Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Michael Jackson

His death has been on my mind much more than I thought it would be. That might have something to do with being subjected to 13 hours of listening to his singles on repeat because the bartender I work with came out of the closet as probably one of the most energetic Michael Jackson fans I've ever met. How a man can listen to the same songs for that long and still mimic Michael Jackson's signature cries and croons with the same level of vigor -- I'll never know!

But I think beyond the aural imprinting that may have occurred at work, MJ's death has made me realized that his music and persona were inescapably apart of my life and the lives of all those around me. Even when I had never considered myself a true fan, I'm still sort of a MJ fan because of the sole fact that I grew up in the US. His death feels significant as a historical event where a death of most other celebrities or public figures would just bring about a much more intellectual and isolated response in myself. There was a time before his death and a time after, and everything in some way feels shifted.

Sha'mon! WOOOOO!