Rest In Peace Michael

[Carthage]

Hi,

      I just wanted to remember Michael here.  He gave us a lot and he'll be missed.

Don

[Tomm]

My family and I have lived in or around Gary Indiana, where Michael Jackson was born and spent his childhood, all of our lives.  Friday night (6-26-09) my son Jason, AKA "Beatpsychic" here on D.S.A., was playing in a high end restaurant in the East side (Miller) area with a jazz group from Chicago he had never even worked with before...it amazes me how most jazz musicians can work like this without rehearsal...  most of the patrons in the dining/band stage area knew the drummer was my son and while the band was in the middle of a set I was confronted by a particular dignitary of the city, I don't like to name drop so she will remain anonymous for now (but...a friend non-the-less) and was asked if the band was going to do anything by Michael Jackson (as a tribute, of course) and I told her I would speak with the band about that.  The lead and bass guitar player spoke for about ten seconds...then nodded to Jason.  The lead player started a funk based riff, the bass and drums picked up on the tune within the first two bars and the group commenced to perform the tune "Billie Jean" in a way that put smiles to everyone in the restaurant and tears to more than a few.  It was a moment I will never forget.

[DoZa]

If MJ would only know how popular and widely accepted he will become again after his death, I am sure he would get overstuffed with whatever he was on much sooner.

[Johnathan]

True and he inspired a great deal of today's top perfromers.  I think got a bad rap on some things of which cut him down...  All and all RIP.

[KenSanders]

I believe Michael Jackson is a good example of an artist who had very wide acclaim for his music-related endeavors, and yet so much controversy about his private life.  Why the controversy?  In my opinion it was the result of very deliberate publicity stories and the astounding rumors that took on a life of their own.

The private lives of celebrity-status people are, of course, the fodder of tabloids and other gossip-type media.   Even more so, if there is something really juicy to exploit.  Face it, we rarely hear about a celebrity with a solid family life, a long-standing strong marriage; one involved in grass-roots community activities and with no outrageous scandals surrounding them. 

Show business publicity agents constantly invent stories to yeild their clients media attention....to keep them in the public eye....and thus promote interst in their recordings, movies, books, etc.  It hard to seperate the truth from fiction, but the dollars spent are real.


A great many of us can appreciate the impact Michael Jackson had on the music world and agree that he was a major influence on the direction that many subsequent artists went.  We can also ponder questions about his private life, but we must admit we have mainly what the various media sources have told us to base our opinions on.  We have also seen some scripted movies about the Jackson family, and perhaps read the numerous books that share the memories and/or points of view of the writers.

My point is that you can listen you can listen to the music of Michael Jackson and form your own unbiased opinion about it.  Forming your opinion regarding the private life of Michael Jackson is quite a different matter.

The bottom line is that he was a man who lived, became famous for his musical performances and eccentric lifestyle, and then died.  Let’s appreciate his music and not let the purveyors of celebrity gossip profit from his death.

[Johnathan]

Well said indeed.