I think Pat Tillman is a great role model. A real hero. So his death ought to celebrate his accomplishments in life and provide an opportunity for family members and friends to express to others the loss they may feel as a result of their passing. That being said, and with all due respect, and all the standard disclaimers, I was watching SportsCenter which had some snippets from the funeral. Aside from people who had professional speaking experience (Senator Bob McCain, First Lady of California Maria Shriver, etc.), it turned into a bad poetry open mike night! Oh, the horror. I don't remember the exact verses, but it was on the order of...

I struggle to write each thought and capture every word
With your new wings, you will fly a bird
You were a wonderful and caring and thoughtful and inspring brother.
I love you like no other
You're safe now; you're gone from pain
I miss you like the deserts miss the rain.

I swear, if any of you pull that kind of crap at my funeral, I will reserve the right to rise up from the dead to grab the mike from you and tell you to shut the fuck up because no one wants to hear that teen angst shit.

Call me morbid, but in my supreme sense of indulgence, I've already thought about some details of my funeral. It's almost like I want to live my life such that it's worthy of the funeral I'm imagining. Hey, don't get turned off by this: call it a sense of my own mortality. Call it Braveheart Syndrome: every man dies; not every man truly lives. It's like imagining one day I get to sit around on a rocking chair, sipping on lemonade, reading box scores while grandchildren gleefully run around my feet and ask me stories about what happened at the turn of the century.

Well kids, back then, they had ATMs at every street corner that could spit out money, and yet they didn't have electronic voting.

Back in my day, people didn't have cars that drove themselves.

Well, sonny, it all began when the Chargers selected Ryan Leaf.

I think it's perfectly reasonable to try and aspire to attain your goals; one of my goals just happens to be that I want a huge funeral, where attendees crowd a sacred space (I hesitate to use the word "church," since it has religious connotations) and be surprised at the number of people there. I already have a few songs picked out. So really, I guess, the whole notion of my funeral just came about because I have in my head a top ten list of songs I would want played at my own funeral.

10) "Cryin' Like A Church On Monday" by New Radicals. I'll start with an obscure song from an obscure band. I've really like this group; they came along at about the same time as the height of the whole singer-songwriter buzz in the music industry when John Mayer and what not were all making their debuts. This song is really about temporary loss of a loved one, like someone getting dumped and the singer hoping for a return. So it's not entirely applicable here, but I like the song nonetheless, and I think the simple guitar/piano combo works well.

9) "Sound of Silence" by Simon & Garfunkel. Let's continue with an oldie, but goodie. Rich and emotional lyrics. Almost apocalyptic. The melody is very simple and the music begins very sparse with the lone acoustic guitar but builds before finally leaving with just solitude and emptiness.

8) "Seasons of Love" by the Cast of Rent. "How do you measure a year in the life?" A great show on so many levels. I can relate to every character; I find pieces of myself scattered throughout the whole show, and while this song is supposed to celebrate one's life one quanta at a time, I guess I've always wanted my funeral to be an occasion where people sit around and remember the good things I did. One of my favorite parts of Shawshank Redemption is the part where after Andy Dufresne escapes, the rest of the inmates sit around and reminisce about his exploits. That's what I want; I want to escape, and I want you all to laugh about the things I pulled while I was still there.

7) "Round Here" by Counting Crows. Adam Duritz's lyrics seem to mix worldliness with naivete, and I think that's a good metaphor for a well-travelled life. You've seen it all, but you haven't seen enough. Here, he pours out emotions regarding specific characters, but in listening to the song, the audience easily translates his lyrics to their own sense of defiance and belonging. I like this song because it ends with a hint of despair at the end, as if there's a sense of mystery and doubt that will always linger.

6) "Lay Down Burden" by Brian Wilson. A great American songwriter who simply knows how to write a good song. This song is sweet and soothing and I like it because it feels as if the deceased is speaking back to the living as well as a repose of the living toward the deceased. I think the innocence in this song, particularly in Brian Wilson's voice, really helps it reach out and pierce through your cynical emotional armor.

5) "Nothing Compares 2 U" by Sinead O'Connor. Say what you will about Sinead's treatment following her rise to pop stardom; the girl could flat out sing. Here, she took an old Prince song and gave it a really soft and more approachable touch. This is a song of heartbreak and regret, and it paints an emotional picture of a person trying to piece their lives together following the loss of loved one, either through breakup, or in this list's case, the biggest heartbreak of all.

4) "Great Gig In The Sky" by Pink Floyd. Mostly instrumental with the exception of the mournful wailing that underscore the whole piece. This is another song that's uplifting and enigmatic, somber and majestic. Lots of qualities to the song, but I think the high pitch female vocals really give it a human side, one of vulnerability and compassion.

3) "Street Spirit (Fade Out)" by Radiohead. "This machine will not communicate these thoughts and the strain I am under." Thom Yorke has an amazing voice, and this song (along with Fake Plastic Trees) does a good job of using it to create a sense of emotions pouring out in all directions. It's very short, but it has such an epic sweep about it. It ends beautifully as well, and should serve as a signpost to the listeners on how to live well.

2) "With or Without You" by U2. My pick for their finest song, out of a whole catalogue of very fine material. Again, as with Simon & Garfunkel's contribution to this list, it begins and ends very simply, which I think is very symbolic of the human existence. This song is nothing but pure and unbridled passion. Raw emotion should be the call of the day with regards to a funeral, and I want Bono's preacher-like vocals to not only serve as a vehicle of your loss toward me, but I want to be able to make the attendees feel as if I am missing them as well.

1) "Adagio for Strings" by Samuel Barber. A long, evocative piece designed to cause contemplation and introspection as well as sadness and mourning. One of two songs I played over and over again after a pair of airplanes hit a pair of skyscrapers, this one being my ultimate song of despair. (The other song, incidentally, was 2Pac's "Hit 'Em Up," my ultimate song of rage.) I first heard "Adagio for Strings" at Tech when KROQ played the William Orbit Remix. Ultimately, a funeral has to have a quiet moment, as any sacred space will induce. I want everyone to individually have a chance to think to themselves what my passing means to them. Will it invoke regret or loss or whatever. "Adagio for Strings" has a weird way of building up to a crescendo that never appears, almost as if it lets you down, but it lets you down gently. There is inspiration, but at the same time, reality. Good stuff.

Note that this is decidedly very unlike the usual suspect of songs. That is, as I say, another cool feature. Honorable mentions include "Don't Dream It's Over" by Crowded House, Moby's "Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad?", "Champagne Supernova" by Oasis, Rufus Wainwright's cover of The Beatles "Across the Universe", Sade's "By Your Side", Smashing Pumpkin's cover of Fleetwood Mac's "Landslide" (certainly NOT the Dixie Chicks version: no sappy country songs!).