Jim Carroll was a poet and rocker who penned a 1980 punk classic whose heartbreak was nearly disfigured by its thrash. Carroll, now dead himself, recalled those lost too soon:
Those are people who died, died
They were all my friends and they died.
As I thought about this list of remembrances, Carroll's words made me aware of what's so sad about this list of those lost in 2016 -- these were all our friends.
David Bowie
1947-2016
Inexhaustible reinvention meant I didn't love it all, but the stuff that worked lasts. And for me, "Ashes to Ashes" was his most enduring songcraft, fresh and surprising more than 25 years later.
Leonard Cohen
1934-2016
In 1967, "Songs of Leonard Cohen," scared the shit out of me and made we worry about the cousin who introduced it to me. It was years before I found the savage beauty in Cohen's music, and when I did, I couldn't get enough of the poetry and salvation offered by songs like "Famous Blue Raincoat."
Glen Frey
1948-2016
I was not an Eagles fan, but 1975's "On the Border," was the soundtrack to a magical, hazy summer spent in the Rockies perched on the rim of adulthood. "Lyin' Eyes" was its essence and it's Frey's signature sound.
Pfife Dawg (Malik Taylor)
1970-2016
Together with Q-Tip, Pfife created the sound of A Tribe Called Quest, brilliant rapping, inspired sampling and a fresh sense of humor that took hip-hip in a whole new direction in 1990. "Can I Kick It" captures Pfife's genius.
Prince
1958-2016
One? I have to pick one from the guy who put on the best performance I have EVER seen? Okay, then "Kiss."
Leon Russell
1942-2016
Like most of us, the sprawling 1970 mess of"Mad Dogs and Englishman" was my introduction to Russell even though he had played on dozens of hits I knew by heart. I'm not going for the obvious here; "Hummingbird" is my Russell favorite.
Maurice White
1941-2016
White, the frontman for Earth Wind & Fire, had initial success as the drummer for the Ramsey Lewis Trio ("The In Crowd," "Wade in the Water"). But for most of the '70's, EW&F with him at the helm was the sound of slick R&B at its zenith. To this day, I wouldn't even think of having a party where I didn't play "September."
"Now cracks a noble heart. Goodnight, sweet prince
and flights of angels sing thee to they rest"
Those are people who died, died
They were all my friends and they died.
As I thought about this list of remembrances, Carroll's words made me aware of what's so sad about this list of those lost in 2016 -- these were all our friends.
David Bowie
1947-2016
Inexhaustible reinvention meant I didn't love it all, but the stuff that worked lasts. And for me, "Ashes to Ashes" was his most enduring songcraft, fresh and surprising more than 25 years later.
Leonard Cohen
1934-2016
In 1967, "Songs of Leonard Cohen," scared the shit out of me and made we worry about the cousin who introduced it to me. It was years before I found the savage beauty in Cohen's music, and when I did, I couldn't get enough of the poetry and salvation offered by songs like "Famous Blue Raincoat."
Glen Frey
1948-2016
I was not an Eagles fan, but 1975's "On the Border," was the soundtrack to a magical, hazy summer spent in the Rockies perched on the rim of adulthood. "Lyin' Eyes" was its essence and it's Frey's signature sound.
Pfife Dawg (Malik Taylor)
1970-2016
Together with Q-Tip, Pfife created the sound of A Tribe Called Quest, brilliant rapping, inspired sampling and a fresh sense of humor that took hip-hip in a whole new direction in 1990. "Can I Kick It" captures Pfife's genius.
Prince
1958-2016
One? I have to pick one from the guy who put on the best performance I have EVER seen? Okay, then "Kiss."
Leon Russell
1942-2016
Like most of us, the sprawling 1970 mess of"Mad Dogs and Englishman" was my introduction to Russell even though he had played on dozens of hits I knew by heart. I'm not going for the obvious here; "Hummingbird" is my Russell favorite.
Maurice White
1941-2016
White, the frontman for Earth Wind & Fire, had initial success as the drummer for the Ramsey Lewis Trio ("The In Crowd," "Wade in the Water"). But for most of the '70's, EW&F with him at the helm was the sound of slick R&B at its zenith. To this day, I wouldn't even think of having a party where I didn't play "September."
"Now cracks a noble heart. Goodnight, sweet prince
and flights of angels sing thee to they rest"
Unbelievable, and there are probably more. Watched a great video of David Bowie in Madrid with Peter Frampton. I may share it, once the current events leave me less uninsprired
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