"The Funeral Profession is Generally Not a Bag of Laughs"
Although fans of Six Feet Under might disagree with that statement, much of the series-inspired chuckles were of the "laughing at" rather than "laughing with" variety. And it was a TV show. Back here in the real world, where the only thing that's certain is death and an endless stream of automotive press releases desperate for a news hook, we learn that Ewan Scott, UK spinmeister for Aardvark Associates, brings a bit of personality to the job of promoting… death. "Dealing with bereaved families requires compassion, empathy and a sense of dignity. So, funeral directors planning on making an attempt on a Guinness World Record might appear to be a bit of a stretch, you might think. However, that is just what the British Institute of Funeral Directors (BIFD) aim to do at their annual conference at the Croydon Hilton on the 24 – 26th October this year." That's when the organization will stage the world's largest funeral hearse parade (cortege?). "The BIFD wants to open up the profession and its suppliers to their market to make the whole process less intimidating," Prez Adrian Pink reveals. "The hearse cavalcade is an event that puts us in the public eye, it lets the public and the funeral directors see the range of vehicles available from the carriage masters. A visit to the conference’s exhibition allows the public to see the wide range of options available to them, without being under the immediate stress of a bereavement." Unless, of course, they are.
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Hearses can be good for a laugh - back in 1984 my friend bought a mid 60's hearse (a Pontiac, believe it or not), painted it pink, and turned it into a surf car of sorts - it would hold a ton of boards and gear, and no worries about roof racks exposing your gear to theft.
There's a person in the liberal little town of Yellow Springs in Ohio who always had at least 2 black Cadillac Hearses in his driveway for at least 20 years... I know when I was younger, he'd have skeletons (assuming fake) in the windows. Good laugh. Actually, what he has in the back window of the one closest to the street makes me laugh the most now: a plain spare tire leaning against the glass. I'm not sure they are driven anymore.
Usually hearse owners don't bother with bumper stickers even though they have a guaranteed captive audience being at the front of the procession. Even so, years ago I saw this on a shiny Cadillac final ride: "Help Put the FUN Back In FUNerals"