The end of an era

[ishtar79]

I was surprised by how much the news of Michael Jackson's death affected me. Despite all the supreme weirdness of the later years, the allegations, the freaky plastic surgery, his influence on music is undeniable.

Thriller was the first album I owned. MTV Greece is playing Michael Jackson videos round the clock (and the fact alone MTV deigned to play actual MUSIC again is noteworthy in itself) and I'm struck by how all those years later, there has yet to be someone who came even CLOSE to his performance levels (and clips of wee!Michael from his Jackson 5 days made me sad for entirely different reasons).

I was joking about becoming old this weekend due to hitting the big 3-0, but damn, this is the first time I felt it. For all that my music tastes have evolved into supposedly too cool for pop, the little girl in me is devastated.

Comments

[q_spade]

I don't have anything to say about Michael Jackson, but I did want to make note of this:

I was joking about becoming old this weekend due to hitting the big 3-0, but damn, this is the first time I felt it.

Happy birthday, and congrats on your 30th. Looking back to when I hit 30, I think I expected it to be much worse than it was. My thirties were a fucking fabulous time in my life – a lot of growing without necessarily "growing old". I hope your next decade of life treats you similarly. :)

[ishtar79]

Oh, thank you! :) Most of my RL friends have already hit the milestone (some a while back), so I'm not freaking out or anything. Well, except my job situation, and I've always done that. ;)

[ackonrad.livejournal.com]

You know, I was surprised myself, even though I've been expecting him to die for years, as horrible as it sounds. He's never seemed the healthiest person to me, and those plastic surgeries only made it worse.

I've been listening to his music ever since I heard, and damn, he is good. No matter what people say about him, he has written music history and no one can change that. Also, for the first time I noticed that he has only a few albums... but all songs on them were hits. I can't think of an contemporary artist who's managed to achieve that. Nelly Furtado's crappy last album doesn't count, only a handful of the songs were good enough. ;)

It's so sad, he was only 50 years old. Gone Too Soon. :(

[ishtar79.livejournal.com]

I spent the better part of the night in a forum I frequent getting into fights with people over it-and I wouldn't even call myself a Michael fan.

I understand people having issues with him over the personal stuff, but it angers me when they attempt to dismiss his musical legacy.

[mordyn4]

I really loved the Dangerous album.

And welcome to thirtysomethinghood. :D

[ishtar79.livejournal.com]

I've downloaded Dangerous (and a just about every major album he made) today. I hope nobody cool checks out my mp3 file, it's kind of ruining the effect of the less embarassing music. :P

Since turning 30, I've managed to hurt my back in the gym and now my childhood symbolically died. I'm starting to suspect that my friends who assured me that old age doesn't suddenly hit you like a ton of bricks are dirty rotten LIARS!

[mimine.livejournal.com]

I own Thriller too and still like it. But to be honest, I didn't like anything else since that. I liked Bad when it was out, though, had it on tape and I remember seeing Moonwalker at the cinema though I can't remember if I went alone or forced my mum to take me.

It was a bit of a shock to hear he died. I wonder what will happen to his kids.

It is moronic to try and dismiss his musical legacy just because of all the other stuff.

[ishtar79.livejournal.com]

I saw Moonwalker in 3D in Disneyland. It was a bit traumatic.

I'm boggling at the people unable to separate criticism of a person and criticism of their work. Seriously. (Insert inappropriate "The author is dead, no RLY" reference here).

[jollityfarm.livejournal.com]

Lots of artists that people have been fans of for hundreds of years have both produced excellent work and been dreadful people. The difference between them and Michael Jackson is, I suppose, that (a)that was ages ago, possibly before living memory, and (b)the media back then wasn't what it is now. I mean, the internet wasn't around to gossip about what a shit Picasso was to various women, or what a godawful racist H.P. Lovecraft was, or any of the other icons you can think of off the top of your head. Media these days is so concerned with not only the work of celebrities, but their personal lives too. It becomes harder to separate for a lot of people. I'm just ranting, I know. Never mind.

Happy 30th, by the way. One book I read said that 30 year olds are no longer the oldest possible child, they're now the youngest possible adult.

[ishtar79.livejournal.com]

I understand where you're coming from, honest. Personally, the way I deal with it is not financially supporting anyone I find personally an awful person. I'll still watch a Roman Polanski film, but won't pay for it, if it makes sense. And of course there are those where I refuse point blank to even aknowledge (Mel Gibson, anyone), because I can only see the person and not, say, the role they're playing.

With Jackson, I haven't been a fan of his later years, but I can't discount the massive impact he had on music, the shattering of the racial barriers when he first came out or the work of little Michael of the Jackson 5, before any of the weirdness and scandals.

Thank you! And heh, I like that theory, it makes me feel less decrepit.