11:17pm Thursday 27th May 2010
By Stacy Hart
This weeks subject is a little sensitive, because it’s about death....not in a morbid way, far from it, I mean it cant be all that bad, everyone does it right? But my take on it may not go down too well with those of you that.....that...well, don’t like my take on it. So I can wait a moment if you like so you can pop off?..........WHOA!!!!!!! When I say pop off I don’t mean pop off as in, time up, come in number 9, I mean pop off onto another section of the Watford Observer and come back later when I’ve finished.... sorted? Then, here we go..............
So I’ve been thinking about death recently, not from choice as such but when you’re in pain, unable to sleep and lying there in the dark feeling as though you could slip away any moment there’s only so many subjects you can ponder over and only so many songs you can write, anyway it got me thinking about the kind of send off I’d want.
I used to love the Blondie track “Die young stay pretty” but then you reach an age where that’s no longer an option. The English way of doing things is just so Gloomy, the Jewish on the other hand have got it right, bury the person on the same day and get it all over and done with in one go, even the Irish do it better than us, any excuse for a drink and a knees up and that’s exactly how it should be, a happy celebration.
I’m not planning on going anywhere just yet, but when I do, due to experiences I’ve had over the years I can categorically say there’s something pretty neat waiting on the other side and those that go before us are absolutely fine. So I decided I wanted something eco friendly that reflected who I am, so you can imagine my excitement when I came across a company that has designer painted cardboard coffins?
I was a little worried at first because I was thinking in terms of a normal cardboard box, and the thought crossed my mind that those of a slightly porkier frame might fall out the bottom while being carried into the church, but apparently these are special re-enforced cardboard boxes....phew that’s ok then.
Then there was the dilemma of what to have from the ready made designs, a chocolate box? The guitar case? The garden shed? Bottle of vodka? I was spoilt for choice and they all had me laughing, but I s’pose in the end I’d have to go with the chocolate box...literally....
and continuing the eco theme I can now be buried in the woods and have a tree planted on top, seems a good exchange really and probably more useful. Because when i talk....and boy do I talk I’m actually taking up oxygen where as a tree gives out oxygen, so...sorted then?
My mothers just looked over my shoulder and is absolutely horrified at my topic this week, because mum doesn’t do death or funerals, which might be a slight problem when it comes to her own, I can see it now,
Angel: - she won’t come
God:-What do you mean she won’t come?
Angel:-She’s not budging
God:-Have you told her i sent you and it’s non- negotiable?
Angel: - I tried but she put her fingers in her ears and started going “la la la not listening”
For some reason the English don’t like talking about it, it’s as if we think if we talk about it it’s going to happen......er hallooooooo, it is, so you may as well arrange the kind of send off you want rather than leave it to the relatives.
The times I’ve sat at a funeral arranged by relatives and thought, you didn’t know the person at all, they would’ve hated this. The wonderful thing is you don’t have to have a gloomy send off anymore....unless you want one of course. So think outside the box ( no pun intended) and go as crazy with your imagination as you want, after all it’s gonna be your day, hopefully a very long way off but no harm in getting organised. It’s not as though your gonna get an invitation huh?
And talking of having something wonderfully uplifting, leads me nicely onto the Watford gospel arts manna community choir, because you can hire them to come sing at your event, be it funeral, wedding, anniversary party, birthday party,open air festival..... O2 arena....okay slightly carried away there...
but what I was trying to say was there’s nothing too big or too small they cant handle, and before you start thinking about re-morgaging your house let me say that it’s nothing of the sort, and there’s something for every pocket, some people hire them as a suprise for someone they love, to sing a favourite pop song or love song....and there was you thinking it had to be a hymn huh?
Although hymns are very much welcome, they cater for what you want for your day....which has just given me an added idea to add to my funeral list actually, to have the choir also come to the woods where I’m being buried with a tree on top and have something whoopi Goldberg, sister act, jumping, dancing, hands up in the air stylee....woo hoo I cant wait.....but I will obviously.
They do get alot of bookings however and there has to be alot of hard work and preparation for each event that the dedicated members put in, so if you want to check them out click on their website and have a look for yourself. www.gospelmanna.com
They have been working soooooo hard on my two hip hop/gospel tracks, and next Friday June 4th sees the culmination of all that work as the recording takes place, we only have four hours to record the two tracks which is a huge undertaking, but while I’m nervous I still have faith it will go smoothly........I hope.
St Mary Church will be very generously stopping the bell strikes for those four hours which I didn’t imagine in my wildest dreams would ever happen, but we’re recording at the manna home which is behind the church so without their generosity it would have meant trying to find another venue. I’ve had to hire in headphones for everyone which my producer will kindly go and pick up from Wembley on the day before he comes out with the mobile recording studio and gets set up.
I’ve just been so humbled by everyones support, choir members are having the afternoon off work, coming back from University, travelling down from London etc purely to be a part of the recording. After the recording the tracks will then go back to the studio and over the weeks I’ll add more instruments, do a proper vocal take and then the mixing all starts which is another process in itself...
so still along way to go, but the project wouldn’t have got off the ground without the gospel manna so huge thanx and blessings to them and also my good ol mum that always had faith that it would. www.myspace.com/mamachill
M.E? Yep, still got it lol! The thing is I’ve been in a ropey state for awhile now, and this week I’ve had to resort to taking something for the pain because for about four days it was horrendous and It went beyond me being able to deal with it, all caused by me strumming out one song on my guitar...
the sad thing is I love my guitar but the consequence of gently strumming one track causes days of unbelievable muscle and bone pain that spreads through the arms, neck, shoulders, head, face and the worst of all the back of the eyeballs. www.afme.org.uk
It really is a struggle, that’s why I rarely strum now, (neighbours will be jumping up and down cheering at this point) but sometimes the urge is just too great when I see my guitars hung up on the wall. But this is what it’s like, everything we do has a rather unpleasant consequence that sometimes comes on immediately or more often than not a day or two later...
So ask me to run up the stairs and I could probably do it, but come back later that night or tomorrow and you’d probably find me in alot of pain and bed bound as a consequence ,it really is a nightmare of an illness. But we just have to keep faith and hope and live the best and the most we can within this scenario and that’s exactly what I’m doing.
Talking about keeping the faith, lets hope there’s no rain this weekend, it is bank holiday after all which usually guarantees it, and the following Saturday June 5th is Courtlands fun day in the park so everything will be crossed for some sunshine, and I hope to see you all there, but whether it’s sunny or wet I hope you manage to have a good one, see ya next week, Stay blessed Back before Elvis :) xxx
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