Death is Funny if Done the Right Way...

Once again BTR played the role of the man trying to keep us down this week. Just like last Saturday, it wouldn't let both Matt-Man and me in the chat room, my switchboard was frozen and Matt's was flashing like a strobe light. But, a new feature this week was a clicking and popping noise that I could hear while doing the show. And, unfortunately, the listener can hear it too from time to time. But, it isn't constant. It comes and goes.

Anyway, in spite of all this, last night's Death: The Lighter Side was a really hilariously good time, if I do say so myself. Our good friend Augusto called in and hung out with us. And Curious Chris also called and it told us about a Swedish funeral that he attended in Seattle once. Unfortunately, ABBA didn't perform. But, it was still a nice story.

Matt-Man and I talked a bit about how we would like to go out. We both have some pretty good ideas. We discussed how Pope John Paul II had one of the best funerals ever and how I love big fancy shindigs like that. I can't wait until Queen Elizabeth II dies. Oh what a great funeral THAT'S gonna be!

We also had a new sponsor for this week. Fast Freddie's Funerals. He has a great new concept on how to hold funerals much more efficiently to save money and time.

And then things went a bit off the rails in the final 15 minutes when we talked about Asian women and then discussing how rude it was of Matt's brother to die right in the middle of the best gags Matt had run on his blog in some time. That being his secession from the union and establishment of his own sovereign country in his apartment.

It was pretty much non-stop hilarity. And if you'd like to listen to it you can do so using this rather unimpressive, but functional player provided by the fine folks over at BTR. Or using the player that will show up at the bottom of this post in Reader.

Listen to internet radio with Im With Stupid on Blog Talk Radio

And, we also have a major announcement to make:

The critically acclaimed, and highly rated internet radio show “I'm With Stupid” hosted by the legendary internet radio duo of Matt-Man and Jayman will be moving to a new time slot. Effective Saturday April 16, 2011, “I'm With Stupid” will be broadcasting live at 12 noon EDT at the same location on the internet. RIGHT HERE.

Matt-Man and Jayman both feel that the new time slot will be more convenient for the shows fans and will especially be so for them. They believe that by being awake and at least mostly sober, they will provide an even better radio experience for their vast and diverse world wide audience. And they won't have to stay up late on Thursdays anymore.

So, don't forget. “I'm With Stupid” will be moving to 12 noon EDT, 11 am CDT, 10 am MDT and 9 am PDT on Saturdays beginning on April 16^th, 2011. We hope to see y'all there.

I Laugh in the Face of Death...

One of my favorite writers, Sarah Vowell, once wrote something along the lines of “while I am completely obsessed with death, I am opposed to it.”

I've actually known a few people who were obsessed with death and dying. In fact, they were more afraid of dying than anything else in the world. And not just because they knew that their mothers would find that stack of magazines and, you know, “stuff” they keep in a special box in their closets. Nor am I talking about those Goth freaks who walk around wearing black and put on makeup that makes them look like death warmed over all the time either. Some of those chicks are actually pretty hot. No, I'm talking about people who actually sat around and worried about how and when they would die.

That's crazy. And kind of funny. And when you think about it, dying is pretty funny too. Sometimes it is. I mean, at least if you do it right it can be. Like, if your final words are “Hold my beer and watch this” then it was probably pretty funny.

If the last thing you see is your wife standing over you saying “How do you reload this damn thing” your death might be a terrible tragedy. Or, you might have had it coming and people might shake their heads and actually laugh a bit and say “poor dumb bastard” to themselves.

You know what else is funny? Or at least should be funny? Funerals.

Oh I know, you're shaking your head saying funerals are somber times and people shouldn't be laughing. I disagree. I think funerals could be vastly improved by having someone get up there and doing a good five minute stand up routine. I mean, unless the deceased didn't have a sense of humor. If that's the case then go ahead and go with the gloomy, somber funeral, I guess.

And then after the funeral it's time for the reception at the dearly departed's home. And if they don't have an open bar then they're just not being respectful of the dead at all. Some dancing girls would be nice too.

Funerals are actually a celebration of life and should be treated as such. Yes, there will be mourning and you will miss the dearly departed and be sad at times. But, you should also remember the happy times and remember that they will be there with you in spirit (depending on your beliefs) for the good times and the bad times in the future too.

So, it's in this celebration of life spirit that Matt-Man and I present Death: The Lighter Side on Thursday at 11 pm EDT on “I'm With Stupid.” We'll talk death and funerals and dying … and life. And all the fun and games that go along with it. We'll talk about people we miss and maybe preview our own deaths a little. And of course, we would love for you to call in and share your stories with us too!

Funeral TV ...

So I spent the weekend, well Friday evening and Saturday watching all the Kennedy festivities. Why? Because that’s what I do. Like a drunk to a good dive bar, I’m drawn to these things by an invisible power that I have no ability to resist. A few years ago, after Pope John Paul II, or JayPeeToo as I called him, died, I got up at 3 am just to watch the entire funeral service.

Anyway, any formal get together like this that has lots of pomp and circumstance surrounding it is going to be interesting to me. I know there are some out there who are thinking “I bet if Teddy was a republican you wouldn’t have watched all of this shit.” Not true at all. Of course, we’ll just have to wait until Gerald Ford dies for me to … What? He’s dead? Really?

Hoookay then, I guess we’ll just have to wait until Ronald Rea … what? Ronnie died too? Ohhhhh … that’s so sad.

I’m kidding, I’m kidding! I kid because I care.

I was there, glued to the TV, for every second of Ronnie’s funeral. I watched on C-Span as people filed past his casket and watched the memorials and funeral services. That was great stuff. I think Reagan put on the third best funeral of my lifetime. Here’s my list of best celebrity funerals of my lifetime:

1. Pope John Paul II. I mean come on, they brought the body out strapped to this big board or whatever and held him up for the crowd. Nobody is going to top that. Nobody.

2. Princess Di. The Brits really know how to do these types of things.

3. Ronald Reagan. Lying in state then heading back to Cali for the funeral. Lots of Hollywood types. The whole thing was impressive.

4. Teddy Kennedy. Anytime you get Yo-Yo Ma and Placido Domingo to perform, then you’ve put on a pretty damn good funeral.

5. Princess Grace. Again, royalty knows how do these things right. And, Princess Grace was freaking gorgeous.


I don’t know if Michael Jackson’s funeral comes next or not cause I decided to stop thinking about this topic. He probably does though.



Anyway, I remember watching Nixon’s funeral with my dad. His was pretty basic is probably way down the list. At one point, one of my step-sisters, in her usual, annoying way, blurted out “Why the hell is Bill Clinton there at a republican’s funeral?!” Before I could say anything dad quipped “For the same reason that I’m watching it. To make sure they burry that crooked son of a bitch.”


Back to this week. The first thing that I was fascinated by this week was watching on Friday when they brought the casket out of the Kennedy’s house to place it into the hearse and take it to Bahston. What I found myself wondering was if Teddy’s remains had just been kept there at the house for three days.

I mean, did they clear out the extra fridge in the garage and stuff him in there? Or did they just turn down the temperature in the wine cellar and keep him in there? I guess they might have just propped him up in his easy chair with a cigar in one hand and a glass of Scotch in the other and left him like that.

My mother assures me that they probably took the body to the funeral home to do all that stuff that they do there. Then, they probably brought the body back to the house on Friday for all the official festivities. I guess that’s possible. OTOH, it’s also possible that his body wasn’t even in that casket. I mean, they didn’t open it and show us, did they? Come on conspiracy theorists! I know you have your hands full with death panels and Obama’s secret army bullshit, but help me out here, will ya?

Anyway, I enjoyed watching the ceremonies. I enjoyed hearing the stories told by the politicians and family members. Some were funny, some were sad and others where actually kind of inspiring. Both the memorial and the funeral mass were a great celebration of life.

Some people will whine that it was “political” or whatever, but they were going to bitch about something anyway. Which is fine. As I said after Robert Novak died last week, I don’t subscribe to the social rule that says you have to pretend someone was perfect or even a good person just because he just died. Oh sure, maybe you don’t go out of your way to trash him, but you don’t have to say that you loved him or even respected him if you didn’t. It would be nice if we based our complaints on facts, but oh well. Also, it’s not like libruls were quiet and thoughtful after Reagan died.

Well, this post is getting pretty long. I guess I’ll just say that I consider Teddy to be a great senator, but I don’t know that I can all him a great man. But, I will say that in the last 10 years or so, he did come close to being the man that he could have been all along. There was lots of good and lots of bad to him. Some people will never forgive the bad and some will only see the good. But, that’s pretty much the way it is for any politician, I guess.

Rest in Peace Ted Kennedy. You lived a hell of a full and amazing life.