BlogHer - celebrities - Comments

Amen

tzt — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 18:44:34 -0500

It's been (sadly) kind of liberating to hear Michael Jackson's music and see his videos without the spectre of his crazy/tragic/creepy/pick your adjective persona of the last several years hanging over them.

I listened to an a capella recording of "Rock With You" that I found somewhere on the internet and was struck by the force of his voice. I watched some videos on VH1 Classic and just enjoyed the heck out of them for the first time since I was a tween.

It's brought back a lot of memories that he provided the soundtrack for, and that's the best way to mourn him that I can think of.

Tiny Mantras
http://tzt.blogspot.com

Writearm
http://www.writearm.com

Michael Jackson Overload

seakiev — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 13:19:51 -0500

Last night I was watching AC360 and they spent 50 minutes talking about Michael Jackson and the last ten minutes of the broadcast talking about other news such as our troops coming home from Iraq.

While I am sad that anyone has to die before their time, I’m concerned that some news organizations (like CNN) have allowed their newscasts to become dominated by all things Michael Jackson.

I’m just wondering if MJ’s life is more significant than our men and women who have died in Iraq?

Or what will matter more to our lives, finding out who the real parents of MJ’s children are, or finding out how we can cut down on healthcare costs and our dependency on foreign oil ?

A human being has died

Beth Engel — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:30:11 -0500

And that's sad, because the death of a person, any person, is always sad. But I can't attach any more significance to the death of a celebrity person than I attach to any other death.

My mame is Beth Engel. I've been running my own online business, Epic Merchandise, where I sell personalized, engraved gifts, since 2003.

Perfectly Put

Haleyo — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 14:53:55 -0500

Sweetney, I totally resonate with all of this, and I love what you concluded with. It's a peculiar case of a peculiar man that's left us with vexed reactions - on the one hand sadness and on the other disdain. I definitely feel sadness and loss when I look at the achievements of the young Jackson. And I think it's fair to separate the two "Jacksons" -- to mourn the loss of the MUSIC, the AGE, and to acknowledge the reality that he was/became an eccentric, pedophilic man. While we have to acknowledge this older MJ, I think it's fair to say most of us (I, at least) are choosing at this time to celebrate the artistic, cultural legacy he left us, and to mourn the loss of an age long gone, and now officially never to return. His death really marks the end of that "golden" musical era. That's what's sad for me.

-- Haley-O blogs at http://cheatymonkey.com.

I Can Relate

windysblog — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 13:38:05 -0500

I am mourning the King of Pop as well. Your post described many of my own thoughts on the matter. I think I am mourning MY youth as well as Michael Jackson's death and that is why his passing has hit me so hard.

We spent some time this weekend listening to Jackson's songs on Pandora.com and the teenagers in the house couldn't get it. "It's as if one of the Jonas brothers died," I told them. They understood a little, then.

I think it's easier for us to separate the man from his music durng this time and we're centering on his contributions to that industry because he was a Pop legend.

I'm also sad because I feel that we never really knew the real Michael Jackson and will never understand how his personal life became so full of craziness. But I guess that's the way it is with most artists.

The song "Vincent", by Don McClean keeps running through my mind. It was a song about Vincent Van Gogh, another artist that whose life was riddled with personal turmoil. I think of Jackson when I hear the words "this world was never meant for one as beautiful as you."

Thanks for the post and for letting me share my own thoughts on the matter.

www.windysblog.com

Very well said. I've had

MrsWsKitchen — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 13:19:06 -0500

Very well said. I've had my own difficulty with this for all the reasons you stated--and your discussion hits the nail right on the head.

The mourning

Sheri R. — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 12:12:09 -0500

Indeed, it's been complex. This mourning. This mourning around our kids. I keep thinking of it as a delayed mourning for the man we lost so long ago.

And it's also been deeper, more personal mourning for those of us who grew up with his music. Almost worse than when a peer or icon of your time dies — watching someone so representative of our generation crash and burn and suffer and possibly cause others to suffer and then die. In this way, it's quite a blow. And yes, friggin' sad.

So true on the complex mixed emotions

vomviersen — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 11:52:58 -0500

You have captured the complex mix of feelings that is true for many of us who grew up with the Jackson 5 and grew into adulthood with the rising-star Michael Jackson. Like you, I think a lot of the sadness for those of us who remember his entire career is for what he became, and what he now will not have the chance to rise above. And of course, some of our sadness is for the loss of another piece of our own pasts.

vomviersen :: Kathi Wilson
http://rottweilers.brilliant-disguise.net/

Just one thing...

Lisse — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 11:37:03 -0500

I think you captured this brilliantly.

I too was startled to realize that my kids had no idea who Michael Jackson was and that his music would never be a big part in their lives the way it was in mine. I always thought he had another great wave in him and I find myself wishing that he had spent more of the last 20 years working on his music. I'm not sure that it was his talent that faded, but his focus on it.

Now we'll never know.

- Lisse

@ Home in the World: International Adoption and Other Travels

Agreed

ofblossom — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 11:14:52 -0500

And as I watched I couldn't help but feel for the young, talented man
Jackson was -- the one frozen for all time in that video, unmarred by
terrible accusations, drug addiction, and the generalized trainwreck of
his later years -- and think to myself that his two-decade-long
degeneration from that bright star into what he eventually became is,
indeed, something worthy of our collective sadness.

This is what I've come to as well. It's sad to have watched someone's entire life rise and fall, and see how they had to leave. I feel it's what we're all struggling with as we come to grip with his death.

This was a wonderful article.

-----

What Goes On -- Putting a human face on mental illness

Wow, that's an incredible

sweetney — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 11:09:01 -0500

Wow, that's an incredible compliment. Thank you, Kim.

Tracey Gaughran-Perez, aka Sweetney
CE, Entertainment & Culture
Author/Editor of Sweetney, MamaPop, & We Covet

Beautiful

Kim Pearson — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 10:50:23 -0500

Thanks, for this thoughtul and moving essay, Sweetney. It's poetic and eloquent in its honesty, pacing and tender resolution.

KimBlogHer Contributing Editor|Professor Kim|

Mom's should be concerned.

TheFeministBreeder — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 11:12:07 -0500

It never occured to me to care what was in shampoo either until my second son was breaking out into hives after each bath. I used the Johnson's baby shampoo, so what could be the problem? I even rushed him to the doctor after one particularly gross episode, and the doc told me something that resembled "you're imagining it."

Then I asked some Mommy-friends, and they told me it could be a reaction to the junky baby shampoo I was using. I looked up cosmeticsdatabase.com and was horrified to see how poorly the Johnson's ranked. I bought some California Baby shampoo and his skin improved immediately. I don't care if it costs 4 times as much, even though we're broke, he's worth it.

Go Gwyn.

The Feminist Breeder
http://thefeministbreeder.typepad.com/

yah that is tough, i have

CourtneyFoster82 — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 01:20:42 -0500

yah that is tough, i have found GOOP to be somewhat out of touch and unrealastic to normal life, but I do find the chemicals in so much stuff to be a waste. I tried the no poop do for a while and it did work I had issues so went to green all organic products that i trust and research so I dont think she is wrong to say what she says. I was totally riduciled when I said that I did the no poop due and still get crap but I dont care. I want to be healthy and safe. I might not be perfect but I try.

Courtney

www.cookingupafamily.com

@cookingupfamily

cookingupfamily@gmail.com

Better Gwyneth then Angie Harmon

Green and Clean Mom — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 16:03:10 -0500

I'd rather listen to Gwyneth rant about shampoo and toxins then believe the new J&J spokesperson Angie Harmon. At least awarness is being raised on the issue and it is scary!