The subway was delayed by ten minutes “because a person was struck by a train at 145 Street.” I grabbed a seat on a bench & returned to reading Kevin Mandel’s post about avoiding mortality. I got to the part about Jerry Garcia. Then a saxophone pieced my attention. The player stood on a platform across the tracks — like Charon at the River Styx— guiding me towards the music.
Well said about the great leveler for us all. Thank you for bringing together Garcia, Nietzsche, Rilke, and Camus all in one essay--and the lead photo! The other leveler: laundry.
Great article. Wonderful insight. Nice list of resources, too, although mine would include Virginia Woolf / Yukio Mishima / Diane Arbus / Sylvia Plath / Kurt Cobain / David Foster Wallace / Elliott Smith / Nick Drake / Anne Sexton / Hunter S. Thompson / Sylvia Plath / Ned Vizzini (a friend)
The subway was delayed by ten minutes “because a person was struck by a train at 145 Street.” I grabbed a seat on a bench & returned to reading Kevin Mandel’s post about avoiding mortality. I got to the part about Jerry Garcia. Then a saxophone pieced my attention. The player stood on a platform across the tracks — like Charon at the River Styx— guiding me towards the music.
… and then the subway came & I continued reading…
Well said about the great leveler for us all. Thank you for bringing together Garcia, Nietzsche, Rilke, and Camus all in one essay--and the lead photo! The other leveler: laundry.
And you are an arbiter of laundry! <3
And Jerry!
A poignant, luxuriously readable essay — and historically educational to boot!
In writing about the Art of Dying, you are embodying the Art of Living. Kudos. And thank you.
Great article. Wonderful insight. Nice list of resources, too, although mine would include Virginia Woolf / Yukio Mishima / Diane Arbus / Sylvia Plath / Kurt Cobain / David Foster Wallace / Elliott Smith / Nick Drake / Anne Sexton / Hunter S. Thompson / Sylvia Plath / Ned Vizzini (a friend)
Appreciate the props. And like your additional resources. If I’d kept going, several of these would have appeared on mine as well.