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Staff Picks: Exit Music

This month Duff McKagan and Jeff Angell of Walking Papers join us in imagining soundtracks to take us into the great beyond.

Call us morbid if you must, but making music is all about documenting this crazy rollercoaster of life and death. This month Duff McKagan and Jeff Angell of Walking Papers join us in imagining soundtracks to take us into the great beyond.


Susan Gifford -- Reader of the Month
What are you listening to?
My earwig, five days running: “Hook” from Travelogue: Blues Traveler Classics.
What song(s) would you request for your wake or memorial service?
Bob Dylan’s “I Shall Be Released” articulates a longing to be finally set free, and Mary Chapin Carpenter’s “Heroes and Heroines” illustrates people pursuing their dreams despite continual uncertainty. The final line: “And Lord help the fool who said you’d better quit while you’re ahead. A dreamer born is a hero bred, on Earth and up in Heaven.”


Tessa Jeffers -- Managing Editor
What are you listening to?
Sly & the Family Stone’s Higher! box set. (Thank you falettinme listen to four discs of funk nastiness!)
What song(s) would you request for your wake or memorial service?
“Hang You From the Heavens” by Dead Weather, Beastie Boys’ “Bodhisattva Vow,” “Drivin’ Nails in My Coffin” for a bit of honky-tonk humor, and lastly, Sigur Ros’ “Saeglóplur” as the outro to my life, a final ode to my peeps to say that which hath no words.


Jeff Angell -- Guitarist, Walking Papers
What are you listening to?
Walking Papers demos and rehearsal recordings in order to work on lyrics and melodies. Aside from that, lately I can’t get enough of: Lucinda Williams’ Car Wheels On A Gravel Road and Essence, Morricone’s The Good, the Bad & the Ugly soundtrack, The Kills’ Blood Pressures, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, and Metz.
What song(s) would you request for your wake or memorial service?
“When the Music’s Over” by The Doors or “Lay Me Low” by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds.


Andy Ellis -- Senior Editor
What are you listening to?
Cousin Harley B’hiki Bop. Paul Pigat plays great hillbilly jazz and surf-spy guitar, plus all the wicked steel on this album. That’s just not fair!
What song(s) would you request for your wake or memorial service?
First, “Bold as Love,” then the Grateful Dead’s “Attics of My Life,” and finally “In My Life.” After that: Party time! Break out the libations and crank up Sticky Fingers.


Chris Kies -- Associate Editor
What are you listening to?
The soundtrack to my recent 2,500-mile road trip included Smashing Pumpkins’ Gish, Down’s NOLA, Elvis’ 1956, Storytellers: Johnny Cash & Willie Nelson, Justin Timberlake’s 20/20 Experience, Stones’ Sticky Fingers, and QOTSA’s S/T.
What song(s) would you request for your wake or memorial service?
Since I’ve bonded with my wife and many friends—old and new—at William Elliott Whitmore shows, I’d hope he’d play a set holding my breath for “Diggin’ My Grave,” “Rest His Soul,” or “Black Iowa Dirt.”


Duff McKagan -- Bassist, Walking Papers
What are you listening to?
The new Queens of the Stone Age, Alice In Chains and Black Sabbath, Celebration Day by Led Zeppelin, and Disclosure and Purity Ring because I have a teenager that I’m musically influenced by.
What song(s) would you request for your wake or memorial service?
“I Wanna Be Your Dog” by Iggy and the Stooges and Motörhead’s “Ace Of Spades.” What else? Duh.


Shawn Hammond -- Editor in Chief
What are you listening to?
The Kinks’ BBC Sessions 1964–1977, the Andreas Kapsalis & Goran Ivanovic Guitar Duo’s Blackmail, and Radiohead Live at Tramps June 1, 1995.
What song(s) would you request for your wake or memorial service?
Oingo Boingo’s “Dead Man’s Party.”


Rich Osweiler -- Associate Editor
What are you listening to?
Deer Tick’s soon-to-be-released Negativity. Led by John McCauley, these alt-country rockers can really weave a story—lots of desperation and heartbreak in these huge-sounding tunes.
What song(s) would you request for your wake or memorial service?
I’m headed for the freezer à la Ted Williams so won’t need such a service, but if I had to choose, AC/DC’s “Highway to Hell” or “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper” by BOC.


Jason Shadrick -- Associate Editor
What are you listening to?
Chris Thile, Bach Sonatas and Partitas, Vol. 1. This cements his rep as one of the all-time great mando pickers. His spot-on takes of Bach come from being both a humbled student and a hungry artist wanting to push his instrument to the furthest limits.
What song(s) would you request for your wake or memorial service?
I tend to go for the less obvious choices, so it would be “Just Friends” by Pat Martino or anything from Jim Hall Live!.