The Day The Pop Died

Now look. I wouldn’t be the blogger you know I am if I didn’t say a few words about Michael Jackson. I’m sorry, this is just what I do. I notice things. There are signs, which I will come on to later, but in the meantime I write about what’s going on here, dangling thoughts for all to see like a baby from a hotel window.

We’re talking about a man who would spend his childhood Saturday mornings with his brothers locked behind gates in the mansion he’d paid for watching cartoons of themselves on TV. And that’s just the start.

I’ve written about him before here. He was a huge talent. The first album I ever bought – and thank FUCK it was a cool one – was Off The Wall. The year: 1977. Scene: garage sale. I spotted a second hand LP of a guy in a sharp suit and I bought it.

It’s still early days of course, but there are still many unanswered questions.

Who’s king of pop now? Prince? He might not want the job. Would the people accept him? We have yet to dipose the Kings Of Convenience, but they’re more figurative heads of state.

Or should pop now become a democracy, where we elect pop stars to represent us at a local level and govern for a set period of time? I quite like the look of the S Club Party.

So the signs. I was watching the Deer Hunter last night, I saw it on the progamme guide and knew it would be a late night. Why can’t I record it and watch it at a decent time? Why do I have to watch it just because it’s “on”? I don’t know, it’s just me. I’d decided, I was going to watch it up until the point where they go hunting and do the line. You know the one. Say it with me. Ecoutez et repetez.

After that I thought I’d go to bed, so right before I did I checked Twitter, and right then there reports that Michael Jackson had died, just at that minute. (Interesting to see the news fill time reading out celebrity tweets as part of their coverage) So for whatever reason, I was watching The Deer Hunter live because it makes the activity better, and then at the moment in the film that resonates most strongly with me, that’s when the story breaks.

No, I have no idea either. And don’t tell me I’d find significance in anything else that had happened at that moment. I’m not saying the two are connected, I’m just saying “odd”, that’s all.

Anyway, man, look. I know he’s dead and it’s a sad loss. There aren’t many global stars like him any more. I was thinking last night that people in Japan would be waking up to the news and just what that meant. He was huge, and rightly so.

Genius? No. Talented? Oh my god.

Have a great weekend.