The playlist for Craig's burial on March 14 in Rhinebeck, NY, by me, his wife, Shannon. Here are the song notes:


00:00 "To Heal" by Underworld: The sampled voice in this song, "to heal and restore broken bodies," became the basis of our chant led by Mira into the woods. It often played in our lounge during these past few months. I included it at the start of the ceremony to honor Craig's determination for healing, no matter how broken his body.

04:48 "Trying to Find a Home" by Tindersticks: While Craig was lucid last month, I chatted with him to review the funeral plans. He established we should have music during the burial instead of the silence of the woods, saying he always plays music during all activities. He loved Tindersticks, whose songs also appear in his playlist "Songs to Make Grown Men Cry." This was the singular song he chose for his burial.

10:45 "Here" by Tindersticks: Years ago, Craig introduced me to this song in our bedroom, then stood in disbelief as I sang along to all the lyrics. It turned out to be a cover of Pavement, one of my favorite bands from high school. Craig listened to Pavement's original and promptly decided he preferred this version. I slipped this in to honor the collision of our musical allegiances, and for the solemn beauty of this song that has always moved me.

15:11 "The Never Ending Happening" (feat. Hannah Schneider) by The Kenneth Bager Experience: This song played frequently over our lounge speakers during Craig's final months in home hospice. The lyrics "of the four winds changing direction" caught my attention. It came to capture our ongoing dance with Craig's fate—and our attempts to find a true north when the direction kept shifting. Originally penned by English singer-songwriter Bill Fay as a meditation on life, he writes, "just to be a part of it is astonishing to me."

23:03 "Die Weisse Alm" by Sergius Golowin: Translated as "The White Alpine Pasture," Craig also often played this 1970s Krautrock song by a contemporary of Timothy Leary during recent months. I chose it for its hopeful, otherworldly fragility and as a nod to Craig's early life German language prowess. In school the teacher singled him out to take over class and teach his fellow classmates German conjugations.

29:12 "Lay it Down" by Spiritualized: When Craig and I met in 2011, we shared two Facebook interests: On Photography by Susan Sontag and Spiritualized. Craig was friends in school with one of the band's core members and attended their shows. Including a Spiritualized song was essential for me, and this one jumped out of his playlist as the most immediately appropriate. Its lyrics became my internal mantra for the burial, to "lay it down slow / lay it down free / lay it down easy / lay it on me."

34:12 "Death Is Not the End" by Nick Cave: Craig's other specific request was to "end the ceremony in a raucous sing-along to Death Is Not the End." He particularly loved watching this 1995 live version featuring Kylie Minogue and Shane MacGowan. Nathan and company DELIVERED.

38:39 "Stand on the Word" by Joubert Singers: Nathan's inspired choice to blast this Gospel banger, a NYC bodega staple from the late 2010s, led us out of the cemetery New Orleans parade-style, culminating in a group dance surrounded by graves in the parking lot. Craig would have been very pleased.

Lay it Down Slow: Craig’s Burial Playlist ((((endtimes))))

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