Last September, I traveled to San Francisco to visit my buddy Richard Nelson. He was there being treated for cancer. I went because I was not sure he would ever make it back to Alaska. He was tethered to an oxygen tank but was as kind-hearted and funny as ever. We hung out for a week, swapping stories and watching birds. We laughed about as much as we cried.
In the final hour before I left for the airport, Richard spoke about a song that had been running through his mind for over five decades. There was an urgency in his voice that made me reach for my recorder. We both knew the story of that song could be our final exchange.
We were right.
I've created this video around my friend's final words.