The Beat Goes On
On Strange Connections & a Conversation with Jim White About Dead Friends, Woo & a Good Death
Ever since hearing that my beloved music loving friend Mick Geyer died peacefully while listening to ‘What A Wonderful World’, I’ve been bewitched by the idea of connections between death and music.
In the 3rd episode of Death Is Not The End, I go deep with Jim White, the legendary drummer, about dead friends, seeing strange things, the confounding world of ‘woo’ and his dad’s beautiful death. I think its pretty obvious from this photo of us after a show a few years ago how much I adore Jim - I could have chatted to him all day.
Jim’s album All Hits: Memories is out March 28th on Drag City Records. You can listen to it here.
You can listen to ‘The Beat Goes On’ here.
We take a look at this photograph from Zanzibar, a Kings Cross venue where I used to perform regularly in the early/mid 90s, that we think Jim probably took, and ponder the high mortality rate of music people. From the group in this photograph below, we’ve lost brilliant and lovely musician James Cruickshank and Norm, the Dirty Three’s very sweet sound man since then and there’s a heartbreakingly long list of music friends, peers and icons that has followed in the years since.
This is the song ‘Names Make The Name’ that Jim was partly inspired by seeing his dead friend and the connections to her name that have continued to resonate throughout his life.
I also explore the transportive and transcendent powers of making and listening to music as well as getting lost inside it - trances, visions, voodoo, shamans and ghosts make an appearance!
My former schoolteacher and forever role model Jane Skinner and family friend Andrew Galpin generously share their incredibly moving personal stories concerning music and dying (we’ll hear more from them later) and filmmaker Ray Argall reminds us how those who have died remain close.
Jim tells a story about the amazing Mary Margaret O’Hara - do go listen to her music too if you are not familiar.
Music from Dirty Three and Xylouris White was also in there, as was the composition 'I Am Dreaming Of You' written and performed by Rachael Coutts.
My husband Aden Young really went above and beyond on the sound design for this episode - I’ve been trying to make amazing sounding podcasts without any real clue of what I’m going, but he is incredibly skilled in the dark arts of editing so its been a joy weaving this together. Listening to all these stories over and over while we edit has also had me reflecting a lot and just in case anyone wants to know, this is the song I’d like playing on my deathbed if possible….
Oh yeah, if you enjoy, please do follow the podcast and leave a review or tell a friend, it helps immeasurably in getting the word out. And thank you for listening x
Original theme music by Peter Head.
Written & recorded by Lo Carmen
Edited by Lo Carmen & Aden Young
Mixing & Sound Design by Aden Young
Additional track mixing by David Akerman
Répertoire licensed by APRA AMCOS.
A Black Tambourine Productions production.
Did you take down your episodes? I wanted to share them with my family but am unable to find them streaming on any platform.
They are lovely photos 👌 Lo
I totally believe in the spirit world.
Over the years I have seen dark shadow like, deceased humans shapes walking or moving slowly before me .. and their images have been clear enough to distinguish between male or female, and even their approximate ages.
I have seen objects become airborn in front of me, when no other living human,animal or strong breeze has tossed them from their usual sitting spot .. the objects wern’t aimed or thrown at me ( thank goodness ) so I knew that it was just a sign from whoever the spirit was, letting me know that they were present.
One time I picked up off the floor, a tossed item and I asked ‘Who’s here’ ? I never got an answer back.
One time ( which I would love to explain to you in person one day, hopefully this year ?🤞 ‘cause I havn’t seen you for years, Lo ! Is a cricket ball spirit action story ) Basically, I have observed that whenever a spirit does an ‘item toss’ .. and it lands, it stays put. Full stop !
Meaning, no rolling or sliding further, when the surface it lands on is uneven 🧐
And never been able to predict when they are about to surprise you with a sign .. It’s so spontaneous & mostly when you’re alone 😳
My eldest nephew has a sixth sense & quite often has spirits showing him signs or showing themselves by standing behind a person he is in conversation with at the time, day or night !
Have you seen unexplained items suddenly becoming airborn, Lo ?
ally & the cows Xx