David Gray: Play Madness at My Funeral
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- David Gray wants Madness's "One Step Beyond" played at his funeral, with attendees dancing in the aisles as the coffin is brought down, followed by Orlando Gibbons's "Drop, Drop, Slow Tears" to make everyone cry
- David Gray first fell in love with Madness when he watched "Night Boat to Cairo" on Top of the Pops at age 11, saying something happened to him "on a molecular level"
- David Gray credits Bob Dylan's "It Ain't Me Babe" as the song that changed his life, heard on a cassette his father played during a drive to the Alps to teach him to ski — comparing Dylan to Picasso
- David Gray says he can no longer listen to any version of "Moon River" because his father sang it at a party the day before he died
- David Gray released his album "Nightjar" and embarks on a UK and Ireland tour from 10 June to 26 July
Why it matters: The Q&A functions as a press vehicle for Gray's "Nightjar" album and his 10 June–26 July UK and Ireland tour dates. The personal anecdotes — particularly the childhood Madness fixation and the devastating "Moon River"/father story — give existing fans emotional texture ahead of those live dates and may pull curious readers in to stream the new record.
