In 1998 a very dear friend died completely unexpectedly. Jay Reddaway was only 41 and all his friends were deeply shocked. We hadn't experienced much in the way of death before and certainly not amongst our contemporaries. There was a memorial service held for him at the Roundhouse in London. At the time the Roundhouse was just a shell. A very imaginative set designer friend hung black drapes around the central area. The "service" was conducted inside the tent with pictures of Jay projected onto a screen. Friends made speeches and then, accompanied by Bruce Springsteen's Chimes of Freedom, the drapes were theatrically raised and suddenly we found ourselves transported into a much larger space with tables laid for lunch. Nobody who was there will ever forget it.
The marvel of the event was that it so suited Jay. It had the panache that he had in life. It was the perfect reflection of who he was.
I don't think funerals should be "one size fits all." It's great if they can be tailored to the person they are honoring. That's why I was so taken by the Rev Paul Sinclair and motortorcyclefunerals.com. They claim to offer the first and only motorcycle sidecar hearse in the UK. There are photos on the site of men in black leather and large, powerful motorbikes and sidecars with glass sides to make visible the coffin inside. The pictures make me want to laugh and cry. For someone that loves motorbikes, this would surely be a brilliant way to make your final journey. I can imagine the sidecar hearse followed by a couple of dozen bikers in convoy, with their engines roaring. I must remember to mention it to a biker friend.
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