Allison's friend Domini died at the young age of 31 from cancer, leaving behind a daughter.
And if you have read Allison's books you would see how popular music plays an important emotional role in the lives of many.
I have a small record collection, but I rarely play the vinyl stored in my bookcase, because I prefer CDs instead of fiddling with records and record players.
Anyway, if I don't get rid of some stuff, I'll soon need a bigger boat.
Some songs even being seen as signs from the dead to the living.
What I learned from reading Allison's books was that we all have personal stories that we are trying to make sense of while we are living, and Allison is no different than any of us in the land of the living.
She to is trying to make sense of her personal story as she goes on living.
Every Story is Part Myth No Matter How True People Want You to BeLIEve it is? |
| The last record my late father ever played |
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| It has 'Wings Beneath My Wings' on it as well:-) |
As I wrote about in this recent post -
I've been doing a de-clutter of my bookcases to see what I feel like passing on to some others out there.
I used to have a fairly large record collection in the 80s, but started getting rid of them when I replaced them with a CD version if I still liked the old record.
I gave some of those records to my parents when I was into CDs.
And when dad passed away in 2016 my mother asked us kids if we wanted to take any of dad's records, otherwise she was going to give them away, as she didn't play records anymore.
I took back the records I had given them and didn't realize at the time that one of those records was the soundtrack to 'Beaches' which I had probably bought for my wife more than me, when that record was in the charts when we had seen the movie at the cinema.
Ironically the song that I'm sick of hearing played at people's funerals, 'The Wind Beneath My Wings' is on both the 'Beaches' and Willie Nelson records I have in my bookcase.
Most of the records I have in my bookcase I have decided to hold onto for now, except a Charlie Musselwhite harmonica record and the 'Beaches' soundtrack.
In hindsight my "soulmate" turned out to be my "brick" more than the "wind beneath my wings".Don't get me wrong, the 'Beaches' soundtrack has a lot of good songs on them, but none that I want to hear until it's time for me to go:-)
And while I enjoyed reading Allison's books they won't be going back onto my shelves and are heading to a secondhand bookstore near you maybe?
And while I enjoyed reading Allison's books they won't be going back onto my shelves and are heading to a secondhand bookstore near you maybe?
Who knows?
God and life work in mysterious ways don't you know?-)
Row, row, row your boat gently down the stream, merrily merrily, merrily, merrily, life is but a dream ...and a nightmare:-)
Willie’s, Beaches and your Dad’s record collection and Dubois book - is her book worth a read? - is an uncanny sync.
ReplyDeleteBeing an Aussie like you Spartan I was surprised that the song was first recorded by Kamahl in 1982 for a country and western album he was recording.
DeleteKamahl talked about being the first to record the song in an appearance on Australian TV show Spicks and Specks, but stated it was not commercially released because it was felt he did not suit the country and western style.
The song 'The Wind Beneath My Wings' that is.
DeleteYeah, it's not the best Willie Nelson record around (I think mum won it on a Brisbane radio station), and I have a heap of Willie on CDs, but it was the record that was on my father's turntable when he died, mum said.
ReplyDeleteMy dad was in a nursing home for a year before he died, so that record must have been on the turntable for a year or more at mum and dad's place.
'Wind Beneath My Wings' must have been the second last song that was played on his record player.
Allison's books are worth a read for the human stories of hope that they tell, and her version of her life events, although some of the stuff she said she relays from the dead I don't buy, unless it's just the dead person's way of spurring on the living.
For instance she tells a lot of people that their dead pets are being looked after by dead relatives over on the other side, which I find a bit hard to believe.
Not that I don't believe pets live on in some form, but why would they need Aunty Jan to look after them until their owners got over there to do it?
But, if I was dead and Allison was bringing me through to calm my living relatives, I'd tell them that I'm looking after their dead cat, too ... just so they would stop worrying about their bloody cat and live the rest of their life in peace.
Bit like when ambulance officers look at you when you are bleeding to death and they say, "don't worry it's gonna be OK, you'll be fine" ... when they know darn well you won't :-(
And how would you break the news to 'em that granddad ain't up here with me because he's been reincarnated as your daughter love?-)
I think the dead would have to use a bit of diplomatic BS to the living who wouldn't have the benefit of an overall life/death game-plan from where they are.
I think that’s the right option. It’s the solace. Kind of like telling Collingwood they’re going to do ok this year though we all know they’ll be using their first draft pick come 2022.
ReplyDeleteWillie Nelson got me into my Townes Van Zandt obsession. Went through a stage where I bought every Townes CD and film I could find. Anyway lost it in the Blue Mountains fire of 2013. Luckily I have Spotify.
Sorry to hear about the fire, it's something I always think about when it comes to my own personal collections in the home.
ReplyDeleteNo amount of money can replace the hard memories you have collected throughout your lifetime.
I always wonder too, just how good these fire walls are between units if the neighbour's place goes up in flames.
But I saw in the news the other day when that prick killed his ex-partner and torched the unit, that the firewalls in that place did an excellent job of not burning down the place next door.
I've met Willie's son Lukas Nelson a few times at the Byron Bay Bluesfest, and he is a down to earth nice kid.
ReplyDelete