Only game in town

We interrupt this long blog silence to note with sadness the death of Michael Jackson. The best comment I've read on the subject comes from, no joke, Chris Onstad's Achewood comic. 

Onstad sometimes has his cartoon cats and otters write blog posts, and Ray's post on Michael said something I think we should keep in mind:  

What I think a lotta folks are feelin’ now is a regret. Not regret that a man died; no. They regret that for almost three decades they been mockin’ this guy. This guy who wrote Thriller, and PYT, and Billie Jean. You know who you are, you Michael deniers, listenin’ to your The Cure or Aerosmith. You always considered Michael’s music silly. Not serious. Lame, mainstream. “Popular.” And his life — everyone gets a kick outta’ watchin’ the mighty fall. It sells paper. It makes us feel falsely superior, from our low places. Yet now, now that he’ll never sing another note, you listen to those songs anew —ABC, I Want You Back, Beat It — and you know who he was. . . .   

Michael was our music. The next time you’re out alone in your car, and "Smooth Criminal" comes on, it’s gonna mean somethin’ different to you. You’re not gonna change it this time. You’re gonna hear it and think to yourself, “I missed knowin’ his music in the moment.” I don’t blame The Cure. That was your call. The Cure is just out there, like car horns or people who make noise when they cry. The Cure is a choice. When we hear Michael, it is not a choice to feel the beat. It is not a choice to cock your head and straighten all the fingers on your right hand. 

Comments

[Kip W]

I liked the video for "Leave Me Alone," a heartfelt plea by Michael not to be a whipping boy for the tabloids, with a sort of enhanced cutout animation visual showing the popular topics -- oxygen chamber, pet chimp, headlines, Micheal dancing with the skeleton of the Elephant Man.

It was successful in its aim as well. I felt sympathy for him, which has never entirely left me.

[Jim]

I was wondering if you were going to post on this. Have been working on the book?

[gijyun]

For the record, Cure fans are most usually MJ fans; if not only for having been mocked most of their lives as well.

[eba]

Thanks for ending the radio silence, even if it's a copy/paste job on Jacko. Still, I sense some color seeking back into my black and white life now that Dial M is back online. You guys are back online, right?