Archive for the ‘Entertainment’ Category
Thinking on Death and What One Leaves Behind
My grandmother passed away recently. She was a great woman who helped raise me and my cousins when we were children, and she has continued to touch my life even after I grew up and didn’t have as much interaction with her as I did then. After a five year battle with cancer, she passed away having seen all her sisters, children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews. She leaves behind a legacy that will continue on for a long time to come.
When she planned her funeral, she made it very traditional. She knew exactly what she wanted and had the services carried out in the way that she saw fit. So she went out on her own terms even as she planned them. We even had a laugh at the graveside when we realized that she was late to her own funeral as she and we had said that she would be. She was buried like many people are, and now, there will be a grave that we will visit every year like we do the rest of my grandparents and relatives that have gone on.
However, I find this problematic on so many levels as this sets up a shrine that many will go to to remember her. This is the notion that always makes me a little antsy and causes me to have scruples about what I want when I ultimately go through that process that we all have to. I will tell you that I don’t want people to feel obligated to go to a place and visit me. I don’t want anything like this. I want people to remember me in the small things: a kiss we shared, a laugh, a song we sang too loudly in the car, a judgmental look, whatever it may be. I want it to creep up on them and for them to find themselves suddenly taken with it. Now, this doesn’t mean that I want people to cry (although I know that some might… I’m pretty sure that one of my sisters would if she read this right now), but if that’s the way one reacts, then, they should do it then.
But why I’m writing this now, other than trying to find some catharsis in my grandmother’s loss, is that a student video from Dorian Lebherz & Daniel Titz, two film students, came across my Facebook feed. It is a student directed advertisement for Johnnie Walker Whisky, but it is a beautiful thing. The sentiment is beautiful and is captured in the direction and acting within it. However, the most beautiful part might be the poem voiced-over the entire piece, a poem written by Dorian Lebherz & Daniel Titz and John Reilly:
“Walking the roads of our youth
through the land of our childhood, our home and our truth
Be near me, guide me
always stay beside me so i can be free, free
Lets roam this place
familiar and vast
our playground of green frames, our past
We were wanderers
never lost, always home
When every place was fenceless
and time was endless
our ways were always the same
Cool my demons and walk with me brother
until our roads lead us away from each other
and if your heart’s full of sorrow, keep walking, don’t rest
and promise me from heart to chest
to never let your memories die, never
I will always be alive and by your side,
in your mind
I’m free”
As I write this now, I find myself crying a little, which is big if you know me. There is just something here that touches on everything that I’m thinking and feeling right now. So I hope this doesn’t bum you out too much, but this is just lovely.
The Song in My Head: “Young Love” by Eli Lieb
So this song has been in my head for a while now. I can’t even explain why, but it’s so damn catchy. And the idea that “this love is getting dangerous” is one that I can understand quite well. So enjoy.
Playlist of the Week
While only a few songs, these are these particular ones are on repeat on a playlist right now.
“Secret”–Huntington
“La La La”–Naughty Boy feat. Sam Smith
“Collide”–Howie Day
“Some Nights”–Fun
“Hard Out Here”–Lily Allen
The Song in My Head: “Fuck You” by Lily Allen
This song is brilliant on so many levels. And because of a rough day, I think that it might be my anthem for tonight. So enjoy. Also, have I mentioned that Lily Allen is my spirit animal?
The Song in My Head: “First Time He Kissed a Boy”
I found this song today. It popped up in my YouTube feed, and I clicked into it. It’s from Danish band Kadie Elder. And its message is comes from the turmoil that is teenage years in the lives of young men and women. They move from the “first time he kissed a boy” to lead us into what comes next. The idea behind the song is simple, but for me, it sends a positive message.
Growing up in the rural South where being gay / trans / bi is oftentimes looked down on and even seen as a black mark on persons, I think we need a little more of the understanding and positive message inherent here to push the hate and bigotry out of the way. Enjoy the song and the video.
Songs in My Head: “All I Want” performed by Stevie McCrorie
Ever since I heard Stevie McCrorie on “The Voice UK,” I fell in love with his voice because of its rawness and sincerity. There’s just something about the way in which he interprets songs that makes me really feel what it is that he is going for if that makes sense to anyone out there in blogland.
His cover of “All I Want,” originally performed by Kodaline, is probably one of my favorites that he does. I hope you enjoy.
