The primary draw of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for me is the handwritten lyrics posted within exhibits. Words, corrections, strike-throughs, and occasional doodles are scrawled on bits of paper, napkins, hotel notepads, beer boxes, or whatever else was within reach when inspiration hit. You can visually experience how artists fleshed out their ideas into iconic songs.
Looking through the cases chronicling the life and career of Janis Joplin, an invitation with the words “Drinks are on Pearl” jumped out at me. Quite literally because it was on an acrylic hanger sticking out six inches from the display board but also because of curiosity around the simplicity of the message. If you don’t know, Pearl was Joplin’s nickname and the title to her final album.
My first thought seeing this invitation was, How cool is that. That must have been quite a party. When I read the corresponding museum label, my excitement turned to awe. “Drinks are on Pearl” was an invitation to her funeral.
Joplin, along with Brian Jones, Jim Morrison, and Jimi Hendrix, belong to a group of rock and roll musicians who all died between 1969 and 1971 of drug overdoses at 27 years of age. Their deaths formed what is now known as the “27 Club” of artists who have all died tragically at the same age.
Looking back at the words “Drinks are on Pearl” after reading the label, I felt a warm smile and “wow” instinctively escaped by lips. It wasn’t triggered by her death or her funeral or her well documented substance use issues. It was a response to the stirring gesture of life that was communicated in those three words.
Deaths of those we care about are sad, awful, depressing, and heartbreaking. We should absolutely take time to mourn, grieve, and share our sadness and despair at the end of life.
But even more so, we need to take time too to celebrate. We need to appreciate the time people spend in our lives. We need to share the stories that made them human beings. We need to bring the importance of their lives back into focus. We need to raise a glass in honor and remembrance. We need to be with each other in a collective smile and “wow” for what they brought to us and the world around them.
I can only hope that the jumble of words, corrections, strike-throughs, and doodles that make up my life come together in how I am remembered. Maybe it can all be pieced together in some lyrical way. And maybe on that day someone will be kind enough to send invitations announcing “Drinks are on Mike.”