Are you afraid of death? My old friend Doug Marshall asked that question of me recently, so we saved the discussion for the podcast. Doug’s PhD thesis addressed this very topic, trying to understand how we find meaning in life and death through the tradition of the New Orleans jazz funeral.

This may be a heavy topic, but true to form, we definitely got plenty of jokes in there. This topic fascinates me in general, so I hope you enjoy listening as much as I enjoyed the conversation.

Click here if you prefer to listen on iTunes.

00:00 Intro
– Meet Doug, a church camp friend of mine from TWENTY YEARS ago. Gross.
– Doug gives a little background on the topic and his personal experience with it.

04:36 Pod Pourri
– Learn why Doug selected this topic for his dissertation (SPOILER: it’s the music).
– What exactly is a jazz funeral?
– Doug mentions a New Orleans jazz album by Hugh Laurie (yes, THAT Hugh Laurie), which you can find on Spotify.
– I share some responses I got from Facebook friends when I posed the question, “Do you fear death?” Some of them surprised me…
– Doug and I get into some “would you rather” hypotheticals about dying and SHIT. GETS. REAL.

49:38 If I Were You
– Doug tells you where to go if you visit New Orleans!
– He then explains how even YOU can confront your fear of death for only $19.99 if you act now!
– I stump him with the “what song(s) would be played at your jazz funeral” question, but he has PLENTY of answers for what to play at mine…

53:48 Outro
– Doug can be found on Twitter and Instagram under the handle @DJMuddy.
– Post-podcast, he shared some of his favorite New Orleans brass music with me. You should check it out on Spotify:
Magnificent Sevenths – Authentic New Orleans Jazz Funeral
Rebirth Brass Band 

Thanks for tackling this taboo subject with us, everyone! I hope we entertained/offended you all equally.