In a nutshell, you have it right here: "It’s the music and incredible talent of Michael Jackson, not that bizarre person he became, that people are mourning today."
I remember the living room of the house where I grew up, with giant headphones on, the Thriller RECORD on the turntable, just dancing and singing while my parents tried to watch TV around me. My poor parents... heh
Shannon McRae
· 6 months ago
Following coverage last night, I wondered several times, Why do I care about this so much??
And you're so right. "I think we all get crazy in our obsession with the deaths of someone like Michael Jackson because he was there, singing in the background, when we experienced so many things we hold dear."
His music was some of the first that I chose to like myself, rather than whatever my parents were listening to in their cars.
Michael Turro
· 6 months ago
"But if Michael Jackson can die, does that mean a part of us dies with him?"
Yes. When someone is that omnipresent in the culture across so many years, whether good, bad or bizarre, they are a part of what Douglas Hofstadter might call or (has called) our soul pattern. They are indeed a part of us. When our experience of that person - of their "soul shards" - is reinforced by something as primal as music it becomes even more deeply entrenched, more a part of, our own specific pattern. Any loss we may feel is real and it is another, high contrast, inevitable step toward our own mortal experience.
Have a nice day! :)
Tabitha
· 6 months ago
I think everyone (regardless of how much we all recall his recent years as being bizarre) remembers Michael Jackson in some positive light. Almost everyone plays Jackson 5 tracks at their weddings if dancing is part of the celebration. Children know who he is, people in practically every country knows/knew him - he was more of an international phenom than any other artist/performer out there.
Sometimes I wonder if we in America might be the only ones so fixated on watching celebrities fail and fall.
Bob
· 6 months ago
Michael Jackson was killed by Iranian agents at the behest of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in order to divert attention from his oppression of the Iranian people. It worked. There is not a major news network in the country that is talking about Iran, they are spending their time on Farrah Fawcett, Michael Jackson, and comparisons to Elvis. Meanwhile Iranians die, and they get no TV specials.
Hudge
· 5 months ago
Bob, with all due respect, you're not quite on the mark. Mark Sanford ordered the hit, which was carried out by Peronista ninjas. Sanford in turn was seduced by an agent working for the Chavez-Ahmadinejad axis, which then, as you note, caused the desired diversion of attention. I'm sure Nancy Pelosi and cap-and-trade are mixed up in this, too.
Hudge
· 5 months ago
The Jacksons and MJ were too late for me to get into, so I've never understood his popularity. I once won a Jackson 5 album (that dates me!) from a Knoxville radio station call-in contest. I don't recall the station identifying what the giveaway was, and since I didn't like the music, I probably wouldn't have called in had I known. Anyway, my fiancee glommed it and thought I was nuts for not wanting it. To me, the Jackson 5 music fell into what was termed "bubble gum" rock, and MJ's later music was too "poppy," with the exception of "Thriller" (mainly because of Vincent Price) for my taste. I saw where he once said something about ending up like Elvis, and it's beginning to appear that will be the case, including financial redemption after his death.
Chuck
· 5 months ago
I was also very conflicted on Learning of MJ's death. Being old enough to have experienced his music from the beginning, I knew his talent long before I knew his flaws. I think back to not only other entertainers, but also friends and family, whose passing forced me to remember their finer qualities even while acknowledging their shortcomings.
All Comments
I remember the living room of the house where I grew up, with giant headphones on, the Thriller RECORD on the turntable, just dancing and singing while my parents tried to watch TV around me. My poor parents... heh
And you're so right. "I think we all get crazy in our obsession with the deaths of someone like Michael Jackson because he was there, singing in the background, when we experienced so many things we hold dear."
His music was some of the first that I chose to like myself, rather than whatever my parents were listening to in their cars.
Yes. When someone is that omnipresent in the culture across so many years, whether good, bad or bizarre, they are a part of what Douglas Hofstadter might call or (has called) our soul pattern. They are indeed a part of us. When our experience of that person - of their "soul shards" - is reinforced by something as primal as music it becomes even more deeply entrenched, more a part of, our own specific pattern. Any loss we may feel is real and it is another, high contrast, inevitable step toward our own mortal experience.
Have a nice day! :)
Sometimes I wonder if we in America might be the only ones so fixated on watching celebrities fail and fall.