[Comment on the HEAT DRAFT in the blogpost immediately below this one, and click on Twitter.com.gregcote to join the following].
Like many of you I am stunned by the news that, yesterday afternoon, singer Michael Jackson died of cardiac arrest at age 50. I believe we have lost a titan, an American treasure (warts and all). I believe we have lost a giant of pop culture and one of the most talented, charismatic and influential performers in the history of entertainment. For me, in my lifetime, his loss ranks with those of Elvis Presley and John Lennon in terms of music deaths that have touched me.
Michael's music was important to me, integral with my life's soundtrack from his early days leading The Jackson 5 through his peak, "Thriller" years and beyond. The memory of him doing the Moonwalk on TV is seared in my mind.
His later life, beyond the commercial success, was in many ways an American tragedy. There was the freakish obesssion with facial surgery and pigment. There were the more uncomfortable, darker elements involving an obsession with children. These things are an undeniable part of the whole picture. These things are why a friend of mine's reaction Thursday was, "Michael Jackson died years ago." That's harsh, but surely resonates with many.
For me, though. stepping back to see the whole picture, the entire life, Michael Jackson is the talent, the music, to a degree overwhelming the weirdness and bizarre afterlife that followed.
Your thoughts on Jackson's legacy and what he meant to you are invited here.
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Favorite songs: Also wondering your one favorite Jackson song or the one you most associate with him. For me the early-era song would be "I'll Be There," and the peak-years song would be "Billie Jean." Click on Ten Gems to see the videos for A-B-C, Beat It, Billie Jean, Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough, I Want You Back, Man In The Mirror, Rock With You, The Way You Make Me Feel, Thriller, and Wanna Be Starting Something.
Click on Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough to listen.
Download your 'Fins iPhone application
One thing these types of realities always manage to impress:
Make use of your time. Live each day (if possible) to the fullest, cause, you never know when your time is up.
Posted by: OC Dolphin | June 25, 2009 at 07:54 PM
Yes, we all agree the man turned into a weirdo but nobody can deny there was no other more talented the last 30 years. Michael Jackson's music is one of the few from musicians/bands where I can just feel it and it doesn't get old. I only wish I could have been able to see him live.
Posted by: russell | June 25, 2009 at 08:43 PM
I am in morning, tomorrow when I cavity search inmates I will use only one latex glove.
Posted by: Jimbo | June 25, 2009 at 09:03 PM
lol.. too late russel. he did have a nice run but honestly, the guy didn't have the stamina to last. Dude didn't do much with the last 10 yrs.
Posted by: Jimbo | June 25, 2009 at 09:05 PM
I really would love to hear Dave In Va's opinion on this matter..........
Posted by: Jimbo | June 25, 2009 at 09:08 PM
I would love to hear Liberache's opinion on this matter.... LOL!
I would love to hear from someone from West Virginia on this matter...LOL!
I would love to hear from Tito on this matter...LOL!
I would love tohear from Flipper '72 on this matter....LOL!
I would love to hear from the mothers and fathers of the kids who were molested on this matter... what a shame,:(
Posted by: Kurt | June 25, 2009 at 09:22 PM
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Posted by: enchanted | June 25, 2009 at 09:27 PM
Kurtis-Jean ain't my lover
He's just a guy who loves to take it in his crack
And he's never gonna give it back EEWW AAHH! OINK OINK!!!!!
Kurtis-Jean ain't my lover
He refuses to wear a rubber
So Syph is eating his brain and he can't explain anythang, not anymore
What a whore, enjoy your bedsores OOOOHHHH YEAH!!!!
Kurtis-Jean gets real mean
Now that his cortex is blown
And he's going to a nursing home
No longer able to roam, at least not very far
EEEWWW AHHH, OOOHHH YEAH, HHHAAA!!!HHHAAA!!!!
OINK OINK!!!!!
Posted by: Action Jackson | June 26, 2009 at 12:18 AM
You're welcome Cote. Buy me a Cuban and an espresso and well call it even.
Posted by: r. duke | June 26, 2009 at 03:31 AM
My f***ing keypad has a mind of it's own unlike Kurtis-Jean. I meant "we'll" not well.
Posted by: r. duke | June 26, 2009 at 03:32 AM
One less child molester in the world,OH WELL!
Personally I mourn the loss of Farah much more.
Posted by: Shark74 | June 26, 2009 at 05:55 AM
Gents, its never good when someone dies young, shame, the guy had a lot of talent...he just became a Wacko as the years went by...
Five weeks to the start of mini-camp !!!
Posted by: FZB | June 26, 2009 at 10:30 AM
Very talented. Extraordinary performer. Never been my type of music /melody though. When it comes to Motown, Smokey Robinson, Marvin Gaye, many others whose music I liked better.
Newspapers were probably almost done preparing their front page for Farrah; only to change to MJ in the last minute.
MJ did become one very strange character. Between him and Tom Cruise. MJ's demise was probably shaped by his lack of childhood and his ultra fame. His friends have come out and said that he had few adult friends; couldn't make conversation. He was still like a young boy.
Ever see Farrah's brief clip on the Patridge family before she became famous? It's pretty funny. Easily found on youtube.
Posted by: mike1 | June 26, 2009 at 11:34 AM
Hey Kurt what was your favorite Micheal Jackson song or were you more of a Hanson band kinda guy?
Posted by: r. duke | June 26, 2009 at 12:09 PM
mike1 how do you account for Tom Cruise's demise? Middle age? Malginant Narcissism? Refusing to acknowledge mental illness exists therefore refusing to seek treatment?
Posted by: r. duke | June 26, 2009 at 12:15 PM
Alright if you want to get technical about it. I don't care about any of these MF's. Elvis I didn't care he died. Never thought much of Mr. Heartbreak Hotel. Farrah only because she and Eli May Clampet introduced me to my own DNA. Lennon different story. He was a Beatle though I liked Harrison more. Still Lennon to me was like Jackson to alot of people. I was just trying to do the right thing show some semblance of humanity until I realized I'm actually amoral not to be confused with asexual like you Kurt...
Posted by: r. duke | June 26, 2009 at 12:23 PM
If only Marvin Gaye woulda been quicker on the draw.
Posted by: r. duke | June 26, 2009 at 12:28 PM
The one thing very few of us know is what it's like to live in a "fish bowl" for 42 years like Michael did. I'm sure it hammered him mentally, emotionally, and physically.
Anyway, he was a great musical artist!
Posted by: Winomite | June 26, 2009 at 01:00 PM
My motto has always been," Never take life seriously, nobody gets out alive anyway". Tough to die so young.
Posted by: naplesjackpatsfan | June 26, 2009 at 02:05 PM
AND THEN THE FIGHT STARTED
My wife and I's anniversary was coming up and I asked her what she wanted. She replied, something that could go from 0-150 in three seconds. Yesterday I gave her a new bathroom scale.
AND THEN THE FIGHT STARTED.
Posted by: Shark74 | June 26, 2009 at 02:23 PM
lol. Cheaper than a modified Porsche.
Posted by: r. duke | June 26, 2009 at 02:44 PM
Nice one, Shark.
Posted by: OC Dolphin | June 26, 2009 at 02:46 PM
Greg,
In answer to your question about which Jackson songs scored high enough to be favorites. I'd say most of the 64 songs on this list:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Michael_Jackson_songs
I do however, get a kick when other artists take his songs and make very good versions, themselves.
Both Chris Cornell and David Cook's version of Billie Jean and Alien Ant Farm's version below of Smooth Criminal come to mind.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OB_yIGt7_Dg&feature=PlayList&p=FBC35FA95A8373AB&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=6
Posted by: OC Dolphin | June 26, 2009 at 02:58 PM
Here's David Cook's version of Billie Jean.
Damn good!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUfbLtZHrog
Posted by: OC Dolphin | June 26, 2009 at 03:31 PM
I'll end this small tribute with a bit of nostalgia.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1m4ddUY4pc
Posted by: OC Dolphin | June 26, 2009 at 03:54 PM
shark, heard that one before but it still is good.
Raoul, Marvin Gaye and John Lennon deaths were trageties.
Action Jackson... those lyrics were hilarious!
Posted by: Jimbo | June 26, 2009 at 06:20 PM
The crap about Jackson sleep with kids is most disturbing. Utter freak too.
His music was popular, although not my taste but give his due, he was huge. I doubt that guy ever had sex with a physically mature woman in his life.
How do you manage to be $400 million in debt and still live like a king?
I know people who are $40k in debt and are losing their homes.
Posted by: Jimbo | June 26, 2009 at 06:30 PM
Michael Jackson, dead at 50. I would be more upset if Pee Wee Herman shit the bed. Who gives a rat's ass? This guy mirrors only OJ Simpson in proving money makes the system work.
And his music? Never touched me in any way. Dancing? I don't dance.
Posted by: Dave in VA | June 26, 2009 at 07:03 PM
Dave
Didn't think you gave a rats ass bout Jackson.
Posted by: Jimbo | June 26, 2009 at 10:59 PM
I hate when the media creates this type of sensationalism and overkill when it comes to praising people that don't deserve it...!!!
The man was a child molester....that is a fact that cannot be denied. Paying off their parents to have the right to molest their kids is just plain wrong..!! Now they want to make an "ICON" a "HERO" out of this very disturbed individual? C'mon man- please..!!
This guy does not come close to Elvis or John Lennon but the media is going to go on a massive onslaught of media overkill for the next couple of weeks. He did not play any instrument and he wrote some of his songs but like most Pop Artists, he had other people write and arrange for him. That means that he isn't a real musician. A real musician writes all of his songs- lyrics and music. Michael Jackson did not do this..!!
He was an entertainer/dancer who did not really have a good vocal range to be considered a great singer. All of his arrangements were done by slick producers in the studio. He could never capture the magic that he portrayed in his videos in his live shows.
The live shows were about choreography, dancing and stage gimmicks like lasers and pyrotechnics. His vocal ability sucked in these live shows. The "Thriller" album was all slick production. Yes, it worked and yes it made millions. If you just look at it from a production stand point, it was well thought out and the ideas were not bad but I could never get into stuff like that. I personally despise Top-40 Pop Crap and to me, that is what MJ was- a Pop Star.
I am a Hard Rock musician that appreciates stuff like Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Buddy Holly, the Beach Boys, The Stones, Elvis, The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Alice Cooper, Elton John, KISS, Journey, Judas Priest, The Scorpions, Van Halen, Iron Maiden, Jimi Hendrix, The Doors, Janis Joplin, David Bowie,
Foreigner, Guns & Roses, Queen, Hurricane, etc.
He did a lot of shady stuff like when he got married to Lisa Marie Presley to try and get the publishing rights to her father's musical catalog. What a loser..!!
He did manage to get the publishing rights to most of the Beatles catalog when he found out about a little clause that enabled him to. When Paul McCartney found out about it and offered to but it back, Jackson refused to sell it to him. He later sold some of the Beatles publishing rights to Sonny Music.
However, he still owns a good portion of the Beatles publishing and was making good money off of it until his untimely death.
I wonder if McCartney will try to buy it back from Sonny and Jackson's estate??
He then gets married to some braud and has her artifically inseminated to have his kids and try to convince the world that he likes women- when everyone in their right mind knows that he is a pedophile. It is amazing that they are trying to make this dude an ICON.
Posted by: Flipper72 | June 27, 2009 at 01:17 AM
The only thing that I liked about Michael Jackson that I thought was cool was when he forked out big bucks to get Eddie Van Halen to play the guitar riff and solo on "Beat It".
That song would totally suck if it wasn't for Edward. The video was completely three dollar bill GAY...!!! LMAO!!
He then recruited Julliard Grad and Billy Idol guitarist Steve Stevens to play guitar on "Dirty Diana".
Female guitarist Jennifer Batten then got recruited and played a couple of tunes with Mr. Whacko-Jacko...!!!
Other than that, I am not a Big Fan...!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uqxo1SKB0z8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Hg-IRZk4D0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQO2fi-UJxo
Posted by: Flipper72 | June 27, 2009 at 01:50 AM
Q: What did Michael Jackson and an X box have in common? A: They were both made out of plastic and got turned on by little boys.
Posted by: Noel | June 27, 2009 at 01:56 AM
Here you go Flipper,
Not the usual stuff that gets most of the references - i.e., led, pink, jimi, etc.
These are out of my ipod collection (a most cross-generational collection if ever there was one):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cYGp5shqLZg&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8MYsii4DZY
This next song can never be played !!!LOUD ENOUGH!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qei8FeFcjMk
Posted by: OC Dolphin | June 27, 2009 at 04:27 AM
This is what I mean about varied:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1aMTWdQnzo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q1DDgNCLD84
(used in the movie Rocky, and another to enjoy as loud as possible)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kfxaNR71tYM
Posted by: OC Dolphin | June 27, 2009 at 04:48 AM
Flipper I'm pretty sure "The King" didn't write his own songs either but he did write his own prescriptions... Chuck Berry was much cooler than Elvis imo.
Posted by: r. duke | June 27, 2009 at 05:31 AM
Hey Raul Duke: Read your last few posts and all I can say is you sound a tad angry, there, you pervert!
Posted by: Kurt | June 27, 2009 at 06:10 AM
Hey Kurtis isn't it about time for your Tetracycline and Aricept? Angry. Yeah I would say I'm angry much of the time. I'm from New York. Alot of New Yorkers are pissed off but they have wonderful don't give a flying f*** sense of humor regarding some of the difficult realities thrown their way. It can be invigorating and cathartic. For instance telling you where to go just about made me laugh until I stroked out. Good thing I always have lopressor and Bayer aspirin on hand Shemp.
Posted by: r. duke | June 27, 2009 at 06:32 AM
I like crack
Posted by: Willie | June 27, 2009 at 07:18 AM
Well a man should have a hobbie is what I always say.
Posted by: r. duke | June 27, 2009 at 07:28 AM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50C-cAeD28 Is it too loud out there? Is it too loud?
Posted by: testing testing 1..2..3.. | June 27, 2009 at 08:05 AM
Hmmm....Angry, perverted, freakish, and no life...
Sure YOU're not the "Gloved Ones" twin brother?
Posted by: Kurt | June 27, 2009 at 09:00 AM
Kurt really how old are you 12? You seem so fascinated by me but I never wanted children so you'll have to see if one of the other regulars will take you under their wing. Perhaps ginrai as anti christ suggested or better yet bostonian. He seemed reasonably educated and had a temper at least equal to my own. Anyway I must get back to work and I have no time for latchkey kids. I'm afraid you'd just wind up like Tyler Haines Weinman and it would be my duty to... well nevermind.
Posted by: r. duke | June 27, 2009 at 10:13 AM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y2V10oyJyoE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rwQiYFo8
Elvis Presley who? Micheal Jackson ha ha who? Stevie Ray Vaughn who? Randi Rhoads who? Johnny Winter who? Micheal Bloomfield who? Pete Townsend who? Eddie Van Rotten Teeth who? Frank Crappa who? IMO...
Posted by: Godhead | June 27, 2009 at 10:32 AM
Forget address #2 above. But this may work. Bear in mind though not even mistakes exist outside of THE BIG I SEE.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjOQ9r35uiU
Posted by: Godhead | June 27, 2009 at 10:47 AM
One more for the road with no top hat, purple jumpsuit or moonwalk.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9MfuzuBL-s
Posted by: Robert Johnson | June 27, 2009 at 11:37 AM
Hey Raul Duke, keep giving me ammunition against yourself. Since you never had children, maybe that is why you can't see that your buddy MJ was a child molester, and you are not sensitive to that. Also, since you are such a pervert and sexual deviant, the fact you have no children also explains alot. If you had a son or daughter, you would not be so sexually perverted, perhaps. Your comments about females here are mostly taseless and childish.
Couple all those facts with the inordinat amount of time you WASTE here on this putrid blog, and it adds up. You have NO LIFE!
hee...hee..hee..hee
Posted by: Kurt | June 27, 2009 at 11:47 AM
Kurt please don't tell me you have children. My God man why would you want to perpetuate your double helix. There's already too many frustrated semi-moronics in the world. Nice to see you're such a feminist though. They're not generally found in these neck of the woods. Kurt I clearly enjoy this blog and its regulars which ironically you appear to be transforming into lately much to my amusement.
Posted by: Howlin Wolf | June 27, 2009 at 12:06 PM
Kurt I imagine your life consists of an inverted clear plastic funnel on your head surrounded by monster cocks conditioning your hair and face. Am I close on this one?
Posted by: Orgasmo | June 27, 2009 at 12:11 PM
Well I really have to get back to the void Floyd. Maybe we can continue to insult each other more later.
Posted by: L. Ron Mother Hubbard | June 27, 2009 at 12:18 PM
I heard on the radio that Michael Jackson's body will not be buried or cremated.
Instead he will be recycled into shopping bags where he can remain white, plastic, and dangerous to children.
Posted by: Kurts Dark Side | June 27, 2009 at 01:09 PM