It’s a Wonderful Life
No Instigation Monday today. I’m just not in the fucking mood after finding out Linkous killed himself. So, instead, I’m going to pay something of a tribute and highlight what is, to me, the best album from an impressive career.
It’s still pretty fucked up to me that Linkous is dead. I tend to take the avenue of George Carlin when it comes to suicides, i.e. not really wondering why he did it or what he was thinking. It’s rather irrelevant. In fact, it’s kind of stupid to be angry or even sad over his departure, even though that’s my immediate, instinctual reaction. He was in complete command of his own death, a conscious decision that was made for a purpose that we don’t really need to understand. As human beings, we naturally fear death and the uncertainty that comes with it. The majority of us don’t die on our own terms, but just gradually fade out into the background until we’ve disappeared.
So, I suppose that in this particular regard, Linkous’ death should be celebrated rather than mourned. As a music fan, however, the true mourning comes in the form of the sad realization that there will no longer be Sparklehorse music. That the incredible beauty and melancholy contained in each syllabic click of Mark Linkous’ voice has completely disappeared from our listening future. And that, my friends, is what’s really disappointing. Continue reading…
