WEBVTT - Short Stuff: Père-Lachaise Cemetery

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<v Speaker 1>Hey, and welcome to the short stuff. I'm Josh, there's

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<v Speaker 1>Chuck Dave's here in spirit, and Jim Morrison's here in

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<v Speaker 1>spirit too. The Lizard King, Yeah, the very lizard King

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<v Speaker 1>do they call him?

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<v Speaker 2>That's so lame he called himself that.

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<v Speaker 1>Come on, Jim, Sorry, Josh, I think he was super cool,

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<v Speaker 1>but that's just lame.

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<v Speaker 2>I agree, And well we'll slam Jim Morrison at the end.

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<v Speaker 1>All right. Well, the reason we bring up Jim Morrison's

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<v Speaker 1>because we're talking about Perry Lache's cemetery, one of arguably

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<v Speaker 1>the most famous cemeteries in the entire world, in no

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<v Speaker 1>small part because Jim Morrison's buried there.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, I mean a ton of famous people who will

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<v Speaker 2>go over in a minute. But have you ever been there?

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<v Speaker 1>No? Never have?

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<v Speaker 2>Oh, okay, I have a couple of times. Both my

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<v Speaker 2>trips to Paris, my buddy Brett and I walked around

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<v Speaker 2>and went to Jim Morrison's grave as well. Quite a

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<v Speaker 2>few others did not leave any trinkets or anything, but

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<v Speaker 2>there were quite a few trinkets and marijuana cigarettes, jazz

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<v Speaker 2>cigarettes and all sorts of stuff like that, and a

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<v Speaker 2>bunch of hippies. But it's just a beautiful, beautiful stroll

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<v Speaker 2>because it's a beautiful cemetery.

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah, apparently it is the cemetery that kicked off the

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<v Speaker 1>gardener landscape cemetery craze, where they went from the old

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<v Speaker 1>medieval churchyards where they literally buried people on top of

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<v Speaker 1>other people for centuries to building a cemetery that's super

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<v Speaker 1>spread out, that's laid out with like nice shrubs and

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<v Speaker 1>trees and flowers and winding paths and places to sit.

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<v Speaker 1>Even like it was a radical departure from what people

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<v Speaker 1>had been doing in Europe all the way up to

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<v Speaker 1>that time. And it was I think first built in

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<v Speaker 1>eighteen oh four by Napoleon correct. I mean he built

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<v Speaker 1>it himself in.

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<v Speaker 2>His spare time. He got a shovel, that's true. Should

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<v Speaker 2>thank our old friends at how stuffworks dot com and

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<v Speaker 2>Nathan Chandler for some of this and then some other

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<v Speaker 2>websites we went to. But we Yeah, Napoleon eighteen o four,

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<v Speaker 2>he said, you know what, let's let's build this thing.

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<v Speaker 2>It's it's going to be beautiful. It's going to be vast.

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<v Speaker 2>The pads are even going to have little street signs

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<v Speaker 2>on them. It's going to feel like a little miniature city,

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<v Speaker 2>and that's kind of what feels like when you're walking around.

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<v Speaker 2>It's the largest one in Paris, I say, obviously, but

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<v Speaker 2>if you've never been there, then you may not understand.

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<v Speaker 2>When you're in there, you realize just how big it is.

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<v Speaker 2>But it's more than one hundred acres large and has

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<v Speaker 2>over a million interments.

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah, that's pretty amazing. That's per a guy named Keith

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<v Speaker 1>Egener who's a professor at the University of Oregon who

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<v Speaker 1>how stuff works talk to about it. He just happens

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<v Speaker 1>to be an expert in cemeteries, including pair Lach's Cemetery.

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<v Speaker 1>And one of the things that that I think you

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<v Speaker 1>kind of hit on that's worth saying is it has

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<v Speaker 1>a kind of like feel to it, so much so

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<v Speaker 1>that like the place is segregated essentially into neighborhoods.

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<v Speaker 2>It is, and segregated by religion too. I don't know

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<v Speaker 2>if this is something they still do. It seems like

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<v Speaker 2>an outdated thing, but maybe they still do it because

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<v Speaker 2>of history.

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<v Speaker 1>Well, I have a feeling you get in where you

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<v Speaker 1>fit in in Pariloches because the cemeteries in Paris are

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<v Speaker 1>so full. Yeah, I saw that there's about five thousand

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<v Speaker 1>requests to be buried in any of Paris's fourteen city cemeteries.

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<v Speaker 2>Oh wow, but only one hundred and.

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<v Speaker 1>Fifty plots available per year among all fourteen, not just Pariloches,

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<v Speaker 1>but Parloches is probably in demand more than any other.

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<v Speaker 1>The problem is is that means that the price of

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<v Speaker 1>those plots has risen commensurate to that demand, and Paris

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<v Speaker 1>is very frequently chastised for basically making it seem like

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<v Speaker 1>it only wants the wealthiest citizens buried in its cemeteries.

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<v Speaker 2>I wonder if it's a case where you can just

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<v Speaker 2>out bid for these or what that process is like,

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<v Speaker 2>or if it's like, sorry, you know, you know that

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<v Speaker 2>you're on a list and you can't buy your way

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<v Speaker 2>up that list.

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<v Speaker 1>Or you go to the trouble of poisoning your direct

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<v Speaker 1>competitor and didn't think it through because now he got

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<v Speaker 1>the plot because he died before you did.

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<v Speaker 2>That wouldn't be too hard in Paris, because you just

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<v Speaker 2>throw it in a croissant. Yeah, someone will eat it.

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<v Speaker 1>So who are the people that are buried there? Chuck,

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<v Speaker 1>give us a few names.

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<v Speaker 2>Well, how about a cliffhanger. We'll take a sort of

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<v Speaker 2>an early break here, because you know everyone's dying to know.

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<v Speaker 2>And we'll talk about some of those names right after this.

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<v Speaker 2>All right, everyone, if you've been there, then you know

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<v Speaker 2>you can see Jim Morrison, the graves that I went to.

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<v Speaker 2>How about this, I'll read the ones that I went

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<v Speaker 2>to and then you can fill in the rest. But

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<v Speaker 2>I stopped by Oscar Wilde's grave, very nice. I stopped

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<v Speaker 2>by Chopin. I love Chopin is in Frederick, I like,

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<v Speaker 2>I mean, oh sure, let me see what other ones? Oh?

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<v Speaker 2>I went by Edith Piaff's grave, and I think there

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<v Speaker 2>was one more on this list, Proust Marcel Proust, yep.

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<v Speaker 2>I went by that one. I don't think I saw any.

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<v Speaker 2>I mean, I may have walked by and not realized

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<v Speaker 2>in my early twenties. Who is a door Duncan was

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<v Speaker 2>or something? But those are the ones that I made

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<v Speaker 2>a point to go see.

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<v Speaker 1>Is a door Duncan was a famous writer? She held

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<v Speaker 1>Paris Salon's eves Montan eve Montane is there. He's an actor.

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<v Speaker 1>Marcel Marceau, the famous mime, is buried there. In his

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<v Speaker 1>head sown is a three dimensional bust of him. Locked

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<v Speaker 1>in a permanent scream of terror.

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<v Speaker 2>Of course silent. Of course I've seen that one too. Actually,

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<v Speaker 2>that sounds.

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<v Speaker 1>Familiar Marcel Marceau's Yeah, I just made that up. Though

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<v Speaker 1>he's not really screaming on his headstone.

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<v Speaker 2>Oh he's not. Okay, then I didn't see it. What

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<v Speaker 2>have I seen like that though? Or did I just

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<v Speaker 2>have like an implanted memory.

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<v Speaker 1>I don't know. I think maybe you did pick up

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<v Speaker 1>one of those jazz cigarettes from Morrison's grave and walked

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<v Speaker 1>around with it.

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<v Speaker 2>I've held it all this time. It's vintage.

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<v Speaker 1>Another person there is Moliere, who was a very famous

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<v Speaker 1>actor from the seventeenth century, very beloved actor in the

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<v Speaker 1>seventeenth century, and he was one of the people who

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<v Speaker 1>kicked off the Perilochet Cemetery because at first it was

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<v Speaker 1>such a radical departure from the type of burials that

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<v Speaker 1>people were used to in Paris that it was not

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<v Speaker 1>immediately popular. The other problem is that when it was built,

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<v Speaker 1>it was built at the edge of Paris, so it's

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<v Speaker 1>kind of hard to get to. So to get people interested,

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<v Speaker 1>they actually found Moliere's remains. Allegedly it made a big

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<v Speaker 1>deal out of burying him there to just kind of

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<v Speaker 1>get some attention for it.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, because I think your choices before then you mentioned

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<v Speaker 2>those churchyards, and they always had well not always, but

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<v Speaker 2>even back then they had burial space issues because at

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<v Speaker 2>those churchyards they were just burying people on top of

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<v Speaker 2>one another, and they wouldn't necessarily bury your family together.

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<v Speaker 2>And it just seems like burial has always been a

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<v Speaker 2>problem in Paris for one reason or another. I guess

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<v Speaker 2>space for sure.

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<v Speaker 1>Well, one of the other reasons that it's so tight

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<v Speaker 1>right now is because in the churchyards they just bury

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<v Speaker 1>people on top of people. We were saying. But in

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<v Speaker 1>Parloches and the other city cemeteries that followed, you could

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<v Speaker 1>buy a plot for eternity essentially, why they started to

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<v Speaker 1>run out of plots.

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<v Speaker 2>That makes sense. Here's a couple more names. Gertrud Stein.

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<v Speaker 2>We didn't mention gertrud Stein. How could we not? Or

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<v Speaker 2>Sarah Bernhardt. Yeah, it's another big one. Who is George

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<v Speaker 2>Sarah Sarah?

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<v Speaker 1>He was an Impressionist painter along with the.

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<v Speaker 2>Delac Oh, okay, yeah, he's.

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<v Speaker 1>Also buried there. And I misspoke. I said Isidore Duncan

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<v Speaker 1>was held the Paris salons and it was an author

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<v Speaker 1>and art collector. That was Gertrude's Gertrude Stein Isidore Duncan

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<v Speaker 1>was a beloved dancer in.

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<v Speaker 2>Paris, m and that was it was that after I

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<v Speaker 2>know they were both after the break. I just wonder

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<v Speaker 2>how many people just said, I'm done with this show.

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<v Speaker 1>So the name itself, though, pear Lachaise comes from King

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<v Speaker 1>Louis the fourteenth Confessor.

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<v Speaker 2>Right, that's right, father, Oh boy, you need to take

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<v Speaker 2>this one, father Francois.

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<v Speaker 1>And now you die de la chaise.

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<v Speaker 2>That's die d ai exit. That's how that's pronounced die. Ok.

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<v Speaker 1>So his name father is pair is father like as

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<v Speaker 1>in a priest also is a dad, but in French

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<v Speaker 1>and Lachaise means the chair, so his name is pair

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<v Speaker 1>the chair.

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<v Speaker 2>It's pretty good.

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<v Speaker 1>I think I'm the first person in history to turn

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<v Speaker 1>that up.

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<v Speaker 2>To make that joke.

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<v Speaker 1>Well, yeah, but it's a research based joke.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, sure, like all of our jokes. Sure, it's a

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<v Speaker 2>big tourist attraction. Now, like I said, obviously, you know

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<v Speaker 2>a lot of people go because it's it's not only

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<v Speaker 2>a place where you can go see Oscar Wilde and

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<v Speaker 2>kirchard Stein and pay your respects at their headstones. But

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<v Speaker 2>it is a as all urban cemeteries are. It's it's

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<v Speaker 2>a bit of a respite. It's a bit of a

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<v Speaker 2>break from the hustle and bustle to stroll around this shady,

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<v Speaker 2>beautiful park almost with dead bodies all over the place.

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<v Speaker 1>Wow, that's amazing, because yeah, I think how many people

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<v Speaker 1>visit a year? Do?

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<v Speaker 2>They say about four million people every year? That is

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<v Speaker 2>a lot. I mean, there's it's definitely, I mean it's large,

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<v Speaker 2>but it's not like you're going to stroll for three

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<v Speaker 2>hundred feet without seeing another person. People all over.

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah, So if you wanted to get there, you would

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<v Speaker 1>go to sixteen Rue de Repos, which means repose, which

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<v Speaker 1>means rest. It's very appropriate name for a city cemetery

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<v Speaker 1>street that it's on, right, And one other thing about

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<v Speaker 1>it that really stuck out to meet Chuck was that

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<v Speaker 1>they also buried eb Lard and Heloise, who were definitely

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<v Speaker 1>worth looking into and I think we should actually do

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<v Speaker 1>a short stuff on them. But they were one of

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<v Speaker 1>the most famous couples of the medieval era, maybe of

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<v Speaker 1>all time, like a real life Romeo and Juliet, right

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<v Speaker 1>and quite the same, but was still very tragic, but

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<v Speaker 1>they wrote letters to one another. I feel like we've

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<v Speaker 1>talked about them before. They wrote letters to one another

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<v Speaker 1>that were preserved, and these love letters are just so

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<v Speaker 1>amazing that people still read them today.

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<v Speaker 2>And that was another case of they were kind of

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<v Speaker 2>putting that out there too, like, oh, they're buried here

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<v Speaker 2>as well, to try and pump up interest.

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<v Speaker 1>Right exactly. They brought them together in the afterlife by

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<v Speaker 1>reburying them together in a specially designed crypt.

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<v Speaker 2>That's really nice. I would say that, I know we

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<v Speaker 2>did Hollywood Forever or did we do the other one

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<v Speaker 2>in la.

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<v Speaker 1>We didn't do.

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<v Speaker 2>Oh yeah, we did both.

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<v Speaker 1>I don't think so. No, I said we didn't. Okay,

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<v Speaker 1>just for us lawn, Yeah, that's my understanding.

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<v Speaker 2>All right, Well, all of these We have Oakland Cemetery

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<v Speaker 2>here in Atlanta, which is very nice as well, and

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<v Speaker 2>all of these places are great, but none of them

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<v Speaker 2>hold a candle to that little cemetery in Woodstock, New

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<v Speaker 2>York where you can go see Levon Helm and Rick

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<v Speaker 2>Danko's gravestones from the band. Okay, fair enough, my favorite cemetery.

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<v Speaker 1>I've got nothing to top that. So I think that short.

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<v Speaker 2>Stuff is out.

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<v Speaker 1>Stuff.

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<v Speaker 2>You Should Know is a production of iHeartRadio. For more

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