Thursday, June 25, 2009

I'm so sad as I write this...


Today I found out that Michael Jackson died due to cardiac arrest in Los Angeles, CA. I have a hard time comprehending the fact that he is no longer with us. I was eagerly awaiting video of his tour run in London, which he announced would happen soon. I was a fan since I was a kid. I remember playing the old 45's from his "Off The Wall" album. I remember when "Thriller" was released. I remember when every Saturday morning, I would watch Kasey Kasem's "America's Top 10 Video Countdown" show and seeing "Billie Jean", "Beat It" and such EVERY week. The posters, the "glove", the videos! Wow!


I was too young to know Michael's early music with the Jackson 5, unfortunately. Thank goodness I was introduced to his early work when I got my first radio job at Mega 95.5 in Albuquerque, NM. The station played Old School, and I became a HUGE fan of early, young, Michael Jackson. As a DJ in Old School you get to play a lot of great artists. Michael Jackson was probably one of the 3 most-played artists on Mega 95.5, as well as the last Old School station I worked at, Hot 95.1.


No one I knew could deny the fact that Michael Jackson was the best entertainer on Earth. He transcended music like no other artist in music in my opinion. All artists wanted to work with him...directors wanted to do videos with him...if Michael attended your awards show, you practically begged him to perform. As a fan you watched "Thriller", the entire 17-minute video, the day it was premiered on MTV. MTV should send the biggest bouquet of flowers to his funeral for all he did for that channel. Axl Rose once won an MTV Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award as a member of the rock group Guns-N-Roses, and had the audacity to say "Oh yeah. This award has nothing to do with Michael Jackson." How wrong he was. EVERY artist who ever made a music video should thank Michael Jackson the next time they make a video or perform a song. The man was all about perfection.


I will go on. The world will continue to go on. However, the world of music will NEVER be the same. Rest in peace, Michael. You are truly missed here on Earth. However, the party in Heaven can officially begin. With all due respect to James Brown, Marvin Gaye and others, the "entertainment" has arrived!

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