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Michael Jackson dead at 50


The wingless
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It never ceases to amaze me how some people will post in a thread like this just to say that they don't care. If you don't care about MJ and/or it doesn't affect you, or you just want to speak ill of the dead, why post? Would you go to someone's funeral just to say you didn't like whoever just died and that they didn't have an effect on you? No, but I guess the rules of common humman decency don't apply on the Internet.

I have MJ songs in my collection all the way back to his Motown days and I think there is no pop songwriter and performer that I would put on his level. I'll really miss the guy. Just a month or two ago Jill and I had even just went through a bunch of his videos...

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I was playing his songs @ work when he died. I take that as a sign, but not in a selfish way. I take it as if he passed the baton down to me. That's on a personal level.

It keeps occurring to me that I won't meet Michael Jackson. I'll get over it but it's really sad. I won't be doing anything except making music and drawing pictures tomorrow (plus work).

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So the hospital where Michael died at was literally a few blocks away from my work. So I took a minute to go down there and take some pictures of what is, ostensibly, one of the more pivotal moments in entertainment.

http://www.thewingless.com/06-25-09_1625.jpeg

http://www.thewingless.com/06-25-09_1626.jpeg

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It wasn't quite as heavily populated as I would've thought. The hospital is right in the middle of UCLA, and even though only summer school is in, I would've though many more people would've been about. Instead, there was a seemingly endless stream of news vans down the street (a street that feels like it hits then dips below the horizon). on the small little steps of the hospital there were hundreds of people with their cameras. Not quite taking pictures insomuch as waiting. It was an atmosphere of extreme intent. Nothing quite a surreal as you would've expected for such an event. But strange, nonetheless.

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It never ceases to amaze me how some people will post in a thread like this just to say that they don't care. If you don't care about MJ and/or it doesn't affect you, or you just want to speak ill of the dead, why post?

would you prefer a second thread entitled "i don't care about MJ" or something? it's a comment board first and foremost. you might think it's out of place, but there's no cemetaries, tuxes, or black dresses on this board. it's informal for a reason.

his influence - or, rather, his producer's influence - on pop and several other lesser genres is definitely pronounced. his best stuff was when he was younger, imo, but he's still a big name that's passed on in a month of people with big names dying. weird month.

i have to admit i didn't realize he was 50, though.

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It never ceases to amaze me how some people will post in a thread like this just to say that they don't care. If you don't care about MJ and/or it doesn't affect you, or you just want to speak ill of the dead, why post? Would you go to someone's funeral just to say you didn't like whoever just died and that they didn't have an effect on you? No, but I guess the rules of common humman decency don't apply on the Internet.

it's not like this thread is a funeral

besides, the effort it takes to make a ten word post displaying your dislike of someone is minuscule compared to the effort required to attend a funeral/wake/whatever to make known your displeasure there.

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posting this again, because the thread is moving too damn fast!!

--

So the hospital where Michael died at was literally a few blocks away from my work. So I took a minute to go down there and take some pictures of what is, ostensibly, one of the more pivotal moments in entertainment.

http://www.thewingless.com/06-25-09_1625.jpeg

http://www.thewingless.com/06-25-09_1626.jpeg

--

It wasn't quite as heavily populated as I would've thought. The hospital is right in the middle of UCLA, and even though only summer school is in, I would've though many more people would've been about. Instead, there was a seemingly endless stream of news vans down the street (a street that feels like it hits then dips below the horizon). on the small little steps of the hospital there were hundreds of people with their cameras. Not quite taking pictures insomuch as waiting. It was an atmosphere of extreme intent. Nothing quite a surreal as you would've expected for such an event. But strange, nonetheless.

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The area is usually pretty busy anyway during the fall-spring quarters, but that crowd is pretty intense. The police had sealed off the area at a certain point so no more members of the public could enter - i'm not sure when that was, or when you took your pictures, but that may explain your feeling that the crowd wasn't too large.

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it's not like this thread is a funeral

besides, the effort it takes to make a ten word post displaying your dislike of someone is minuscule compared to the effort required to attend a funeral/wake/whatever to make known your displeasure there.

It's called fucking respect which a lot of you guys don't have apparently. Sure you're free to say what you want but ultimately zircons right. It's fairly easy to keep negative stuff to yourself especially if it doesn't call for it this bein one of those times. Not like any of you guys would be dumb enough to do it, but if you were to make a thread about your mom died you would not appreciate someone saying that I didn't know her so therefore I don't care. Why is it so hard for people to say the good stuff about him but then for no reason say the bad stuff especially in a thread regarding his death? Shame really.

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Talking to people I'm finding that this thing is affecting people a little closer to my age range than younger kids, who didn't see MJ in his stride. The current teenagers and early 20 something's grew up with Wacko Jacko, where I remember him as the legend - being there in the family room watching the world premiere of "Bad" on TV, picking up Dangerous on tape, and even History on CD a few years later.

He's always been someone I've enjoyed and respected as an artist and performer, and despite his admittedly strange life I must say it's shocking and tragic to see it end so relatively quickly.

To those who don't care - that's perfectly valid, but a bit abrasive to interject in what is essentially a public sharing of sadness over the death of someone who - through one way or another - inspired so many. There are no entertainers in the world quite like MJ, and I doubt after today there ever will be.

R.I.P.

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Michael is, was, and most defintely still is the man. I may joke about it, but I don't think for even one second that he ever touched a kid inappropriately.

Strangely enough, Matt and Trey probably had it right in their Michael Jackson episode of South Park. Michael had an extremely fucked up childhood that consisted of him -- and remember this is at age FOUR -- either getting up on stage and sacrificing his entire youth to sing and dance, or getting the everloving SHIT beat out of him by his own father.

This resulted in a man who, now having limitless access to an untold amount of riches, attempting to recreate the childhood he never experienced. Unfortunately, this was perverted by the fact that he just was not himself a child, but an adult, and in our society any adult who likes the company of a child is automatically a child molester.

Hell, any guy sitting in a park just enjoying his own surroundings gets strange looks and assumptions of pedophilia. Our society is shit, to be honest.

But we haven't even begun to scrape the tip of the iceberg, here. As the days, weeks, months, and years pass, we're probably going to see one of two things happen. His story will get even more bizarre and twisted as strange facts come out describing his later years, or he is going to be completely and publicly exonerated of all negative images and stereotypes. There are just TOO many people out there who were positively affected by him and his music for his later years to change any perception of him.

There are a few defining generations of fans of Michael. Those who were around for his early years during the Jackson 5 days and who may or may not have continued following him during his career, and there are those of us who grew up idolizing the man during the 1980s and early 1990s.

My generation experienced the flashy Michael Jackson who literally floated on the dance floor, who defied gravity and walked on the moon whilst still being anchored to our earth. And when we saw this, we wanted to do it too. We practiced and practiced, and most likely we were absolutely shit at it, but we were convinced that we could moonwalk like the master. And when we saw another kid doing it, we would immediately jump up and show him how it was truly done -- even though we were awful.

Michael Jackson was a pop star that transcended nearly all generational divides. He REDEFINED pop music, acting as not just a singer, but co-producing a lot of his stuff. I won't sit here and act like he was responsible for all of his own music, but you're fucking dead wrong if you think all he did was sing. The way he moved captured the imagination of every kid who saw him around the ENTIRE FUCKING WORLD. Popular opinion of him may have shifted in the late 90s and 2000s in the US, but in the rest of the world he is just as loved now as he was the day he first moonwalked to Billy Jean.

I believe that unless some crippling and damning evidence comes out soon that "Whacko Jacko" will be almost completely wiped from the memory of US pop history, as well.

Stream of consciousness post over, maybe I'll organize it into something more presentable tomorrow.

koBJdk6EOhzlnvpojDBEgRXso1_500.jpg

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I believe that unless some crippling and damning evidence comes out soon that "Whacko Jacko" will be almost completely wiped from the memory of US pop history, as well.

I wouldn't bet on that, Neko. His personal eccentricities, along with the allegations, complete appearance change, and odd behavioral antics, will not go away. There are far too many stories over the years for it all to just be wiped away from anyone's memory. Some of it was true, some of it was false, but it was all in plentiful supply.

Just about everyone has some songs from the guy that they like (Thriller, Leave me Alone, Billy Jean, Smooth Criminal... those are some of the one's I've enjoyed over the years), and just about everyone has opinions on his actions over the years. But regardless of how much anyone likes him, hates him, or is indifferent towards him, Michael's legacy will always be two-fold... his music career, and his personal life. The two will never be separated, as they're far too entwined with one another.

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HAHAHA!

What the F**K?

This reminds of the time, some idiot tried to sell Britney Spears used chewing gum for a million bucks...

Which was SOLD! by the way.

So someone's probably gonna buy this too.

jesus....

anyways seriously Micheal Jackson was definitely one of the better musicians in the world, mostly according to what I've read.

Honestly I'm not a huge fan of his music, but the story of his life is definitely interesting to me.

like how his dad played a significant role in his career?

R.I.P MJ.

and yes strange week indeed.

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Michael is, was, and most defintely still is the man. I may joke about it, but I don't think for even one second that he ever touched a kid inappropriately.

Strangely enough, Matt and Trey probably had it right in their Michael Jackson episode of South Park. Michael had an extremely fucked up childhood that consisted of him -- and remember this is at age FOUR -- either getting up on stage and sacrificing his entire youth to sing and dance, or getting the everloving SHIT beat out of him by his own father.

This resulted in a man who, now having limitless access to an untold amount of riches, attempting to recreate the childhood he never experienced. Unfortunately, this was perverted by the fact that he just was not himself a child, but an adult, and in our society any adult who likes the company of a child is automatically a child molester.

Hell, any guy sitting in a park just enjoying his own surroundings gets strange looks and assumptions of pedophilia. Our society is shit, to be honest.

But we haven't even begun to scrape the tip of the iceberg, here. As the days, weeks, months, and years pass, we're probably going to see one of two things happen. His story will get even more bizarre and twisted as strange facts come out describing his later years, or he is going to be completely and publicly exonerated of all negative images and stereotypes. There are just TOO many people out there who were positively affected by him and his music for his later years to change any perception of him.

There are a few defining generations of fans of Michael. Those who were around for his early years during the Jackson 5 days and who may or may not have continued following him during his career, and there are those of us who grew up idolizing the man during the 1980s and early 1990s.

My generation experienced the flashy Michael Jackson who literally floated on the dance floor, who defied gravity and walked on the moon whilst still being anchored to our earth. And when we saw this, we wanted to do it too. We practiced and practiced, and most likely we were absolutely shit at it, but we were convinced that we could moonwalk like the master. And when we saw another kid doing it, we would immediately jump up and show him how it was truly done -- even though we were awful.

Michael Jackson was a pop star that transcended nearly all generational divides. He REDEFINED pop music, acting as not just a singer, but co-producing a lot of his stuff. I won't sit here and act like he was responsible for all of his own music, but you're fucking dead wrong if you think all he did was sing. The way he moved captured the imagination of every kid who saw him around the ENTIRE FUCKING WORLD. Popular opinion of him may have shifted in the late 90s and 2000s in the US, but in the rest of the world he is just as loved now as he was the day he first moonwalked to Billy Jean.

I believe that unless some crippling and damning evidence comes out soon that "Whacko Jacko" will be almost completely wiped from the memory of US pop history, as well.

Stream of consciousness post over, maybe I'll organize it into something more presentable tomorrow.

applause.jpg

Really can't say anything not already said by Nekofrog. He echos what I've long thought - Jackson wasn't a pedophile. He was the product of one of the most fucked up childhoods anyone could have, and never was able to 'grow up'. He honestly had no concept that what he was doing was 'wrong.'

Thanks for the music, Michael.

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applause.jpg

Really can't say anything not already said by Nekofrog. He echos what I've long thought - Jackson wasn't a pedophile. He was the product of one of the most fucked up childhoods anyone could have, and never was able to 'grow up'. He honestly had no concept that what he was doing was 'wrong.'

Well, thats really not an excuse to touch little boys, but I never fully believed Michael Jackson was a pedophile. I think his unique position plus prolonged innocence made it impossible for him to deal with the situation competently. He was just one hell of an easy target that a cruel social more dictated everyone try to take a shot.

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Heh, I remember when I played the arcade version. People standing around me would start dancing whenever I triggered the "magic dance" attacks.

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