordinator “Scatterlings of Africaâ€? by Johnny Clegg & Savuka —Tracey Milne, sales

“Over Now� by Alice in Chains —Zach Allen, circulation coordinator “Fly Me to the Moon� by Frank Sinatra; “Stayin’ Alive� by the Bee Gees —Helen Hammond, inside sales “Death Is Not the End� by Bob Dylan (Nick Cave version);“They’re Coming to Take Me Away, Ha-Haaa!� by Napoleon XIV —Jason Walsh, editor “For a Dancer� by Jackson Browne;“ And When I Die� by Laura Nyro —Carol Inkellis, copy editor

fridays at

In my 20s, the idea of dying suddenly became more of a possibility as I began losing people I loved and was asked to contribute songs for memorial mixed tapes. “Amazing Grace� doesn’t always cut it. There have been heavy metal songs, hip-hop remixes and, of course, the excruciatingly painful experience of my children choosing Iz Kamakawiwo’ole’s version of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow / What a Wonderful World� for their father’s funeral.

These days, my own list continues to morph in order to accommodate new songs and the new memories they help form. And though my dear friend Gabe may ďŹ nd my Untimely Death Mixed Tape not up to par with his music standards, I’m still hoping he can add some narration and tasteful stories of my life if and when the occasion arises.

For future reference, my Untimely Death Mixed Tape is, in no particular order, as follows: Leonard Cohen “Bird on a Wire� s Tom Waits “Shiver Me Timbers� s Amy Winehouse “He Can Only Hold Her� s John Prine “Angel From Montgomery� s Okkervil River “Song About a Star� s Neutral Milk Hotel “Holland, 1945� s Andrew Bird “Happy Day� s The Beatles “Across the Universe� s Alison Krauss & Gillian Welch “I’ll Fly Away� s The Smiths “Reel Around the Fountain� s Paul Simon “Mother and Child Reunion� s The Cure “Close to Me� s Bjork “All Is Full of Love� s Wilco/Billy Bragg “California Stars� s Flaming Lips “Do You Realize?� s Neil Young “Unknown Legend� s Ice Cube “It Was a Good Day� s Brothers Comatose’s cover of the Rolling Stones’ “Dead Flowers� s Otis Redding “Amen� s Frank Sinatra “I’ll Be Seeing You� s Bob Dylan “Girl from North Country� s Heavy D “Now That We Found Love� s David Bowie with Arcade Fire “Wake Up.�

Rewind with Dani at dburlison@paciďŹ csun.com.

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