This may sound morbid, but I really don’t mean it that way…
We are on this earth for a short time, and as Warren Zevon once said, you have to enjoy every sandwich.
Zevon is among a very select group of artists who left us with great death albums. His disc, The Wind, was released in 2003, while he was dying of lung cancer. A year earlier, George Harrison’s Brainwashed had appeared. A full decade later, David Bowie gave us Blackstar.
Into this, I’d like to recommend the last thing done by David Johanson. It’s not an album. Not really. It’s the final episode of his Sirius show, Mansion of Fun. The show, which ran for more than a decade, was always eclectic. But this episode, completed on his death bed, is heart-wrenchingly self-aware. He’s curated the ultimate song list about death and dying, all while knowing it would be his final, ebullient testament.
David Jo had a fair amount of time to think about his death. A decade ago, he was diagnosed with stage four cancer, which led to a brain tumor. Last Thanksgiving, he fell down stairs and broke his back in two places, leaving him bedridden and literally begging for money.
So, I’m a little stunned that Sirius hasn’t done more with this show. I can’t find the playlist anywhere. But that’s in keeping with how it’s treated The Loft since it booted its visionary founder, Mike Marrone (now at www.mikemarrone.com), in favor of a taped (read: cheaper) format.
The next time you can hear the final Mansion is Monday (*3/24*) at 9 pm. David says he’ll see you next week. And “if I don’t come back, you can find me on the Ouigi board.”
I’ll be listening one more time. You should, too. With a sandwich. And enjoy the hell out of it!