It was interesting to observe how many Web sites struggled to keep up with the traffic (from news sites to YouTube, and not surprisingly Twitter couldn’t really keep up). For several hours, I couldn’t access this video, for example.
I had no idea my reactions would be as emotional as they have been.
I’m quite surprised how indifferent I am. For me he was a genius as a child, a major artist up to the age of 25, but everything in the last 25 years… meh. (My 9-year-old’s first reaction was “who’s Michael Jackson?”.) A sad end to a sad life, certainly.
David Byrne called the Jackson 5’s Let’s Get Together the best and most important pop album since Sgt. Pepper. It took me a while–and a lot of listening to 70s and 80s R&B and funk and soul and disco, folks like the Spinners and Stevie Wonder and the Commodores–to really appreciate his point, but once I grasped it, I was able to go back and listen to Off the Wall and Thriller and enjoy them as never before.
Like Phil, I have really no positive thoughts whatsoever about the Michael Jackson as he has existed over the past two decades. But before that point? A masterful performer, and a boy and man with charisma to burn. R.I.P.
{ 12 comments }
blah 06.26.09 at 6:06 am
Eszter 06.26.09 at 6:17 am
It was interesting to observe how many Web sites struggled to keep up with the traffic (from news sites to YouTube, and not surprisingly Twitter couldn’t really keep up). For several hours, I couldn’t access this video, for example.
I had no idea my reactions would be as emotional as they have been.
Phil 06.26.09 at 7:00 am
I’m quite surprised how indifferent I am. For me he was a genius as a child, a major artist up to the age of 25, but everything in the last 25 years… meh. (My 9-year-old’s first reaction was “who’s Michael Jackson?”.) A sad end to a sad life, certainly.
A Very Public Sociologist 06.26.09 at 8:56 am
Had a stab at analysing Michael Jackson’s celebrity here.
Justin 06.26.09 at 2:52 pm
Is it obvious to anyone else that he’s lip synching?
chris y 06.26.09 at 3:19 pm
Will Jarvis Cocker drop his pants at the funeral?
bigcity 06.26.09 at 3:31 pm
He’s lip synching. There’s also horns playing that do not seem to be anywhere on stage.
This owuld be some kind of 70s variety show. They were all like that.
Phil 06.26.09 at 4:37 pm
And a piano. But the singing is still genius, even if he’s not producing it on the spot.
Russell Arben Fox 06.26.09 at 4:52 pm
David Byrne called the Jackson 5’s Let’s Get Together the best and most important pop album since Sgt. Pepper. It took me a while–and a lot of listening to 70s and 80s R&B and funk and soul and disco, folks like the Spinners and Stevie Wonder and the Commodores–to really appreciate his point, but once I grasped it, I was able to go back and listen to Off the Wall and Thriller and enjoy them as never before.
Like Phil, I have really no positive thoughts whatsoever about the Michael Jackson as he has existed over the past two decades. But before that point? A masterful performer, and a boy and man with charisma to burn. R.I.P.
stostosto 06.26.09 at 8:54 pm
I totally blame it on the boogie.
bigcitylib 06.26.09 at 11:08 pm
His singing voice as a kid is quite wonderful. I find his singing voice in his solo years a bit thinner, a bit squeaky.
Bill Jones 06.27.09 at 12:39 am
The main contribution that Jackson made to my life was keeping Farrah Fawcett SP? of the screen in the past couple of days.
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