I couldn't believe it when I heard this morning that Michael Jackson had died. I'm currently working from 'my' coffee shop where his Music is playing and much of the conversation is about his life and music. I feel a greater sadness than I would have expected, something that seems to be echoed in overheard snippets around me.
His music was rarely far away from the charts in my teenage years, while his dancing was what I secretly aspired (utterly unrealistically) to.
Michael Jackson it seemed spent his life searching for the childhood he never had and longing to be accepted, leading to the very public mess of the last few years. His death though will draw a media line over this aspect of his life I hope, and he will be remembered as an extraordinarily talented entertainer who not only sold sixty five million copies of one album, but still had sufficient clout to sell a fifty night residency in the hope of seeing what he did best, great, great, feel-good high-energy pop music!
" ....... Gotta Hide Your Inhibitions
Gotta Let That Fool Loose Deep Inside Your Soul
Want To See An Exhibition
Better Do It Now Before You Get To Old
'Cause We're The Party People Night And Day
Livin' Crazy That's The Only Way
So Tonight Gotta Leave That Nine To Five
Upon The Shelf And Just
Enjoy Ourselves/Yourself C'mon And Groove (Yeah)
Let The Madness In The Music Get To You
Life Ain't So Bad At All
If You Live It Off The Wall Life
Ain't So Bad At All (Live Life Off The Wall)
Live Your Life Off The Wall (Live It Off The Wall) ....."
cheers ian, sent you a copy of what i sent to my network.
Dean, I thought what you wrote was great and for anyone following the comments thread on this I am quoting one of your paragraphs below:
"This guy certainly affected youth culture and the MTV generation. Whether you loved him or were indifferent to him, there is no doubt that youth culture was shaped by this person. Michael Jackson also did the significant thing of being a musician who bridged cultures and ethnicities and this is no mean feat. The talent spoke loudly"