U2BROTHR

This was written by a friend on another board.

i think that the media attention and public interest surrounding mj's death is largely self reflexive. every generation has a defining moment where they're confronted with their own mortality by the death of a notable celebrity. my mom still remembers where she was when jfk was assassinated, substitute valentino, elvis, marilyn, kurt cobain, janis joplin, or whoever you see fit, and you can gauge the impact a sleb's death has by those most affected by it. the only difference is we're in a much more media saturated society now then ever before and information can be conveyed instantaneously in real time.

when people remember michael jackson it's not as he was recently but as he was in his heyday, and i suspect those most affected by his death are experiencing a loss of something intangible and indefinable in themselves; the loss of an element of their youth. it's as if his death is reminder of how long ago that he was an international phenomenon and how much simpler and happier things seemed to be then. it is as much a mourning of one's own youth as it is the 'loss' of michael jackson.

I woke up this morning and realized...I'm fuckin' old

__________________
U2BROTHR's 360 TOUR
TORONTO 1 / TORONTO 2 / RALEIGH
TORONTO 3 / CHICAGO / MONTREAL 1 / MONTREAL 2
The U2BROTHR & Bono High Five in Toronto

joerags

I am no big fan of Al Sharpton, but he had the best speech and the best line, "There was nothing strange about your Daddy. What was strange was what your Daddy had to deal with."

gvox

The fact that you stayed strong through it and kept your resolve to keep doing what you love ie working with kids is amazing and inspires me to no end. I bet the kids are happy also!

MJ set some industry standards that were pretty much impossible for even himself to live up to/top. I see someone who gave us 20+ years of solid stuff and then decided after he made all his fame and money, to write songs that expressed his desire to 'heal the world' and also reveal more about himself. For people who wanted nothing but dance hits, this could be less satisfying perhaps but I think many artists as they get older reach a point where they want to start writing/singing about things that are very important to them. That's what I feel the direction of his music took. It might have been sappy but I feel it was honest, and it was his, if nothing else.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts man. It didn't sound like you were so great yesterday. It sounds weird but the memorial was a type of closure for us I hope you were able to find that also.

__________________

gvox

It's true - he was an inextricable part of our childhood, there's no getting around it. When something like that goes, you can't help but feel a loss. Like something that I never dreamed would be gone. My wife asked me an interesting question though and that was: did you ever imagine MJ getting old? Or what he would look like? And to be honest, I never did. I still can't. He would always be that cool as fuck Thriller album cover shot in my mind.

__________________

Abycka

I am in no way having a go at you but my perspective is different. I didn't expect the kids to be there at all, to me that would be the easiest way out for the Jackson family, meaning they also did not know like you said how the kids would react at such a public memorial. I think the kids being there really made it real for me about the death also his coffin, the fam said they were not going to bring coffin there. I really applaud them for them to bring it there. If I am going to watch a funeral I want to see everything.

About the son chewing gum I think he was just nervous, when Usher came up to all the fam Usher tried to look at him but the kid barely made eye contact and Usher moved on, I don't think it was out of disrespect but MJ gave the kids gum whenever they wanted and the kid was nervous at the event. Remember this is the first time these kids have been shown to a mass media. i.e the face masks etc. so don't think the boy was being disrespectful in anyway.

About the brothers speaking, the only one I cared about was Marlon, he was apparently Michaels favorite bro and the one that Joe beat the crap out of the most. I cried listening to him talk and about his twin brother that died.

I am not trying to be a know it all because I am not, I am just a person with a different perspective of what I saw on tv just like you Mad1 so don't take anything wrong.

RedRocksU2

I looked for that John Mayer version of Human Nature on iTunes last night and found other performances, but it was not there.

__________________


If I ever do GA's again, no more of this 5 am line up shit.

Jive Turkey

It was really weird, but I was thinking that just a few weeks before he died. Even though he looked strange with all the surgeries, he seemed timeless. I was curious to when we'd start to see some wrinkes, etc. But I really couldnt picture it. And I just assumed that the chances of us seeing what he would look like as an old man would probably be pretty good. I certainly didnt expect to see him go at such a young age.

U2isthebest

I just randomly thought of something I saw on Today last week. It was an interview with a woman, whose name I'm blanking on, that was one of Barry Gordy's secretaries and later an executive at Motown. She was the one who first saw the Jackson 5 and brought them to Barry, and she was saying in the interview that right after the boys were signed, she gave them all a questionnaire to fill out; trying to get a feel of their personalities/interests and whatnot. One of the questions was, "What's something you want to do when you grow up?" 11 year old Michael wrote "Adopt 20 kids from all different races from all over the world." Hearing something like that just makes me all the angrier when I think of what he had to go through because of his love for children. Clearly, that was something that was in him at an early age. I believe it was God-given. I'm so glad he was able to have kids of his own. His greatest legacy will be them.

RedRocksU2

Actually, it was Gladys Knight that called Barry Gordy to come and see these kids perform.

__________________


If I ever do GA's again, no more of this 5 am line up shit.

mad1

you ask if we imagine Jackson getting old.

unfort, if it was to be, I reckon he would just always be gettin surgery we would never see but little difference.

actually its tough. he was always lean. his face, surgery. to try and imagine him at say 80 years old. I have no idea now.

Abycka

Your not fuck'in old cause if your old then i'm older and that sucks.

I don't know, I am going to have to disagree with whoever wrote that article you italisized. The media was infatuated over the past 19 years over what they called Wacko Jacko, a weird person. I never once saw a positive interview on tv with MJ since maybe 1990.

The media thrived on tearing him down. Although they are jumpin on the MJ bandwagon right now and of course they will start attacking him pretty soon again it's just their nature. The reason they do this is because no one truly know's MJ's personal life, only what they see him doing on tv. For example I saw a video yesterday for the first time where MJ was talking to Prince 1 at his younger birthday and MJ was talking with a low voice like he had in the early 80's late 70's. I have heard rumours about this where he fakes his high pitched voice to the public (for whatever reason) usually he talks low pitched I heard when he is with people he knows personally and especially when he is talking to his business managers about buying/selling stuff. But you can now see this vid probably on youtube and pay close attention notice his voice is a much lower voice. My point is nobody really knows the personal life of this guy only what they see on tv and the last 19 years everything has been negative when in fact there has been lots of positivity that is now being shown on tv, interviews, kids birthdays etc on tv.

The biggest reason I disagree with whoever wrote that article is that for example I was never around when Jimi Hendrix was alive, I only started listening after maybe 15 years after his death but I feel such a sadness over his death that is unexplainable to me, he was not part of my generation is what I mean. With MJ I am sad because of how the mass media ignored him his music, lyrics and anything positive in 1990's forward when to me he created some of his best lyrics and music.

I think after his death people are starting to be able to look and listen to his music from 90's forward and realising it wasn't just Thriller that made this guy a phenomenom. And things like he was a good father etc. stuff the media didn't show us for so long.

mad1

usher singing Gone Too Soon and then clearly upset at the end.

Abycka

Made me cry And he went to the coffin, MJ was his biggest idol. For me the best vocal of the memorial. I'm gonna hire Usher for my funeral.

mad1

it was tough watching him break for a moment. I thought he wouldnt be able to finish song.

I love that song, its beautiful because of Michael's voice.

RedRocksU2

Got it, thanks!

__________________


If I ever do GA's again, no more of this 5 am line up shit.