it’s bEEn A hEAvy wEEk.
At 8.02Am On fridAy mOrning i cOppEd thE nEws Of michAEl jAcksOn’s dEAth.
it sEEmEd kind Of EArly fOr A tExt mEssAgE - Michael Jackson! Can’t believe it! – fOllOwEd shOrtly thErEAftEr by AnOthEr – Michael Jackson is dead – And AnOthEr, And sO On.
As i scOUrEd thE intErnEt fOr cOnfirmAtiOn i cAmE AcrOss cOUntlEss tribUtEs And ExprEssiOns Of lOvE & grAtitUdE.
it wAs OvErwhElming.
sO mAny pEOplE fEEling sUch An AcUtE sEnsE Of lOss.
thE sAdnEss Of lOsing A lOvEd OnE - OrdinArily A vEry privAtE And pErsOnAl ExpEriEncE – On blAst. thE whOlE wOrld hEld its brEAth fOr A mOmEnt As thE mEdiA cOnfirmEd thAt michAEl hAd tAkEn his lAst. And thEn thE cOllEctivE rEspOnsE tO his UntimEly dEAth... wOw... nOthing shOrt Of ExtrAOrdinAry.
i wOn’t gEt intO All Of my pErsOnAl michAEl jAcksOn AnEcdOtEs bUt lEt’s jUst sAy thAt thrillEr wAs my first AlbUm EvEr And yEs i did rOck An MJ vinyl discO bAg in thE 80s. thE wOrld OvEr pEOplE hAvE stOriEs likE minE. yOU cOUld bE blAzing jUnglE trAils thrOUgh thE AmAzOn, didgEridOO jAmmin in thE AUstrAliAn OUtbAck Or sAving pOlAr bEArs in thE Arctic... whErEvEr yOU gO thE nAmE michAEl jAcksOn mEAns sOmEthing. it’s hArd gEtting my hEAd ArOUnd hOw OnE pErsOn cAn mAkE sUch A dEEp cUltUrAl impAct. sUch A rich mUsicAl lEgAcy... trUly phEnOmEnAl. trAcing thE timElinE Of michAEl’s lifE - frOm thE hUmblE bEginnings Of thE jAcksOn 5 tO his dynAmic risE tO stArdOm And thE mEdiA circUs thAt his lifE bEcAmE - lEAvEs mE fEEling inspirEd by his gEniUs bUt At thE sAmE timE dEspOndEnt On AccOUnt Of thE tOll thAt cElEbrity tOOk On him. in mAny wAys hE is A prOdUct Of OUr timEs – pOstEr bOy fOr thE mUlti-billiOn dOllAr ExcEssEs Of A mUsic indUstry All tOO rEAdy tO rEpAckAgE rAw tAlEnt intO whAtEvEr fOrmAt is mOst pAlAtAblE fOr mAss cOnsUmptiOn. if thE trUth bE knOwn, thEsE dAys rAw tAlEnt isn’t EvEn A nEcEssAry pOint Of dEpArtUrE. sOUl? nO... sOld.
nOw... my lAmEnt fOr thE king Of pOp brings mE tO thE crUx Of thE dilEmmA thAt’s bEEn bUgging mE lAtEly. At thE risk Of sOUnding A whOlE lOt mOrE prEhistOric thAn i Am... thEy jUst dOn’t mAkE Em likE thEy UsEd tO.
Or if i might rEvisE this AdAgE... thE prOblEm is in thE mAking. bAck in thE dAy EvErything wAs lEss mAnUfActUrEd And cOntrivEd. if sOmEOnE cOUld sing & dAncE, yOU wOUld stick thEm On A stAgE And wAtch thEm sing & dAncE. nOw it’s 2009 – thE AgE Of mAdE in chinA, drivE thrOUgh mEAls And digitAl sOlUtiOns. thE Air is tEEming with invisiblE infOrmAtiOn, nAtUrE stAvEd Off with bOtOx & silicOnE, pEOplE sOciAlisEd in cybEr spAcE And mOrAl cOdEs ArticUlAtEd in dOllAr vAlUEs. nOthing is As it wAs.
i cAmE AcrOss A cOUplE Of fAmily hEirlOOms rEcEntly. twO hAnd pAintEd plAqUEs thAt my grAndfAthEr hAd mAdE bAck in thE fiftiEs; hE mAdE his living As A sign writEr. i AlwAys thOUght his jOb sOUndEd likE sO mUch fUn. i nEvEr hAd A chAncE tO mEEt my mOthEr’s fAthEr. hE diEd frOm A hEArt AttAck whEn shE wAs qUitE yOUng. thE pAir Of plAqUEs wErE mAdE with A crAftsmAnship, A stEAdy hAnd And A pAtiEncE thAt in 2009 sEEms rEdUndAnt. sAd tO wAtch simplE plEAsUrEs mAkE wAy fOr prOfit-drivEn, high-tEch EfficiEncy. rEflEcting On thE AntiqUity, thE impErfEctiOn And thE chArm Of thEsE kEEpsAkEs lEAvEs mE wOndEring whAt cOmpArAblE trEAsUrEs my dEscEndAnts might hOpE tO stUmblE UpOn whEn i Am nO lOngEr Of this EArth. i hAvE tO sAy it’s nOt lOOking sO crAsh hOt right nOw. Of cOUrsE i’ll kEEp thAt thrillEr LP AsidE fOr thEm... And thErE is EvidEncE thAt i knOw my wAy ArOUnd A sEwing mAchinE... i dO in fAct hAvE A cAchE Of fAmily phOtOs (nOt jUst digitAl filEs... prints!) And my vintAgE Art cOllEctiOn will pUt A smilE On sOmEOnE’s fAcE fOr sUrE tOO. bUt rEAlly i gUEss thE mOrAl tO this stOry is thAt wE might dO OUrsElvEs A fAvOUr by slOwing things dOwn A littlE. bE sElf-mAdE with lOvE And EvEr wAry Of cOmprOmisEs pAssEd in thE nAmE Of prOgrEss.
At 8.02Am On fridAy mOrning i cOppEd thE nEws Of michAEl jAcksOn’s dEAth.
it sEEmEd kind Of EArly fOr A tExt mEssAgE - Michael Jackson! Can’t believe it! – fOllOwEd shOrtly thErEAftEr by AnOthEr – Michael Jackson is dead – And AnOthEr, And sO On.
As i scOUrEd thE intErnEt fOr cOnfirmAtiOn i cAmE AcrOss cOUntlEss tribUtEs And ExprEssiOns Of lOvE & grAtitUdE.
it wAs OvErwhElming.
sO mAny pEOplE fEEling sUch An AcUtE sEnsE Of lOss.
thE sAdnEss Of lOsing A lOvEd OnE - OrdinArily A vEry privAtE And pErsOnAl ExpEriEncE – On blAst. thE whOlE wOrld hEld its brEAth fOr A mOmEnt As thE mEdiA cOnfirmEd thAt michAEl hAd tAkEn his lAst. And thEn thE cOllEctivE rEspOnsE tO his UntimEly dEAth... wOw... nOthing shOrt Of ExtrAOrdinAry.
i wOn’t gEt intO All Of my pErsOnAl michAEl jAcksOn AnEcdOtEs bUt lEt’s jUst sAy thAt thrillEr wAs my first AlbUm EvEr And yEs i did rOck An MJ vinyl discO bAg in thE 80s. thE wOrld OvEr pEOplE hAvE stOriEs likE minE. yOU cOUld bE blAzing jUnglE trAils thrOUgh thE AmAzOn, didgEridOO jAmmin in thE AUstrAliAn OUtbAck Or sAving pOlAr bEArs in thE Arctic... whErEvEr yOU gO thE nAmE michAEl jAcksOn mEAns sOmEthing. it’s hArd gEtting my hEAd ArOUnd hOw OnE pErsOn cAn mAkE sUch A dEEp cUltUrAl impAct. sUch A rich mUsicAl lEgAcy... trUly phEnOmEnAl. trAcing thE timElinE Of michAEl’s lifE - frOm thE hUmblE bEginnings Of thE jAcksOn 5 tO his dynAmic risE tO stArdOm And thE mEdiA circUs thAt his lifE bEcAmE - lEAvEs mE fEEling inspirEd by his gEniUs bUt At thE sAmE timE dEspOndEnt On AccOUnt Of thE tOll thAt cElEbrity tOOk On him. in mAny wAys hE is A prOdUct Of OUr timEs – pOstEr bOy fOr thE mUlti-billiOn dOllAr ExcEssEs Of A mUsic indUstry All tOO rEAdy tO rEpAckAgE rAw tAlEnt intO whAtEvEr fOrmAt is mOst pAlAtAblE fOr mAss cOnsUmptiOn. if thE trUth bE knOwn, thEsE dAys rAw tAlEnt isn’t EvEn A nEcEssAry pOint Of dEpArtUrE. sOUl? nO... sOld.
nOw... my lAmEnt fOr thE king Of pOp brings mE tO thE crUx Of thE dilEmmA thAt’s bEEn bUgging mE lAtEly. At thE risk Of sOUnding A whOlE lOt mOrE prEhistOric thAn i Am... thEy jUst dOn’t mAkE Em likE thEy UsEd tO.
Or if i might rEvisE this AdAgE... thE prOblEm is in thE mAking. bAck in thE dAy EvErything wAs lEss mAnUfActUrEd And cOntrivEd. if sOmEOnE cOUld sing & dAncE, yOU wOUld stick thEm On A stAgE And wAtch thEm sing & dAncE. nOw it’s 2009 – thE AgE Of mAdE in chinA, drivE thrOUgh mEAls And digitAl sOlUtiOns. thE Air is tEEming with invisiblE infOrmAtiOn, nAtUrE stAvEd Off with bOtOx & silicOnE, pEOplE sOciAlisEd in cybEr spAcE And mOrAl cOdEs ArticUlAtEd in dOllAr vAlUEs. nOthing is As it wAs.
i cAmE AcrOss A cOUplE Of fAmily hEirlOOms rEcEntly. twO hAnd pAintEd plAqUEs thAt my grAndfAthEr hAd mAdE bAck in thE fiftiEs; hE mAdE his living As A sign writEr. i AlwAys thOUght his jOb sOUndEd likE sO mUch fUn. i nEvEr hAd A chAncE tO mEEt my mOthEr’s fAthEr. hE diEd frOm A hEArt AttAck whEn shE wAs qUitE yOUng. thE pAir Of plAqUEs wErE mAdE with A crAftsmAnship, A stEAdy hAnd And A pAtiEncE thAt in 2009 sEEms rEdUndAnt. sAd tO wAtch simplE plEAsUrEs mAkE wAy fOr prOfit-drivEn, high-tEch EfficiEncy. rEflEcting On thE AntiqUity, thE impErfEctiOn And thE chArm Of thEsE kEEpsAkEs lEAvEs mE wOndEring whAt cOmpArAblE trEAsUrEs my dEscEndAnts might hOpE tO stUmblE UpOn whEn i Am nO lOngEr Of this EArth. i hAvE tO sAy it’s nOt lOOking sO crAsh hOt right nOw. Of cOUrsE i’ll kEEp thAt thrillEr LP AsidE fOr thEm... And thErE is EvidEncE thAt i knOw my wAy ArOUnd A sEwing mAchinE... i dO in fAct hAvE A cAchE Of fAmily phOtOs (nOt jUst digitAl filEs... prints!) And my vintAgE Art cOllEctiOn will pUt A smilE On sOmEOnE’s fAcE fOr sUrE tOO. bUt rEAlly i gUEss thE mOrAl tO this stOry is thAt wE might dO OUrsElvEs A fAvOUr by slOwing things dOwn A littlE. bE sElf-mAdE with lOvE And EvEr wAry Of cOmprOmisEs pAssEd in thE nAmE Of prOgrEss.
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