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The Allusionist

173. Death

The Allusionist

Helen Zaltzman

Arts, Education, Words, Linguistics, History, Entertainment, Helen Zaltzman, Etymology, Society & Culture

4.73.8K Ratings

🗓️ 24 March 2023

⏱️ 48 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

"You can't redead the dead by you saying something shit," says Cariad Lloyd of Griefcast and author of You Are Not Alone; nevertheless when you're bereaved, people still are usually so nervous to say the wrong thing that they often don't say anything at all. And especially not the word 'dead'. Maybe what we need, says council funeral officer Evie King, author of Ashes To Admin, is a "jazzy snazzy term for death, the 'bottomless brunch' of death..."

Content warning: this episode is about death*. And it contains mentions of cancer and Parkinson’s, and there are several category B swears and one category A swear.

*But it’s a pretty fun listen, it doesn't get sad.

Find out more about this episode and get extra information about the topics therein at theallusionist.org/death, where there's also a transcript.

Support the show at theallusionist.org/donate and as well as keeping this independent podcast going, you also get behind-the-scenes glimpses of the show, regular livestreams, the delightful Allusioverse Discord community AND you get to listen to a one-off show I made with Arnie Niekamp of Hello from the Magic Tavern where we planned our own funerals!

The Allusionist's online home is theallusionist.org. Stay in touch at facebook.com/allusionistshow,instagram.com/allusionistshow, youtube.com/allusionistshow and twitter.com/allusionistshow.

The Allusionist is produced by me, Helen Zaltzman. Martin Austwick provides the original music. Hear Martin’s own songs via PaleBirdMusic.com.

Our ad partner is Multitude. If you want me to talk beguilingly about your product or thing, sponsor an episode: contact Multitude at multitude.productions/ads. This episode is sponsored by:

• Bombas, whose mission is to make the comfiest clothes ever, and match every item sold with an equal item donated. Go to bombas.com/allusionist to get 20% off your first purchase.
Squarespace, your one-stop shop for building and running a sleek website. Go to squarespace.com/allusionist for a free 2-week trial, and get 10 percent off your first purchase of a website or domain with the code allusionist.

Support the show: http://patreon.com/allusionist

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

This is the illusionist in which I Helen Zoltzman yuck languages young.

0:09.6

This episode is about death, content warning, death and mentions of cancer and Parkinson's

0:16.1

and there are several swears of category B and one category A swear.

0:22.2

But it's a very jaundee episode overall I think.

0:25.1

Don't you worry, on with the show.

0:30.0

My dad died four months ago.

0:36.9

I was working on the episodes about the name Fiona at the side of his deathbed and in between

0:41.7

part one and part two he died.

0:44.7

And when people asked me about him and I'd say he's dead or he has died, it feels like

0:49.4

I'm almost being confrontational just stating the facts.

0:53.6

Even though it is correct, he did die.

0:55.7

I saw him do it.

0:57.2

Do you find that other people are uncomfortable using the word death?

1:00.0

Because there's a lot of euphemisms around.

1:02.3

Yeah, and it's frustrating.

1:05.6

It's really frustrating and it's something that those of us in the death industry are trying

1:09.7

to campaign against.

1:11.7

You're also an assassin.

1:12.8

Yes.

1:13.8

Oh yeah, I'm as I kill people and then I'm there.

1:16.8

I'm there for the grief full package.

1:19.1

I'm Carried Lloyd.

...

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