John Richards

Good morning Seattle, and welcome to The Mom Show edition of The Morning Show. The next four hours will be dedicated to ones loved and lost. John and Amy will share stories, memories, and songs of loved ones we’ve lost and remind us all that we are not alone.

"This is a place where I don't feel alone... This is a place where I feel at home...": genius.com -- The vocals and piano are performed by Canadian singer-songwriter Patrick Watson.

Moby has described Everything Is Wrong as "a record that almost served as a lifeboat for the songs I cared the most about" noting that he attempted to cover as many musical styles as possible not "out of trying to be eclectic, but just because I was in love with all of these genres and I felt like this may be my only chance to make a record."

"With singed eyelashes And a humming in our ears.... And silver-colored tears... And soot in our eyes...." lyricstranslate.com

"This past year has been rough for so many people across the globe. There's been so much loss, so many uncertainties and nothing is really the same. But wherever, whoever you are, I hope you know that you're not alone... even when it feels that way sometimes. I hope this song, for the 4min and 22 seconds uplifts you, embraces you, and reminds you that you are not alone. You got this!" www.youtube.com

Hello, I see the mom show is coming up in a couple of days and I was wondering if you could play Golden by My Morning Jacket in memory of my husband, Charles? A little background… When Charles and I first started dating twelve years ago he showed up at my apartment with a few CDs for me to listen to- my morning jacket and the helio sequence. We sat on my couch and listened to the It Still Moves album in it’s entirety. We were cuddled on the couch and he was playing with my hair and we just sat and listened, it was the first time I had heard my morning jacket. The memory and feeling of that moment is forever etched in my mind, I can still feel him next to me whenever I hear that album. Sadly, in December of 2017 he died from brain cancer. Exactly one month after his death I was eating lunch with our then three year old daughter at a popular chain restaurant. The restaurant speaker was directly above our booth. While she and I were eating our lunch, Golden by My Morning Jacket started playing overhead. Tears were streaming down my face while I was sitting there, I couldn’t help but think he was saying a little hello to us. I’ve had several more occasions where a pertinent song from our time together seems to randomly play, but this instance will always stand out to me. I’m grateful to have these memories and music forever connected. Thank you. Leslie ----- Thank you Leslie. You are not alone.

The album Tom Petty considered to be the best work of his career chronicled the most tumultuous period of his life. Between the summer of 1992 and the spring of 94, the stretch in which he recorded his classic album Wildflowers, Petty’s 22-year marriage to the mother of his two children fell apart, he fired the drummer with whom he had worked since his Heartbreakers band began nearly three decades before, and he left both the record company for which he recorded all of his hits and the producer who shaped some of his biggest ones. “He was blowing up every aspect of his life,” said Mary Wharton, who directed a new documentary set in that dense era, titled Tom Petty, Somewhere You Feel Free: The Making of Wildflowers. “From his personal life to his business life to his creative life, Tom was trying to figure out how to put things back together in a way that made sense to him in that moment.” www.theguardian.com

Train a Comin' was the first album recorded by Steve Earle after he'd overcome his addiction to drugs. "Goodbye" was he first song that he wrote sober, penning it in the fall of 1994 while in court-ordered rehab. He recalled to Q magazine: "I wrote it when I was still in treatment, before I even got to that step, the first time I got my hands on a guitar. It wasn't very good guitar, but I hadn't written anything in a very long time, so it was kind of reassuring to write something and to write something that good." In concerts, Earle introduces the song as a "ninth step in the key of C," referring to the step in which a recovering addict seeks to make direct amends to others that they have harmed.

Dec 15th will mark a year since we lost her, & this past week marked a year since I heard her voice on the phone. Here’s a little story about why I chose this song… It was a hot summer night, I had just finished dinner with you, Amy & Lee - and headed up to the Beacon to meet Rita to see Bonnie Raitt. I made it just in time to hear Bonnie play John Prine’s “Angel of Montgomery”, a song Rita loved (bc she, was a women named after her mother…) .. we danced and sang along. As the house lights came up, I got a text “Bonnie wants to say hi to Rita & you”.. So, we did just that. As we exited the Beacon, the summer heat still thick at 11pm.. Rita said “sooo, I don’t quite remember where I parked the car haha”, with that beautiful laugh of hers. She asked if I’d walk with her to help her find the lot.. of course I did. As we walked - we came upon a gelato shop still open, she smiled at me and said “let’s get some”.. the next thing I know we have gelato (extra scoops on the house of course). We kept walking - for how long? I’m not share.. what did we talk about? I don’t remember … it was just one of those perfect new york nights with a dear friend, gelato & laughter. Suddenly … “THERE’S the place!”.. and our night ended. Rita got her car, I hailed a cab & home we went. I swear.. the world got a little less bright the day she left us.. and a day hasn’t passed that I don’t think of my friend, Rita Houston. So I’d like to request Bonnie Raitt’s version of “Angel From Montgomery” , in memory of her.

Morning John! Thanks for the show this morning. I lost my aunt about a year ago and have been really missing her lately. I heard recently someone talk about the fact that souls miss us as much as we miss them. I love that idea. What about playing hello in there by John Prine? -Benny in Bellingham

A year after I moved to NYC from Seattle, my best friend lost her youngest brother to a fentanyl overdose. Without even thinking, I got on a plane to be there for her and her family. This moment changed her, changed her life, and she still impresses me everyday with the strength she carries because of that challenging time, and watching her navigate her world after this has made me a better person. Helplessly Hoping was played at Garrett's funeral, and it will bring tears to my eyes forever... not only because of the sadness of what happened but the resilience I saw come from it. Helplessly Hoping - Crosby Stills and Nash Megan

Hi John, I lost my son Jackson to suicide on 3/6/21. He was 13 years old. Such an amazing young man and the darkness that overcame him surprised us all. You dedicated a show to him you may recall - it was an act of kindness from you and Owen that our family will remember forever. I wanted to share a story with you about Jackson. When Jackson was 6 years old I took him to his first concert, the Foo Fighters Jackson was not yet the 6 foot tall boy he would become and I had to hold him the whole show because he was not tall enough to see over the crowd. At one point in the show, the band played My Hero. Jackson put both his arms around my neck and leaned in and said, “Dad, this song reminds me of you.” I was making a playlist after my son’s death and found this acoustic version of the song. I had to smile when I saw it was recorded in September of 2007, the month and year that Jackson was born. He was talking to me, and he still does everyday. I believe sometimes all we have to do is allow ourselves to listen. If you can fit this in today, it would mean so much to me. John ----- John and Amy, The subject really says it all. This show is not only a beautiful tribute to your Mom, but what it has become to your listeners on a annual basis is truly a blessing. We, as a community, lean in on your daily morning show to celebrate our happiest of life‘s events, and our saddest and most difficult. And this annual show, dedicated to your Mom and those lost and the grief process means more to us here this year than ever. You may recall you dedicated a show in March to our son, Jackson, who passed away earlier this year. We’re forever grateful for it. And listen to it often. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart for your kindness. And thank you both for this show. It has a different and very unexpected meaning for us this year. It’s beautiful and I don’t want it to end. Thank you again. All the best, Janine

Nation of Language were live on KEXP on October 13th. You can head over to the KEXP YouTube channel and watch it. Any time you need. bit.ly

"Since you're gone I never feel sedate Since you're gone moonlight ain't so great."

Lost my dad in 2009. An idea that was shared with me that was both painfully honest and supportive was the visual that losing a loved one leaves a sharp, jagged hole in your soul. Over time, the edges of that hole smooth out but the hole remains. My favorite memory of a time with my dad was in Smugglers Pub in Hong Kong. We were living and teaching there in the early 2000's and my parents came to visit us. My brother, dad and I had an opportunity to grab a rare beer, just the three of us. The song, Bittersweet Symphony by The Verve came on. Dad exclaimed, "That song is great!". Everytime I hear that song it smooths out that hole and brings a smile to my face. Even though it may bring tears, Music indeed heals. Thank you Mike

Good morning John and Amy, Five years ago my cousin was killed in a wrong way accident that also killed his young son, but his wife and other son survived. They survived because my cousin quickly turned the car to take the hit, knowing there was no other way. He was a WONDERFUL guy - a stay at home dad, the life of the party, and just a kind person. So of course he sacrificed himself to save his family. After he died, I listened to a LOT of David Bowie on the bus to and from work, and cried behind my sunglasses. Could you please play "Star Man" by David Bowie for my cousin Matt? He was awesome. Thanks for doing the show, y'all. -Margaret

When you read my letter on the Mom Show last year about my alcoholic brother, Greg, who died 6 years ago, I felt the silent waves of support coming from the community of listeners, and something inside me broke - but in a good way. In a necessary way. Until then I had edged up beside the grief, but never allowed myself to look directly at it, let alone plunge into it. I needed to do that. I've heard grief described as not so much an event that you just encounter, deal with, and then get past, but rather, it's an ever-changing process... something that becomes part of how you experience the world forever after. It is never really "done". But it can grow into something perhaps even beautiful and precious if you can somehow surrender yourself to it. I think I will always mourn the tragedy of Greg's life and death... but I will cherish what he gave me through that tragedy, if that makes sense. And I'll always be grateful to you and our entire music-loving community for helping me move in that direction. Though we are strangers, we are all connected very strongly and intimately by our grief, our humanity, and our love and understanding through music. Thank you. If you can fit it in, I'd love it if you could play "Take Me Home" by Phil Collins once again. It's come to mean more to me than I ever could have guessed, as has this show. Andrea Proud Amplifier and longtime member of the Morning Faithful ❤ ————

Good morning, Almost three months ago we lost my dad to lung cancer. I'm an only child and I was incredibly close to my dad. My mom and I have been going through this new life with my father no longer around. We had a year leading up to his passing that essentially prepared us for the inevitable. I feel incredibly lucky to have had two parents that absolutely loved music! I grew up listening to everything. It was one of my greatest educational experiences to have a set of headphones, a stereo and my own thoughts when I was pouring over my parents albums when I was younger. As a person, friend or son you don't get educated about how to feel when someone you know and love will be dead soon. Most of the time you have to actively search out information or talk to someone about the process. What has helped my mom and I get through this first phase of my dad being gone is opening up and talking about death. We talked about it in great detail in the months leading up to his passing. It was honest, therapeutic and a reality. Thank you to everyone at KEXP for putting this amazing day together. If you have time, can you please play David Gray, Shine. That song has every emotion packed in that it could possibly pack in. It's beautiful, sad, happy and an all around work of art. It makes me feel like life is yours for the taking and anything is possible. Erik

Time it was And what a time it was, it was A time of innocence A time of confidences Long ago it must be I have a photograph Preserve your memories They're all that's left you

I listen to the wind, to the wind of my soul Where I'll end up, well, I think only God really knows I've sat upon the setting sun But never, never, never, never I never wanted water once No never, never, never I listen to my words but they fall far below I let my music take me where my heart wants to go I swam upon the Devil's lake But never, never, never, never I'll never make the same mistake No, never, never, never

You are not alone.

These shows really breaks me, but that’s healing right? Photos are a time machine for me. I lost my dad in January. A mild stroke revealed he had severe arrhythmia, so they proceeded to install a pacemaker, but complications ensued and we were left to spend time with him in an unresponsive state. He was the greatest man I knew. He was the epitome of humility. In hospice, I was able to snap some images of him, holding his hand… but as of late I've been finding images of him, outtakes and snaps that have completely left me speechless. We never really recover from loss, we just accept it and take it day by day, but we don't. We never do. All we have is each other and the time we have left. Enjoy it. Always check in on your friends and family. Remind them they are blessing to you and others, and they are not alone. Was wondering, hoping you can spin up “blackbird” by the Beatles. He loved that song. -Ivan

“I should call more often, but they know I never will. Please tell my brothers I love them still.” Tweedy created the perfect folk song on this tender but maudlin ode to family, off Golden Smog’s best album, Weird Tales. The lyrics are among his most specific (he mentions his father’s connection to the railroad), and yet they’re arguably his most universal as well. A few sparse details, of “nieces and nephews and their swimming pools,” are enough to connect us to the bigger picture. americansongwriter.com

So many Michael Franti songs would sound so good today... find live @ KEXP versions of many of them here: www.youtube.com

Hi John and Amy, Thank you so much for this show. I've listened to it every year when grief was foreign to me even though I knew it was looming in the distance, as it is for everyone. This year, I am deep in the grief journey after losing my husband suddenly in June. We were huge music fans and have brought our kids to concerts since they were babies. It was only after he died, that I realized what an influence he had on the Austin music scene as a local music booker and venue owner. His memorial was held this past weekend and it was called the MJMF - the Mark Jensen Music Fest - where some of his favorite local musicians performed to celebrate his life through music. There were tears and laughter, my kids and all their friends were running around in the sunshine and I was surrounded by the most amazing community I could ask for. It's a very strange feeling to feel joy in grief - especially when you lose your partner. Grief is a crazy roller coaster ride that I almost always want to get off of but thank you for your vulnerability and honesty in talking about grief as it brings so much comfort. I would like to dedicate Bad by U2 to Mark. xo, Maria

John, A long, long, time ago, maybe 2003/4, I found KEXP when I was fortunate to be working for a company with nearly unlimited inbound Internet bandwidth. That meant I could stream you live at my desk. One morning you played a "sad set", I wrote in and suggested "Love is stronger than death" by The The would fit nicely. You wrote that it's a great song and you listened to it over and over when your mom died. At the time my own mother was in the early stages of Alzheimer's, a brutal disease that slowly steals the person from their loved ones and from themselves.v A few years later when we finally lost her, I listened to "Love is stronger..." over and over. Some musician who's name I can't recall said something like "music allows us to tap into emotions we otherwise can't express". That may be why music heals. As you prepare this year's show I hope you'll throw "Love is stronger..." in there somewhere. It's a good thing you do. Thank you. And remember, just like you remind us, you are not alone. Eric