I wish I had profound things to write after the untimely death (he was only 66) of World Party’s Karl Wallinger. Though I’ve listened to Goodbye Jumbo too many times to count, I’ve never written about Wallinger or World Party. This seems bizarre to me, especially as I regard Goodbye Jumbo as one of the finest pop statements ever conceived.

My great friend, Kevin McCormick, first discovered World Party and turned them on to me back in 1989 or 1990. While I don’t think that Wallinger ever quite topped Goodbye Jumbo, I do very much like everything he recorded

From the opening notes of the album, Goodbye Jumbo, Wallinger invites us into his basement for a private concert. At least that’s how the album feels to me.

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Wallinger somehow mixed anxiety with hope, turning us onto the larger world and finding our humanity within it.

Though it came on a later album, Bang, my favorite Wallinger song is his ode to western civilization, “Is it Like Today?” I always encourage my western heritage students to listen to it.

Again, I have nothing profound to say, except thank you, Karl. You’ve definitely made my world brighter over the past thirty-four years. May you rest in peace.