Michael Jackson sinks 135 KM SE of PR

[Low Light Mike]

Not a sinking, but a reported death of Michael Jackson.

Same day as Farrah.

I'm shattered.

Actually the death of Mr. Jackson is an interesting contrast between sadness of someone's passing and 2 kids' loss of a parent, relief at the end of a decades-long media circus, bewilderment at the bizarreness of that crazy life, pondering about whether MJ was a creation of our strange society (ie. was he strange because society is strange, or is it the other way around?).


As for Farrah, that was a sad story. Amazing that she only spent 1 full season on Charlie's Angels, plus some later cameos. That Angels-era photo of her wavy hair is so iconic. And she was also married to Steve Austin (astronaut, a man barely alive....) for a short time.

An interesting day for pop culture newsies. Hey, isn't there a news story about Iran?

[Mill Bay]

Jun 25, 2009 14:21:51 GMT -8 Low Light Mike said:

Not a sinking, but a reported death of Michael Jackson.

Same day as Farrah.

I'm shattered.

Actually the death of Mr. Jackson is an interesting contrast between sadness of someone's passing and 2 kids' loss of a parent, relief at the end of a decades-long media circus, bewilderment at the bizarreness of that crazy life, pondering about whether MJ was a creation of our strange society (ie. was he strange because society is strange, or is it the other way around?).

I suspect foul play! More than that, I anticipate a very long and drawn out inquiry that will provide no consolation to family members or society. Maybe it is all a hoax to just get more media attention... stranger things have happened in LA. In any case, I hope that he is able to find more peace and contentment in the afterlife than he seems to have had in this life.

[Neil]

Michael Jackson was one of those rare famous people who actually deserved the fame that he had. He was sublimely talented; an unreal singer and an incredible, innovative dancer and showman. Tonight I saw him singing an r&b tune from when he was about eight. Amazing. Talent like that is extremely uncommon.

He was an abused child, and he had his childhood stolen from him. Some people can survive that, but many can't, and I think an awful lot of what people see as his wierdness was rooted in the loss of something that most of us take for granted.

[Balfour]

I remember Michael Jackson's music being featured in the first "Free Willy" movie. I remember thinking "that guy sounds like lady." However he still had an amazing voice.

Now with all her health issues, there is gonna be one hell of an autopsy...

[Low Light Mike]

My favourite song of the Jackson-5 is "I want you back", from their performance on the Ed Sullivan show. Awesome rhythmic introduction, great dancing, and great enthusiasm from Michael singing the lead.



Of his adulthood songs, I like "Man in the Mirror" best. Good message and lack of distracting quirks.



And another great song, by the Jacksons in the early 1980's. This is almost 30 years old. Pretty innovative with the intro. Great song.

[Low Light Mike]

Here's a blog-posting that I found posted on another internet site. Good think for those who are interested in this story.

andrewsullivan.theatlantic.co

There are two things to say about him. He was a musical genius; and he was an abused child. By abuse, I do not mean sexual abuse; I mean he was used brutally and callously for money, and clearly imprisoned by a tyrannical father. He had no real childhood and spent much of his later life struggling to get one. He was spiritually and psychologically raped at a very early age - and never recovered. Watching him change his race, his age, and almost his gender, you saw a tortured soul seeking what the rest of us take for granted: a normal life.

But he had no compass to find one; no real friends to support and advise him; and money and fame imprisoned him in the delusions of narcissism and self-indulgence. Of course, he bears responsibility for his bizarre life. But the damage done to him by his own family and then by all those motivated more by money and power than by faith and love was irreparable in the end. He died a while ago. He remained for so long a walking human shell.

I loved his music. His young voice was almost a miracle, his poise in retrospect eery, his joy, tempered by pain, often unbearably uplifting. He made the greatest music video of all time; and he made some of the greatest records of all time. He was everything our culture worships; and yet he was obviously desperately unhappy, tortured, afraid and alone.

I grieve for him; but I also grieve for the culture that created and destroyed him. That culture is ours' and it is a lethal and brutal one: with fame and celebrity as its core values, with money as its sole motive, it chewed this child up and spat him out.

I hope he has the peace now he never had in his life. And I pray that such genius will not be so abused again.

[Mill Bay]

Jun 25, 2009 21:40:15 GMT -8 @4roads said:

Here's something.

Flugel Horn moonwalking the sun deck while goin' "Oooo oooo ooo" emulating one of the Thriller songs..

Perhaps we don't need to act this one out... we've already gotten enough of an idea of how irreverent an fanciful version of heaven might be for Micheal Jackson: Don't speak ill of the dead and don't defame the living.

[hwy19man]

I've been checking the youtube videos and music of Weird Al Yankovic. Fat and Eat it.

[Neil]

Jun 25, 2009 21:49:07 GMT -8 Mill Bay said:

: Don't speak ill of the dead and don't defame the living.

"Don't speak ill of the dead". How quaint. These days we speak ill of them, no matter how much they accomplished, and no matter that they're not even cold in their graves yet. All aided by the fact that the internet age has gotten people so much into the mindset of instant reaction, without reflection.