Lee Hazlewood's Living Will

MY LIVING WILL

BY

Lee Hazlewood

1. If I should remain in a persistent vegetative state for more than 15 years, I would like someone to turn off the TV.

2. If I am unable to recognize or interact with friends or family members, I still expect gifts.

3. Do not resuscitate me before noon.

4. If I do not respond to pinches, pin pricks, rubber mallets, or other medical stimuli, please stop laughing.

5. Once I am allowed to die a painless death, I would like my organs to be donated to whoever can catch them.

6. If my death is particularly dramatic, I would like to be played by Hilary Swank.

7. If my doctor pronounces me brain dead, I would like to see the new Ashton Kutcher movie.

8. I do not wish to be kept alive by a machine that has a 'Popcorn' setting.

9. I would like to die at home, surrounded by my attorneys and accountant.

10. In lieu of flowers, I would prefer rioting.

11. I would like my entire estate to become the property of my cat Chewy, who said "He wouldn't want to live like this, with that zit."

12. Assume that, even in a coma, I can still hear discussions about my royalties.

13. In the event of an open coffin, I would like smoky evening eyes.

14. At my memorial service, I would like my clergyman to begin his eulogy with the words "I suppose, in a way, his first wife and her receiver killed him."

(Taken from www.leehazlewoodmusic.com - the official website of singer, songwriter and producer Lee Hazlewood)

Sadly, Lee left us on August 4th 2007 after battling renal cancer for two years. He left behind a wonderful legacy of music as a producer (Sanford Clark and Duane Eddy), songwriter (he wrote These Boots Are Made For Walkin' for Nancy Sinatra) and performer. I've loved Lee and his music for as long as I can remember. My introduction to him was through my mum and dad's cherished copy of Nancy & Lee, which became a firm fixture on my ancient record player as I was growing up. There is a timeless quality about Lee's songs. They were always beautifully produced. He really understood the dynamics of a song, especially when it came to duets and the interplay of the vocals of his female partner (Nancy, Ann Margret, Suzi Jane Hokom) with his own rich, fruity baritone. And there was always a rich vein of dark humour running through his songs, similar in tone to that of the Living Will above.

For me his best work was as a solo artist, after he moved to Stockholm in the 1970s. Here he created several masterpieces of what would come to be termed 'Cowboy Psychedelia', including the soundtrack to the TV special he wrote and produced with his friend, the Director Torbjörn Axelman: Cowboy in Sweden.

B.R. 16/05/2012