Unless you live underground, you undoubtedly know that on Thursday June 25th, the King of Pop, Michael Jackson died. I think a lot of people were surprised and saddened by his death not so much because of his fame, talent, marred reputation, or relatively young age.... it was a combination of these things that's brought this reaction out of people.
Think about it. This is a man that's been famous since the late 1960s... since he was a small boy. He was one of the artists I grew up listening to, and I grew up in the 90s during a time when he was pretty darn famous. At that time, Thriller and Bad were behind him, but he was still a huge star that made waves wherever he went. Yes, I grew up in the days when MJ's skin was still lightening... he wasn't black anymore, but he wasn't the ghostly color we observed in his last years. His hair at this time was curly, and he was still known by the "gloved one" moniker. And if you want to know the truth, he was one of my favorites as a kid. I remember one time, my cousin and I had an argument over who was a bigger MJ fan. And in maybe '93 or '94, when I was 5 or 6, he had this HUGE pay-per-view concert come on TV and my mom let me watch it. That was the concert that they often show clips of... the one where a fan got so excited she passed out.
He may not have still been one of my favorites, but I was and am still a pretty big fan. Some of his songs are very high on my unwritten list of amazingly good songs. And I would say listening to his album Thriller is just as spiritual an experience as listening to The Beatles' Rubber Soul, The Beach Boys' Pet Sounds, The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan, Billy Joel's The Stranger, or any of Elvis' early genre classification defying records.
There are a lot of people right now making this man out to be a saint. There are a lot of people that refuse to let the accusations against him (that I won't mention now - because I know you all know) die. Are either of these reactions appropriate? Hardly. But as someone who has only lived in a world without Michael Jackson for a day and a half out of the nearly 21 years I've been alive, I can understand this death rattling people. Music is forever changed because of him, and in my opinion, so is pop culture. I wasn't alive in 1977 when Elvis died, but I've seen pictures and video, and it's all SO familiar now. I think right now, the thing to do is to hope that his family (the many siblings, both of his parents, and his three children) will be okay. And I also personally hope that his friends (such as Elizabeth Taylor - who's admitted she's personally devastated by this loss) will be okay as well. Friday morning, journalist Maureen Orth said this about Michael: "As big a genius he was with music he was also that big a failure as a human being, in my opinion." The man had not yet been dead 24 hours when she said that. She's entitled to her opinion, but I fail to see how her assessment could have helped anything now. I know if someone close to me died, and someone had said something like that about them it would be hard for me to hear. I'd hate to be the relative of someone famous. I can't imagine how hard it must have been for MJ's brother Jermaine to have give that press conference just a couple of hours after the death to confirm his passing.
And sadder still, the same day Michael Jackson died, TV icon Farrah Fawcett died of cancer. This death was no where as shocking as MJ's but it was still sad. But to me, the saddest part was that her death made news for a few hours (as she died in the morning, and he in the afternoon), and then he passed away and completely overshadowed her. He was as much of a supernova in death as he was in life. The rest of the day, the news talked at length of him, showing clips of all his awesome music videos and less awesome public appearances, then they'd quickly mention that she had "also passed away," and show that one iconic image of her. (If you don't know what image I'm talking about... do a google image search for her and I bet a dollar it'll be the first thing that pops up.) Farrah was beautiful and talented, and really rather cool. And you know what amazes me about her? She's always remembered as being one of Charlie's Angels. People say the show sucked after she left. The amazing part? The fact that the show ran for several years, and she made that huge of an impression during her one year starring on the show. One season. Amazing.
Now, after rambling on for paragraph after paragraph on the deaths of these two people, I still haven't addressed my topic at hand for this blogging - why we care when the famous (or infamous) die. Honestly, why do we private citizens care when celebrities pass away? Why did I cry when I heard the news of Heath Ledger's death? Why did I stay in shock all Thursday afternoon over MJ? And the truth is we care when they die because even though they aren't people we personally know, they're people who have in some small way touched our lives. The people that are mourning MJ now - his fans - care that he is gone, because he was someone that touched their lives by making great music. The people that are not sad that he is gone obvious had strong opinions of him, and there's no denying then that he also somehow affected their lives. Even if someone I was no fan of died tomorrow, it would affect me because they obviously affected me in some small way by raising my ire. And this applies to anyone, not just MJ. I mean, I'm still saddened by the death of Walt Disney and Elvis Presley because they've certainly affected my life and I admired them, even though they were long gone before I was even alive. People die everyday... even famous people, believe it or not. And our deaths affect more people than we'd even realize. A facebook friend of mine set her status to something about how you should tell people TODAY how much they mean to you... send your flowers now, not when the person can't enjoy them. Isn't that a beautiful sentiment?
PS - thanks to anyone who was trooper enough to read this whole thing, lol. When I wax philosophical, I get long winded.
Friday, June 26, 2009
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Musings on Music.
It's after midnight and it's now June 16th. For those of you that don't know, the Jonas Brothers' fourth album Lines, Vines, and Trying Times will be coming out. I'm quite the JB fan... that's no secret. But what is something of a secret... something I haven't said to anyone... I'm not all that excited about this new album. Why? Possibly because it seems so soon after their last album. Possibly because Ashley's album (which I was VERY excited about) was also supposed to come out today but it got pushed back. Possibly because I want to keep listening to all my 60s music and not have to bother with learning new music (lol).
But if you know me, you know that I also adore the All-American Rejects. I took delight in the fact that I found a lot of similarities between these two bands.
1. Both of them have (had) three albums.
2. For both bands, I got their second albums first (at Target) then got their first online.
3. I saw both of them live for the first time in 2008.
4. I saw both of them live at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater in Irvine, CA.
5. I rushed to get both bands' third albums as soon as they were out because I had waited impatiently for both albums.
6. Both of those third albums came out in 2008, both were delayed past their original release date. And because of my obsessiveness, I ended up with two copies of both.
7. The first time I heard these bands (so long ago) I didn't much care for them, but they grew on me.
8. Both of them had songs on the soundtrack to the movie Meet The Robinsons.
...And clearly you can see this is something I thought a lot about, because I do have much too much time on my hands. Maybe I'm not quite as excited about LVATT as I was about the last JB record because this was screw up my list of JB and AAR similarities.
But don't get me wrong. I will be getting this new JB album, and I'm sure I'll like it as much I liked the previous ones. The excitement will probably hit me in the morning when I'm out buying it.
Just to compare... this is how excited I was while buying their album last year:
Well, on a completely unrelated note, I mentioned 60s music earlier, didn't I? That's what I've been listening to a lot lately. I recently got the Beatles Rubber Soul album... it's so good. I thought they could never have a better album than Sgt. Pepper's, but that one is giving it a run for it's money, in my opinion. I also downloaded John Lennon's 1964 demo of the song "Free As A Bird." He sounded so young and uncomplicated. I also picked up the 1994 version with John's demo and the (then) three surviving Beatles voices added on. That song is so much better than I would have expected.
I also got a couple more Bob Dylan songs. My God, that man is amazing. I just... wow. I wish I had been around in the 60s. I would have been the cheapest groupie in town. The musicians then were such artists to a level that no one really is now. I'm not saying there aren't some great acts around right now, but the craftsmanship of those old albums is startling.
I would go on about random different artists I like, but I've babbled enough. See you rock fans later. =)
iWant of the day: to get this freaking song out of my head!
But if you know me, you know that I also adore the All-American Rejects. I took delight in the fact that I found a lot of similarities between these two bands.
1. Both of them have (had) three albums.
2. For both bands, I got their second albums first (at Target) then got their first online.
3. I saw both of them live for the first time in 2008.
4. I saw both of them live at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater in Irvine, CA.
5. I rushed to get both bands' third albums as soon as they were out because I had waited impatiently for both albums.
6. Both of those third albums came out in 2008, both were delayed past their original release date. And because of my obsessiveness, I ended up with two copies of both.
7. The first time I heard these bands (so long ago) I didn't much care for them, but they grew on me.
8. Both of them had songs on the soundtrack to the movie Meet The Robinsons.
...And clearly you can see this is something I thought a lot about, because I do have much too much time on my hands. Maybe I'm not quite as excited about LVATT as I was about the last JB record because this was screw up my list of JB and AAR similarities.
But don't get me wrong. I will be getting this new JB album, and I'm sure I'll like it as much I liked the previous ones. The excitement will probably hit me in the morning when I'm out buying it.
Just to compare... this is how excited I was while buying their album last year:
Well, on a completely unrelated note, I mentioned 60s music earlier, didn't I? That's what I've been listening to a lot lately. I recently got the Beatles Rubber Soul album... it's so good. I thought they could never have a better album than Sgt. Pepper's, but that one is giving it a run for it's money, in my opinion. I also downloaded John Lennon's 1964 demo of the song "Free As A Bird." He sounded so young and uncomplicated. I also picked up the 1994 version with John's demo and the (then) three surviving Beatles voices added on. That song is so much better than I would have expected.
I also got a couple more Bob Dylan songs. My God, that man is amazing. I just... wow. I wish I had been around in the 60s. I would have been the cheapest groupie in town. The musicians then were such artists to a level that no one really is now. I'm not saying there aren't some great acts around right now, but the craftsmanship of those old albums is startling.
I would go on about random different artists I like, but I've babbled enough. See you rock fans later. =)
iWant of the day: to get this freaking song out of my head!
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Not having internetz sucked.
So my internet was down for like a week. It was awful! And the cable was off too (what with them coming from the same company) so I had no internet or DVR. Luckily I have lots of DVDs to watch. I watched, over these last couple of days, season 7 of The Simpsons both with and without commentary. That's how nerdish I am... I love audio commentary on DVDs.
So here's what's been happening in my life:
1. I got a job. I know, I know... you're all shocked and whatnot. I am... selling knives. Seriously. But it's cool. And actually kinda fun. I do demonstrations in people's houses. But since I don't have a car and I have to be schlepped around to do it, I feel like a huge burden, so I haven't been doing as many appointments as I could/should.
2. I just did three days of jury duty. My first time, and of course I was put on the jury. The whole thing imploded on the last day. There was an emotional family, a conflicted lawyer, and 12 people (me included) who convicted a victim of police brutality. And we weren't allowed to know about this alleged brutality until... after. Since the trial is over, I'm technically not disallowed to talk about it, but since I'm still getting over it (the aftermath really), I'd prefer not discuss it much.
3. My cat took her collar off and hid it a few days ago. It's literally driving me crazy... I hate seeing her run around here naked. She looks like some little homeless raggamuffin. =/
And yeah. I guess that's about it. I missed venting my insignificant little feelings in this very public sphere. Blog at ya soon. =)
iWant of the day: MAC eyeshadow in Mythology (and about a million other colors, lol)
So here's what's been happening in my life:
1. I got a job. I know, I know... you're all shocked and whatnot. I am... selling knives. Seriously. But it's cool. And actually kinda fun. I do demonstrations in people's houses. But since I don't have a car and I have to be schlepped around to do it, I feel like a huge burden, so I haven't been doing as many appointments as I could/should.
2. I just did three days of jury duty. My first time, and of course I was put on the jury. The whole thing imploded on the last day. There was an emotional family, a conflicted lawyer, and 12 people (me included) who convicted a victim of police brutality. And we weren't allowed to know about this alleged brutality until... after. Since the trial is over, I'm technically not disallowed to talk about it, but since I'm still getting over it (the aftermath really), I'd prefer not discuss it much.
3. My cat took her collar off and hid it a few days ago. It's literally driving me crazy... I hate seeing her run around here naked. She looks like some little homeless raggamuffin. =/
And yeah. I guess that's about it. I missed venting my insignificant little feelings in this very public sphere. Blog at ya soon. =)
iWant of the day: MAC eyeshadow in Mythology (and about a million other colors, lol)
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Long awaited list of musicians (Part 3 and 4)
Trudging on and finally finishing this off! Go here for part 1 and here for part 2.
Day 3:
Amy Winehouse - "Now You Know." I have mixed feelings about her. Her voice is unique, but it's rather deep for my personal taste. That being said, she does have one or two songs I rather like, and this one (which I had never heard before) wasn't bad.
Oasis - "Champagne Supernova." They're a great band, but I haven't listened to them much. I should remedy that soon.
Andy Mckee - "Drifting." He's apparently a solo acoustic guitarist that kinda got his start on Youtube. I actually really rather liked this song.
Blink-182 - "Online Songs." Okay, I love these guys. Their album Enema of The State is so fun and still one of my favorite albums period.
Kid Rock - "American Badass." Okay, this presentation was generally awkward. I'm not a huge fan, and you could read on our teacher's face that he isn't either. And I think the girl may have picked this one because it was less profanity riddled than some others.
Perfect Circle - "Blue." I don't know a lot of their stuff, but this sounded pretty good. The girl who presented though kinda seemed to be stoned. I'm not sure if that's how she always talks (since I hadn't ever talked to her) or if she was under the influence of something, lol.
Ice Cube - "Godfather of Rap." When I think of Ice Cube, I think of him as an actor in movies like Friday, Are We There Yet?, and that kinda recent one with Katt Williams where he and his friend like robbed a church or something... what was that one called, and was it even him? I tend to forget he ever even rapped. So yeah. Lol. My opinion is of no consequence here.
Mariah Carey - "Emotions." Okay, this chick is crazy. But at least she was still sane when she made this song, so I was okay.
U2 - "One." The guy that presented them was one of these returning students. A little older than the rest of us, but not one of those old returning students that have more in common with the near retiring professors than they do with the students. So while he was presenting, he went to explain why he chose U2, and he said it was because when you get a little older, you cherish these oppurtunities to go back to things like music that reminds you of good times.
Death Cab For Cutie - "We Laugh Indoors." They're wonderful. Wonderful indeed.
Billy Joel - "The Stranger." This was me! I talked about how he mixes styles in his music and about how The Stranger is an amazing record. I talked a bit about the song... overall it was fun. Easy and not stressful.
Depeche Mode - "People Are People." This was a little on the weird side for me. I mean, they're certainly not bad, but they've never been my cup of tea.
Rick James - "Fired Up." Best presentation of all. The guy was so funny... he did a lot of dancing and singing along, and editorializing. I think he may have been on something too, but it was funny none the less, lol.
Tupac - "Ambitions of a Rider" and "Keep Your Head Up." She played a clip of both songs. While she was speaking, my mind kept wandering to Dave Chappelle's skit about Tupac songs. That was funny.
Jack Johnson - "Angel." I love him! His music is so beautiful and relaxing. I was happy to hear that she was presenting him.
Dream Theater - "Blind Faith." They're this fairly indie metal band. No offense to any metal heads, but a lot of metal sounds alike to me, and I was kinda tuned out anyways because their name reminded me of the song "Dream Police" (by Cheap Trick) and that started playing in my head.
Day 4:
Elton John - "Rocket Man." I was happy to hear him. He is, after all, Billy Joel's tour partner.
No Doubt - "Underneath It All." I love them, I really do. But I rather prefer their older, pre Rock Steady stuff, so I was disappointed in her song choice.
Kenny Chesney - "I Go Back." I like him... and he's quite handsome too. =) I didn't know this song though. It really wasn't bad.
Prince - "When Doves Cry." This was a good way to end things. Prince is an odd little man, but his in the 80s was pretty great. And this is one of my favorites from him. "Maybe I'm just like my father - too bold." Good lyric. =)
Day 3:
Amy Winehouse - "Now You Know." I have mixed feelings about her. Her voice is unique, but it's rather deep for my personal taste. That being said, she does have one or two songs I rather like, and this one (which I had never heard before) wasn't bad.
Oasis - "Champagne Supernova." They're a great band, but I haven't listened to them much. I should remedy that soon.
Andy Mckee - "Drifting." He's apparently a solo acoustic guitarist that kinda got his start on Youtube. I actually really rather liked this song.
Blink-182 - "Online Songs." Okay, I love these guys. Their album Enema of The State is so fun and still one of my favorite albums period.
Kid Rock - "American Badass." Okay, this presentation was generally awkward. I'm not a huge fan, and you could read on our teacher's face that he isn't either. And I think the girl may have picked this one because it was less profanity riddled than some others.
Perfect Circle - "Blue." I don't know a lot of their stuff, but this sounded pretty good. The girl who presented though kinda seemed to be stoned. I'm not sure if that's how she always talks (since I hadn't ever talked to her) or if she was under the influence of something, lol.
Ice Cube - "Godfather of Rap." When I think of Ice Cube, I think of him as an actor in movies like Friday, Are We There Yet?, and that kinda recent one with Katt Williams where he and his friend like robbed a church or something... what was that one called, and was it even him? I tend to forget he ever even rapped. So yeah. Lol. My opinion is of no consequence here.
Mariah Carey - "Emotions." Okay, this chick is crazy. But at least she was still sane when she made this song, so I was okay.
U2 - "One." The guy that presented them was one of these returning students. A little older than the rest of us, but not one of those old returning students that have more in common with the near retiring professors than they do with the students. So while he was presenting, he went to explain why he chose U2, and he said it was because when you get a little older, you cherish these oppurtunities to go back to things like music that reminds you of good times.
Death Cab For Cutie - "We Laugh Indoors." They're wonderful. Wonderful indeed.
Billy Joel - "The Stranger." This was me! I talked about how he mixes styles in his music and about how The Stranger is an amazing record. I talked a bit about the song... overall it was fun. Easy and not stressful.
Depeche Mode - "People Are People." This was a little on the weird side for me. I mean, they're certainly not bad, but they've never been my cup of tea.
Rick James - "Fired Up." Best presentation of all. The guy was so funny... he did a lot of dancing and singing along, and editorializing. I think he may have been on something too, but it was funny none the less, lol.
Tupac - "Ambitions of a Rider" and "Keep Your Head Up." She played a clip of both songs. While she was speaking, my mind kept wandering to Dave Chappelle's skit about Tupac songs. That was funny.
Jack Johnson - "Angel." I love him! His music is so beautiful and relaxing. I was happy to hear that she was presenting him.
Dream Theater - "Blind Faith." They're this fairly indie metal band. No offense to any metal heads, but a lot of metal sounds alike to me, and I was kinda tuned out anyways because their name reminded me of the song "Dream Police" (by Cheap Trick) and that started playing in my head.
Day 4:
Elton John - "Rocket Man." I was happy to hear him. He is, after all, Billy Joel's tour partner.
No Doubt - "Underneath It All." I love them, I really do. But I rather prefer their older, pre Rock Steady stuff, so I was disappointed in her song choice.
Kenny Chesney - "I Go Back." I like him... and he's quite handsome too. =) I didn't know this song though. It really wasn't bad.
Prince - "When Doves Cry." This was a good way to end things. Prince is an odd little man, but his in the 80s was pretty great. And this is one of my favorites from him. "Maybe I'm just like my father - too bold." Good lyric. =)
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