Colin McEnroe Show: The Art Of Last Words
What goes into final statements, epitaphs & obituaries.
The obituaries in The New York Times are often the best things in the paper even if you had never heard of the deceased. I recently was transfixed by one about a table tennis player named Geroge Hendry who had two completely discrete playing careers -- he quit in 1952 and came back in 1976 -- and was one of the early athletes on the Wheaties box, for which is he got $25 a month and "an avalanches of free cereal for several years." He hated the term ping pong. I could go on. The story of a death is the story of a life, often compressed to take in only the most interesting points.
Today we're looking at obits, last words and epitaphs. I'm pretty sure epitaphs are a dying art. Last words ...well everybody who dies has a last thing they say. I almost can't believe George Bernard Shaw said "Dying is easy, comedy is hard." If nobody ever said anything else cool for all of human history, that one alone should sustains us.
Leave your comments below, e-mail colin@wnpr.org or Tweet us @wnprcolin.
***This show originally aired on August 31st, 2011***
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EMAIL FROM BLANCHE:
Have you heard about The Merry Cemetery (Romanian: Cimitirul Vesel pronounced [t͡ʃimiˈtirul ˈvesel]) from the village of Săpânţa, Maramureş county, Romania? It is famous for its colourful tombstones with naïve paintings describing, in an original and poetic manner, the persons that are buried there as well as scenes from their lives. The Merry Cemetery became an open-air museum and a national tourist attraction.
Check the wikipedia for photos:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merry_Cemetery
EMAIL FROM TOM:
My mother and her mother had a testy relationship throughout their lives., When my grandmother was on her apparent deathbed, my mother spent several hours with her though she was told that her mother was in a coma and didn't know she was there. It was Feb. 13, 1987, two weeks before my grandmother would turn 99. Finally, a nurse arrived, so my mother said to her, "Mother, I have to leave now to go home to fix dinner." As she walked toward the door, my grandmother aroused herself and said to the nurse, "There goes my daughter, all heart and a yard wide." Last words she spoke before she died after midnight, Valentine's Day.
E-mail from Anthony
How about Father Guido's suggestion: "Vitum est lavorum." ("Life is a job.")
E-mail from David
My late moms fave last words. "I told ya I was sick."
E-mail from David
Nathan hale really said "I was only following orders."
E-mail from Guy (Not Chion's Dad)
True story passed down in my family : My fathers father loved going to watch the dogs run out in Chicago . Near the end of one particularly exciting race he fell to the ground suffering a fatal heat attack .
He looked up at his best friend smiled and said "Boy I sure went to
the dogs today ". I am very proud .
E-mail from David
My dads uncle Art said "you are all a-holes!" And uncle Duddy said. "Sh-t Everywhere!"
E-mail from Frank
Dylan Thomas' last words were: "I've had 18 straight whiskies......I think that's the record."
E-mail from Nina
I hope you'll take a look at my blog. I have a lot of fun with obits!
http://ninalentinislifewithoutend.blogspot.com/
Enjoy! I'll be listening ...
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