其中我最愛的專輯之一,英國 doom metal 巨團 Anathema 1998 年的《Alternative 4》中的曲子〈Lost Control〉就奏出宛如 Joan Didion 在《奇想之年》(The Year of Magical Thinking) 中自敘的喪親後反應:「所有的事情都異乎尋常」、「那些剛失去親人的看起來赤裸裸的樣子,是因為他們以為自己是隱形的」;感覺麻木到異常冷靜,即使瘋狂褪去,但神智清明並未隨之而來... Anathema 不正是這麼唱的嗎?:
I'm coming to an end I've realized what I could have been I can't sleep so I take a breath and hide behind my bravest mask I admit I've lost control Lost control
Joan Didion 以一首令人難忘的短詩作為本書開場白:
Life changes fast Life changes in the instant You sit down to dinner and life as you know it ends The question of self-pity
不用等到親友逝去,同質音樂即使聽多了也會麻木。於是我回頭鑽進老搖滾世界,一路聽到現在。我愛上了 Pink Floyd 獻給曾經耀眼奪目的創建樂團好兄弟 Syd Barrett 的思念曲〈Wish You Were Here〉和〈Shine On You Crazy Diamond〉,也感動於 The Rolling Stones 想念已逝戰友 Brian Jones 的〈Shine A Light〉(沒想到這首歌現在卻被樂迷用來懷念前幾天前剛過世的老鼓手 Charlie Watts)。不論是 Shine On You Crazy Diamond 或是 Shine A Light,我都希望我的告別式上能有這些曲子來 “shine”,讓思念之光照亮我,也持續照耀好好活著的人們。
May the good lord shine a light on you Make every song you sing your favourite tune May the good lord shine a light on you Warm like the evening sun
「願你能永遠唱著最愛的歌」,滾石想念已故老友,披頭四則懷念自己少年十五二十時的單純青春。〈In My Life〉如此唱到:
Some are dead and some are living In my life, I've loved them all