It was the late 1980s, and Jamie Brisick was living the California dream — a pro surfer sponsored by Quiksilver, traveling the world and competing on the ASP World Tour. But beneath the Malibu-glow surface, tragedy was brewing: His older brother was descending into a drug addiction that would soon claim his life.
Years after his brother’s death, Brisick left the world of surfing and reinvented himself as a writer, with work appearing in The New York Times, The New Yorker, and The Guardian. But tragedy struck again in 2013, when his wife was killed in a sudden accident.
“The year after my wife died was the toughest year of my life by far. And yet 12 years on now, it was one of the most beautiful years of my life as well,” says Brisick on this week’s episode of Life In Seven Songs. “I was deeply broken and disheartened. But I also saw this incredible beauty to being so completely sad.”
In the episode, Brisick reflects on how music became both a refuge from grief and a tool for transformation. After learning of his brother’s death, he played Bob Dylan’s “I’ll Remember You” on repeat, silent sobs wracking his body as he tried to keep his pain hidden. Years later, after losing his wife, it was “Day Comes” by G. Wayne Thomas that helped him stay afloat.
“This song was something I could grab onto, like a buoy in a stormy sea,” says Brisick.
Here’s his playlist.
- Blue Magic, “Sideshow”
- Richard Hell and the Voidoids, “Blank Generation”
- Iggy Pop, “The Endless Sea”
- Bob Dylan, “I’ll Remember You”
- Silver Jews, “The Wild Kindness”
- G. Wayne Thomas, “Day Comes”
- Bill Callahan, “Dress Sexy at My Funeral”
🎧 Listen to the full episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts
📄 Read the full transcript
🎵 Explore the episode playlist on Spotify
💌 Contact the team: [email protected]