Death Post

Rehan Tariq

Diem My Le

Emilia Rybinska

Joe Chung

The three articles, Dead Ahead, The Show Goes On, and The Art of Dying all have one main concept. That no matter how morbid the idea of death is, many artists are not afraid of writing and singing about them. They take the idea of death to a whole new level in their artistic way to show the meaning beneath the actual word death.

In the article Dead, Ahead by James Sullivan, the main concept is that just because the artist has passed on, his legacy does not stop with him. Sullivan uses the examples such as Tupac and Elvis Presley. Many would say that Elvis Presley is dead, that era has now come to an end. James discusses that just because a legend has passed on, his work and still be appreciated, such as when he says “After all, he [Elvis] still goes on tour nearly three decades after his death.” He helps us see that due to all the technology such as virtual shows and such, that in which an artist work doesn’t not stop when they pass away.

In the second article, The Show Goes On, by Melinda Newman, who speaks that just because a part of the band has died, that it has to stop there. This article also goes along with Dead, Ahead in terms that it shows how the show must really go on. In this article, the lead singer/songwriter of Sublime, Brad Nowell, died of a drug overdose many had grieved. Yes, the album was going be put out no matter what, but it was the principle. Their first album was a huge hit, and a video was going to made about it. But how would that happen without the lead singer? Many collages and older tapes were going to be put together to show that Brad Nowell was a huge contribution to the band. Again, as in the first article, this article states that although a huge part of an artistic group has passed on, nothing stands in the way of letting the show go on.

The third article, The Art of Dying, by Graeme Thomson, is about Thomson who really likes to listen to death music; he has a Death Playlist on his iTunes. Thomson likes to listen to this genre of music due to the fact that the musicians have found a way to not show death in such a horrid way. He speaks of the artists such as Bob Dylan who is beginning to write a lot about death and mortality because of his old age. He also speaks of Johnny Cash. These artists did not care about what the audience thought, but just went with the flow showing that death can still keep you interested. As Thomson describes, “There comes a time when the act of not facing up to the facts becomes in itself a meaningful artistic statement on mortality.” He explains that yes we will age, but this thought should not keep us from living, which is also what the songwriters and musicians are trying to explain.

Death Music Playlist:

Evanescence- Bring me Back to Life

Lil Wayne- I Feel Like Dying

Nickleback- If Today Was Your Last Day

Three Days Grace- Pain

Bone Thugs N Harmony- Crossroads