When I met Michael Cochran, he and his brother were commuting to New Jersey for interviews with the great Les Paul for a book chronicling Paul's career. Nashville photographer Wolf Hoffmann joined them on several trips to photograph the hundreds of guitars in Les's personal collection. After many hours of recorded interviews and conversations with Les Paul, Mike created all the text in the book, weaving together Paul's recollections and expressions with his own insights to create: … [Read more...] about Les Paul In His Own Words
obituaries
Ashes in the Ink
Back in the day, cutting edge technology allowed our families to pose with the dear departed and record the moment for posterity. That idea faded and seems creepy now, but what about the background noise I heard this weekend? Snippets of reality tv with the Jackson Family Show trying to coordinate a very public gold- plated memorial service. Or the bit of a tattoo road show, featuring a gentleman who mixed a trace of his loved one's ashes into the ink and had a portrait style memorial … [Read more...] about Ashes in the Ink
Urn Garden Brush With Greatness
Dear Internets, I've met the most amazing individuals over the past two weeks. First up: Cindy, from Arizona, our latest member of the Widow's Club. Her 51 year-old husband dropped from cardiac arrest. They were newly wed last August and just moved to Arizona. Cindy chose the Going Home urn. Last week, I met the widow of this brilliant mind: "In my lifetime, it’s hard not to look at the transistor, which was probably the single thing that caused most the … [Read more...] about Urn Garden Brush With Greatness
Earth Friendly Cornstarch Urns
The latest addition to the Urn Garden biodegradable urn collection are cremation urns made from cornstarch. That's right, cornstarch! Hand-painted with water-based paints, the urns are designed for a green burial and will not break down until placed in the earth. This urn is TSA compliant and is packaged in a convenient box for discreet and secure transportation. … [Read more...] about Earth Friendly Cornstarch Urns
You Don’t Know My Travis
Travis, the chimp who mauled a Stamford, CT woman, was cremated last week at the request of the Herold family, who owned the 200 pound chimp. Eileen Donofrio, office manager for All Pets Crematory & Remembrances in Stamford, said that, as far as she knows, it was the first cremation of a primate at the Myrtle Avenue pet crematory. April Truitt, who runs the Primate Rescue Center in Kentucky, said she warned Herold of the dangers of keeping the animal in her home in 2003 after she … [Read more...] about You Don’t Know My Travis