Friday, February 3, 2017

Remembering Maggie Roche (1951-2017)



How very odd that I didn't learn of Maggie's death until today.

How very odd that I wouldn't have learned of it if I hadn't been looking at recent photos of Donald Trump, wondering about his mental health, and suddenly heard the Roches singing an obscure Bob Dylan song (a sly and pointed political comment) in my mind, with something in it about a president or someone going mad:

It was January the 30th
And everybody was feelin' fine
The next day, everybody got up
Seein' if the clothes were dry
The dogs were barking, a neighbor passed
Mama, of course, she said, hi
Have you heard the news he said with a grin
The vice president's gone mad (am -- the president's gone mad)
Where downtown when last night
Hmm, say, that's too bad
Well, there's nothing we can do about it, said the neighbor
It's just something we're gonna have to forget
Yes, I guess so said ma
Then she asked me if the clothes was still wet
On my way to finding the YouTube video, I discovered that Maggie had died on January 21 of breast cancer.
Listen to Maggie and Suzzy singing on Zero Church, released in response to the events of September 11, 2001.  They collected prayers they had heard as part of an arts collaborative:
Here's Maggie as I first remember seeing her face on an album I played over and over again:









And a more recent photo:
“She was a private person, too sensitive and shy for this world, but brimming with life, love, and talent,” Suzzy Roche wrote on the Roches’ Facebook page. “She was smart, wickedly funny, and authentic — not a false bone in her body — a brilliant songwriter, with a distinct unique perspective, all heart and soul.”

No comments: