He's not a gangster, he's an artist, tortured every step of the way by addictions that he freely admits. Not because he's a gangster in danger of some shootout, but because Wayne's far closer to the names in the above paragraph. And death is something that's followed Lil Wayne as he's evolved from a 13 year-old afterthought to a 28 year-old icon. It all becomes so much more profound.ĭeath can turn a 12-song album into something more than music.
Even if it all stems from some ridiculous impulse for nostalgia, you can't deny the phenomenon. We're sharing in the loss of a genius and the gifts he left behind for us. In celebrating Jimi Hendrix-as opposed to, say, Eric Clapton-we're not just listening to music. It's not that they weren't appreciated while they were here, but by disappearing at the height of their influence, a mythology emerged in their wake that made them more meaningful. At the center of his investigation is a simple question-why is death the greatest career move of all?īy disappearing, their myth becomes inescapable. In Killing Yourself To Live, Chuck Klosterman wanders around the country visiting the death sites of some of history's greatest musicians, all of whom were taken in the midst of their prime. It's an irony that inspired an entire book.