Rolling Obituary Thread 2023

Bernie Taupin of course

There are lots of songwriters and performers who co-wrote with lyricists, though, that's different from being a bandmember. Although Taupin does show up posing with the Elton John Band in the liners of Rock of the Westies.

Are there rap groups with strictly non-performing lyricists?

The real cale one is “ratso” larry sloman, always thought it really sticks out in an interesting way that in the middle of his calalogue, when he’s already a pretty accomplished lyricist, there’s a whole album where all the words are written by some rando journalist (looking at “r”ls’s wiki now and it doesn’t even mention the cale album, but it does mention he was editor in chief of high times)

Are there rap groups with strictly non-performing lyricists?

― Halfway there but for you, Wednesday, March 29, 2023 3:36 PM (eight minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

I think the D.O.C. wrote most of Dre's lyrics on the Chronic, but did only showed up in a skit iirc

You could make an argument for Richey Manic.

Mark Russell, Piano-Playing Political Jackass, Dies at 90

But Tom Lehrer hanging in there at 94!

I always thought of him at Tom Lehrer Light, but RIP nonetheless

Ah, so many dated jokes spring to mind: "Anyhoo... Steny who?"

"Is it Joe Biden, or is it Memorex?"

"Cuomo, Cuomo an esoteric choice/
His running mate will be his inner voice"

Mario, that is

can't say I ever heard of him but BTB Savage

https://hiphopdx.com/news/btb-savage-shot-killed-after-mocking-dead-enemy

Ken Buchanan, WBA Lightweight Champion, one of the greatest British boxers of all time, possibly the greatest?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/boxing/65149207

Ray Shulman of Gentle Giant, 73

Oh no!!! I love that band.

He was also a notable indie producer in the late 80s/early 90s doing records for Sugarcubes, Ar Kane, Cranes, Trashcan Sinatras, Ian McCulloch, Bang Bang Machine, The Sundays, The Wonderstuff etc

The youngest Shulman brother too - Phil is 12 years older than him. RIP Ray, pretty good musician!

He's the one who left Gentle Giant a bit earlier?

No, that's Phil

When I was collecting the vinyl in the 80s, his role (other than as bass player) seemed a little amorphous. He had writing credits on all the songs but didn't sing any leads. Since then, it's been revealed that he was the main composer of the music for around half of their songs. This is apparently his work:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IaLqQo2r-3k

He was the main force pushing GG towards more accessible music in the late 70s, which didn't necessarily work for them, but probably paved the way for his production career mentioned above.

Not going to lie, Ken Buchanan hit me harder than I thought it would.

Gordon Moore's death seems to have gone largely unmentioned. Moore's Law must have seemed like madness when he proposed it.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-65073812

Can't see past Buchanan as the greatest British boxer tbh

:(

pic.twitter.com/mYLMEN6HrZ

— ryuichi sakamoto (@ryuichisakamoto) April 2, 2023

Oh damn ☹️

yeah just saw that— horrible news

Oh no!

Hearing Franco Scopinich, Italo disco producer. The me of the greats. Some of the coolest stuff. Sun La Shan’s Catch, Camaro Gangs Ali Shuffle. Venise Playboy. Atmosphere Swedes Scandal.

dang RIP, those are some fun tunes

Music exec / Sire Records founder Seymour Stein.

wow rip.
made so many names. i just heard about him signing Depeche Mode sight-unseen

RIP :(

Seymour Stein born the exact same day as Robert Christgau?

Seems so. Ben Sisario’s NYT obit is really good: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/02/arts/music/seymour-stein-dead.html

Sakamoto's passing is hitting me weirdly, because he actually died last Tuesday, and on Wednesday I was gripped out of nowhere with a desire to listen to "Seed and the Sower" and did so a few times, and wondered how his health was, having not thought of him at all in a long time.

Oh shit, Stein. I almost posted about him in on the surprised still living thread. I once sat next to him in Chicago at an Interpol show.

Sire was such an incredibly important label to me in high school (1987-90). Ramones, Talking Heads, Madonna, Pretenders, Depeche Mode, Ministry, Ice-T, the Cult, Ofra Haza, Primal Scream...they were absolutely a label that could be trusted.

one thing with both Takahashi and Sakamoto is that apparently they'd both passed days before the public found out, big difference than with American celebrities where you're not even halfway to the light and it's all over Twitter

posting abot the death of a celebrity while still holding the pillow over their head

In the mid-90s before he got email, Seymour Stein would call into the BOMP offices to leave a message for Greg - totally fun to talk to, and really nice to the help.

Frank Murray, the last surviving pilot A-12 Oxcart pilot for the CIA.

one thing with both Takahashi and Sakamoto is that apparently they'd both passed days before the public found out, big difference than with American celebrities where you're not even halfway to the light and it's all over Twitter

― frogbs, Monday, April 3, 2023 2:33 AM (six hours ago) bookmarkflaglink

Japanese funerals tend to take place the next day or near enough, so maybe this is to give time for the family to organise and conduct the ceremonies? No pomp and circumstance for them!

Jewish funerals, too.

I believed the situation with Jewish funerals is because they're opposed to any kind of embalming/preserving, so best to get the body in the ground asap. However in my recent experience, especially particularly reformed temples/rabbis/cemetaries, that's not a strict rule so much.

also pine caskets, to accelerate decomposition (and emphasize modesty). but yeah, there are always exceptions.

When I say my recent experience, I don't mean to imply I died and was recently buried in a jewish cemetery btw. I'm referring to my grandmother, who passed a few months back at the age of 104!

Wow! 104!

(that of course is the traditional Jewish consolation)

Photographer Kwame Braithwaite, 4/1

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kwame_Brathwaite

Nigel Lawson, 91

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2023/apr/03/former-conservative-chancellor-nigel-lawson-dies-aged-91

Green burial for that climate change denying fucker!