When I sat down to write a blog, I felt it should be about golfing legend Arnold Palmer. He was great at signing autographs, and other golfers have even said they started signing more, after seeing Palmer stand there for an hour. Palmer wanted to make sure each fan got a signature that wanted one.

The problem is, I don’t know much about golf. I have enough time trying to deal with the windmill at miniature golf, and have never even attempted the real sport.

Instead, I thought I’d tackle a much more unusual topic. It’s the fact that writer Truman Capote (Breakfast at Tiffany’s, In Cold Blood) ashes just sold at an auction for almost $44,000.

We’ve talked before about bizarre collectables -- people that want Nazi memorabilia or Hitler autographed documents. But the ashes just blow me away.

I remember reading in Keith Richard’s book, the weird story about him snorting the ashes of his late father (but really, what hasn’t Richard snorted?).

Another classic rock ‘n roll story, is about the legendary and influential Gram Parson’s (The Byrds, Flying Burrito Brothers). After he OD’d in the early ‘70s, his friend, producer, and tour manager stole the body and coffin from the airport. He took it to Joshua Tree National Monument, poured gasoline on it, and burned it. Apparently it was a pact he and Parson’s had. Since no laws were on the books about such a crime, he was merely fined $750 (Jackass star Johnny Knoxville eventually did a movie about this case, called Grand Theft Parsons).

As a huge fan of The Doors, I’m guessing if somebody stole the casket of Morrison, I’d consider buying it.

Anyway, the Capote ashes came in a carved Japanese wooden box, and Johnny Carson’s ex-wife (and good friend of Capote) Joanne Carson owned them. When she died last year, the ashes were apparently up for grabs. Julien’s Auctions president Darren Julien made a statement I believe: “With some celebrities this wouldn’t be tasteful, but I know 100% he would love it. He loved to create press opportunities and to read his name in the paper. I think he would love it that he’s still grabbing headlines today.”

I would’ve been much more interested in the items that sold for a lot less. Two prescription pill bottles that went for just over $9,000, and the clothes we was wearing at the time of his death ($6,400). I mean, seriously...would you rather have Keith Richards ashes...or a few of the needles and pill bottles found in his mansion? But I digress.

In much less well-know celebrity ashes circles, comes the story of Craig Smith. In the mid-60s, he was friends with Mike Love and Mike Nesmith. He had his songs recorded by Glen Campbell, The Monkees, and Andy Williams. He was a singer/songwriter that was on the verge of making it huge. Yet with copious amounts of drugs, and severe mental illness, he ended up living on the streets. He ended up not with a huge record deal, but got a black widow tattooed on his forehead. He was telling people he was a living deity named Maitreya Kali, and that he’d someday be the “king of the world.”

Copies of his bizarre 1971 album “Apache/Inca” sell for thousands of dollars, and many praise it.

Now, Mike Stax, publisher of the music magazine Ugly Things (and singer of the band Loons), has written a book about him. He also picked up his ashes, but a lot cheaper than the anonymous bidder of the Capote ones. He claimed them from the Los Angeles County Crematory after the family said they didn’t want them.

I remember writer Hunter S. Thompson had his ashes shot into the sky with fireworks (courtesy of good friend Johnny Depp). I wonder if any smart, entrepreneurial folks saved any of the ashes when they landed. Those would surely be worth a few bucks.