The Ongoing History of New Music, episode 995: The Last Moments Of…, part 2

October 27, 2023 Alan Cross 0 Comments

When someone dies, our first reaction is disbelief. We’re stunned. That’s immediately followed by a need to know what happened. How? Where? It’s only natural. We need information to help us process the news and the emotion that comes with it.

The next stage might be “Could anything have been done to prevent this?” And “Could someone have helped or intervened?” In some cases, perhaps. In the case of health issues, maybe not.

And finally, there’s this question: “Could what happened to that person happen to me?” Again, totally normal.

When it comes to the death of a famous musician, there’s an additional aspect to processing the news. Chances are we never knew this person as, you know, a person. Our only relationship with them has been as a fan. So why does their death affect us?

Here’s a possible answer. Although we never knew them, it was through their music that we learned more about ourselves. And in a way, when they die, a little of us dies, too.

This might only cause us to go deeper into what happened. We just need to know, to make sense if it, and to put everything to rest the best we can. Yes, some people get very nosey and gossipy and intrusive, but there’s always a way to handle what’s known through the public record: family statements, doctors’ accounts, police reports, coroners’ testimony, toxicology examinations, and autopsy results.

And we often can’t look away because we just need to know. This is The Last Moments Of…, part two.

Songs heard on this show: