Rev Richard Coles - Pop Star, Vicar, Widower
"It's very shocking when you do lose the person with whom you were expecting to spend the rest of your life, it takes the future with them". Rev Richard Coles Reverend Richard Coles has led a colourful and vibrant life, forming the band 'The communards’ with singer Jimmy Somerville in the mid-'80s. He’s the only reverend in the UK and probably the world to have a number 1 hit. After some drug-fuelled years and witnessing the death of many of his friends from AIDS Richard had an awakening which led him to become a reverend for a parish in rural Northamptonshire. Richard’s civil partner David died in December 2019 at the age of 42. A year on Richard talks candidly about his extraordinary life, the madness of grief, and how he is doing now. We discuss: The madness and commonality of grief Being a radical reverend Princess Diana and the enormity of that grief The language of death Real connection rather than social media The solace of lockdown Death at Christmas Letting go of someone’s possessions after their death Podcast references Books – The Madness of Grief by Richard Coles & Grief Works by Julia Samuel Bronski Beat – Smalltown Boy Funeral song – Liber Tango by Astor Piazzolla Widowed and Young charity Links https://www.richardcoles.com/ https://www.widowedandyoung.org.uk/ This episode contains explicit language and a brief conversation about Richard‘s attempt to take his own life as a teenager.