Puny Mortal Podcast

First Experiences of Death

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Intro

Welcome to the first ever episode of the Puny Mortal podcast. It's fair to say that we definitely didn't know what we were doing when we recorded Episode 1. Thank goodness Flamingo Heights were on hand with good advice and even better sound production.


Summary

What was your first experience of death? How did it make you feel?

In this inaugural deathy conversation, we discuss our first

experiences of death. Lindsey recalls her first experience through the death of plant life, specifically a Wolverhampton broad bean. We also discuss our highs and lows with the Indian Moon moths we reared from caterpillars in the 1980s. Top tip: don't do this if you also keep cats as pets. Then we talk about the death of Hammy, the adventuring hamster of our childhood friend Rachael. Although, with Hammy, it was less about his death and more about his spontaneous and unwise exhumation. We also mention the sudden death of our childhood neighbour, the death of a classmate at junior school, and the first deaths of family members when we were teenagers. Oh and there's a bit where we reminisce about the
terrifying UK public information films from the 1970s and 1980s.

We end each episode by getting mortal, by which we mean sharing our funeral choices with you for our own future farewell ceremonies. At the end of Episode 1, we share how we'd like our dead bodies cared for before our funerals and our coffin/shroud choices. We encourage you to start thinking about your funeral wishes. And if you'd like, you can order one of our get mortal funeral planning zines from our website.


Links and points of clarification

  • We lived in Wolverhampton in the UK Midlands between 1982-1988.
  • Our junior school gave us stick insects as well as Indian Moon moth caterpillars. Stick insects ate privet hedge. Moon moths ate hawthorn.
  • This is what Indian Moon moth caterpillars and moths look like. The moths have a lifespan of less than 10 days.
  • Mottephobia or fear of moths is a real thing.
  • There are blue (e.g. small emerald moth) and yellow (e.g. brimstone moth) moths in the UK. KV did fact checking.
  • Keeping curtains shut at home between a death and the funeral is a Victorian mourning tradition.
  • The UK's public information films of the 1970s and 1980s were terrifying. Don't believe us? Check this out.
  • Uncle Bill died in 1994. Our nan died the following year in 1995.
    • This is the Enya song that was played at our nan's funeral. 'Evacuee' on Shepherd Moons (1991). Our dad chose this to play as we left the crematorium chapel. I'm listening whilst typing this. Cue sniffling and snarggging.
    • LV blurts out that she'd like Ben Harrison AKA Furious Pie to paint her cardboard coffin when she is dead.


      • Chapters

      01:00-02:06 RIP LV's broad bean

      02:07-09:21 RIP family of Indian Moon Moths

      09:22-16:30 RIP Hammy the hamster

      16:31-20:25 RIP our next-door neighbour in Wolves

      20:26-23:30 Death of a classmate at junior school

      23:31-26:40 1980s UK public information films

      26:41-34:10 Our first family funerals as teenagers

      35:30-35:39 The ringing of our bell folk doll

      35:40 Get Mortal funeral wishes chat

      ...more
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