[Yikes, two obituaries in a row -- but you can't put this sort of thing off.]
Michael Jackson meant many things to many people: god, criminal, joke. A person who is that ubiquitous has a way of affecting your life whether you invite it or not.
My Michael moment came the day I realized that for all his (possibly extremely serious) faults, Michael Jackson was just a severely wounded man who, in all likelihood, had never had a true friend in his life.
Long before any abuse allegations, he was treated as the country’s punching bag for not fitting in. Everybody gets to be one of the “cool kids” when the victim is that different and you don’t have to look him in the eye. I know I took part.
Even so, for all the allegations and obsessions of a tabloid culture, when people who love music and dancing hear Michael, all the extraneous crap falls away and we’re left with singular talent, personality, and soul.
Michael Jackson – Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’ from Thriller (written by Michael Jackson)
If anybody deserves a double-shot it’s a man who lived multiple lives. Here’s my favorite Little Michael song. Sure, it’s a Christmas song and it’s June, but I’m a freak, too.
Michael Jackson – Little Christmas Tree from A Motown Christmas
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
well said mr.vegetables. amen.
So sad about Michael! Did you see this yet?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMnk7lh9M3o
Those prisoners are one of my major inspirations. However, I didn’t know how they danced to so many other songs — including my new favorite song “Jumbo Hotdog” – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxrPxudZjj8
Great, insightful post and a proper tribute to a brilliant, tragic artist. Mr. Vegetables, is there some cosmic connection with these telling lyrics from Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’…
You’re a vegetable, you’re a vegetable
Still they hate you, you’re a vegetable
You’re just a buffet, you’re a vegetable
They eat off of you, you’re a vegetable…