But I was thinking of it being National Suicide Month today when the inquest was concluded on the lovely Josh Burdette of 9:30 Club fame, and has ascertained that suicide was the cause of death.
I knew Josh Burdette to see him, I knew him to say hello, because not only was I (less so these days) a 9:30 club regular, but I volunteer with a voter registration group that works with the club. I went to a show that 9:30 put on at the Strathmore and was surprised to see Josh there, he looked a little out of place, but it was reassuring to me that in that strange environment at least some familiar 9:30 club attributes remained, and Josh was one of them.
I noticed the other day that his birthday fell just a few days after the day he died, and I was reminded of another friend who had killed himself in a similar circumstance, just a few days before his birthday in his thirties. I wondered if it was something to do with the expectations of life we make, the choices we make, or a spur-of-the-moment decision. The answer to that question does not actually matter. What matters is that beautiful lives are gone, and that it is our job to remember.
If we knew what was in people's hearts we would do things differently, I always say.
My friend Dan.
