Tell me why you had to go that night.
There were still so many songs to write.
I'll never know you forgot to say goodbye.
This is New Wisco Weekend. I'm Lisa Hale.
There's a Wisconsin musician who believes the best way to communicate is through song.
And when a friend died by suicide, Jackie Bradley turned her message about mental health into a full musical.
Terry Barr has her story.
I could see your fading willow. I hear your laugh and I see your smile.
They will never, ever die.
But you forgot to say goodbye.
We're listening to the song. You forgot to say goodbye from the musical Comet Boy.
And joining us is the creative mind behind all of it. Jackie Bradley, Jackie, thank you for being here.
Thank you for inviting me.
Jackie, what is the story behind you forgot to say goodbye?
To someone up, say that after my dear friend took his life, I just pondered and pondered and pondered.
And all that I could think of in those early days was he never said goodbye.
Meaning behind all of those days before and then I guess at the end of the song, I actually do sort of query about you meant maybe you didn't mean to say goodbye.
And wondering if it was a situation where he went farther than he had planned to go.
So that was the thing that always haunted me that or if someone had come in at the right time.
So yeah, that's where that song goes.
Your songs and the stories, it's really an open invitation to have a conversation about mental health.
Was that kind of your goal in doing this?
It was, well, in the respect that suicide is a mental health matter.
I wanted to shine a light on the problem of suicide, maybe work on the taboos that are held.
And exactly that got conversations going about it and hopefully the songs would reach people that either are going through it and have gone through it or are thinking about going through it.
And maybe give them some insight to the effects that it has and hoping to find a way to reduce the numbers.
I am talking with Jackie Bradley, the creative mind behind the song and the musical comic boy.
What did it mean for you to actually see this musical and the music as part of it happen?
It really was sort of an out of body experience.
And I would often wonder when I would hear my songs about where my mind was when I wrote them because I don't feel that I could write them just any old time.
Once they were written in the whole play or the whole show went together, I really felt like a spectator.
And it did bring back feelings, but it was just a very unusual feeling to be watching from the outside.
If there's something that you would say to people about this whole experience, what would you say Jackie?
Oh, there's just so much to say.
This is all pretty much this is at all, but I guess I would just say keep your eyes and ears open for signs that someone you love or know or even an acquaintance might be giving out that might indicate there's a problem and try to find a way to approach it.
Somehow bring in others. I guess that's the main thing I'd say another point is it has such far reaching effects every suicide.
And I think I do mention in the in the play that suicides are not an unkind thing that the person who takes their life does because they reach a point that they have.
They just have nowhere else to go.
And so they shouldn't be blamed in a bad way, but if they could understand maybe how many lives they're affecting and changing forever.
I feel maybe unless it's extreme mental illness, that would be something that would slow it down.
And there's help and I think that's something finally people are talking more about is it's okay to talk about this and it's okay to get help.
Right. And I think because in this case, the common boy would not would not seek out help or even listen to a word about maybe medication would help you feel better.
So I am really at a loss in some cases about what you could do.
And when he finally did take his life, it was just I wasn't I wasn't really surprised, but it just wasn't expected at that moment because he had been on a happy, happy high.
So that adds another little bit of mystery to the whole thing.
We are going to end this conversation with the song I will sing it.
Tell me about this song Jackie.
Writing of the show was a pretty long process and I had a lot of songs from previous record I had made, but I needed to add a lot of songs and then I needed something to end the song and I was on a walk on the bike trail where we used to take walks.
And all of a sudden it just came into my head about walking down the path we used to walk.
It all just kind of fell into place and I wanted it to be an uplifting song of hope in the very end and hopefully that does sort of tie the whole thing up at the end.
Yes, it's one of my favorites.
Here is I will sing it from Jackie Bradley and Jackie, thank you again.
When you ran away my world turned out.
I thought the sun would never shine again.
They didn't get without you seemed impossible.
It was so unthinkable but then I heard a song you used to sing now I will sing it.
I felt the joy you always brought now I will bring it.
If you'd like to see Jackie's play it's free to view on YouTube.
Search for Comet Boy, The Musical.
Thank you for being a part of New Wisco Weekend.
Your look at the stories and issues facing Northeast Wisconsin.
New Wisco Weekend is produced and written by Terry Barr and Lisa Hale.
Our executive producer is Todd Michaels directed by Lisa Hale.
Our lead correspondent is Terry Barr with features by Conrad Krieger, Brittany Merlot, Joanne Croulette, Melissa Kay, and Pete Schwabba and commentator Amanda Nimmer.
Email story ideas to Lisa.Hale at civicmedia.us.
You can also contact us through our app.
I'm civic media Northeast Wisconsin Bureau Chief Lisa Hale for WISS and WGBW News.
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