Tributes

(Paul says:)

OK, OK, I'll lay off for a few days after this one, but I've been thinking about this one a lot since reading about the deaths of a few of our former classmates on www.bhs1988.com. I thought it would be cool to pay tribute to some of them, and then I thought of some others, as well.

Track 1 - Jimmy Buffett - Cheeseburger in Paradise
Bryce Goddard
He was voted "Most Likely to Spend His Life Flipping Burgers" in our high school yearbook. He did more than that, but it's too bad the life wasn't longer. I thought this song would be appropriate to dedicate to him. He died in 2004.

Track 2 - The Fixx - One Thing Leads to Another
James "Scott" Curnen
I never even knew his name was James; we all called him Scott throughout junior high and high school. I remember that he liked to listen to The Fixx when they were the "it" band in junior high, so although I didn't know Scott that well, I know he'd like this tune. He just passed away last November.

Track 3 - REO Speedwagon - Back On the Road Again
Kristen Beck
Kristen passed away in August just after she gave birth to twins. She had MS for a long time. The reason I chose this song is because one of our friends had a crush on her in high school, and one of that friend's favorite songs during that period was this one.

Track 4 - The Doors - The End
Chad Peterson
We used to go to Chad's house in junior high to listen to music in our "fraternity" which was called Π Ώ Τ (Pi Omega Tau, for those not schooled in Greek; I think it was for the poker we played there in which there were high stakes and large pots. Or maybe it was something else, I can't recall...) We listened to a lot of The Doors, for some reason. Chad died in a single car accident about 15 years ago.

Track 5 - Bread - Mother Freedom
Tad Clayton
I had the embarrassing misfortune of asking his sister what was up with him because "I haven't seen him for a while" when she informed me that he passed away in 2002. Tad and I jammed together extensively in 1987, and this was the song we played most often. There is a photo in the 1987 yearbook of us playing it.

Track 6 - The Allman Brothers Band - In Memory of Elizabeth Reed
Elizabeth Reid
My great, great, great, great, great grandmother is Elizabeth Reid, and I just discovered that a few weeks ago, so this is to all those who came before (and without whom I wouldn't exist!).

Track 7 - Joey Ramone - Don't Worry About Me
Joe Andrews
My brother-in-law that introduced me to Ramones, he was killed in late 1991 in a car accident near Fresno, California. Joey's tune was written and recorded shortly before his own death, and it's as if he's trying to comfort us from beyond the grave. Freaky! Yet, somehow appropriate.

Track 8 - Journey - Send Her My Love
Jerry Rose
My wife's brother who died in a fall in the Uintahs in 1985. I remember listening to this song when I called to offer my condolences to her brother (who was my friend) but I also thought of her, although we were much less well acquainted at that time. Here are some of the lyrics:
How it hurt so bad to see her cry
I didn't want to say goodbye
Send her my love
Memories remain
Send her my love
Roses never fade

Track 9 - Van Halen - Big Bad Bill (Is Sweet William Now)
Bill Rose
My father-in-law was pretty much always a good man, but I used to sing this song to him when he'd get perturbed at the kids' racket when we'd come to visit. He died from cancer in 2003, five years ago this week.

Track 10 - The Beatles - In My Life
David Gephart
My oldest brother, he took his own life in 1991, but obviously had the greatest influence on me of any of these. Plus it's one of my favorite songs, and David was a fan of The Beatles.

Next time, we'll do something more fun.

P