What do we talk about when we talk about Michael Jackson? The MJ death/death-in-life/rebirth-in-death phenom is too big for one blog, but finer minds than mine have mined the depths. I have four favorite pieces (so far) about MJ (RIP). They are:
*David Gates’ majestic essay from Newsweek (which I read aloud to my husband in a hotel room in London, where the whole city was as Jacko-crazed if not more so than the USA & where mind-bender headlines such as JACKO BEGGED FOR FATAL JAB abounded).
*Steve Almond’s sick & riveting short story; (not sure I can print the title on this site, which I hope makes you want to read it; the first thing I did after hearing of MJ’s death– after helping the internet crash by You-Tubing the Jackson Five, ABC– was find Steve’s THE EVIL BB CHOW on my shelves and read aloud to my ever-patient husband the last page; then and only then did I shed a few tears…)
Plus: a found-poem posting on my site from ‘Litotes’ (printed below).
Plus: a new StarLit. posting, a (very) personal personal-essay triggered by MJ, written by Eugenio Volpe and titled: Only In America Can a Poor Black Boy Die a Rich White Woman. (read on our StarLit. Page)
PS: & some songs: MICHAEL JACKSON by FATBOY SLIM and a song by Mu which screams, ‘Leave Michael Jackson alone.’ If only we could, Mu. But as they say in Pottery Barn, you break it, you own it. We killed him; we own him. Or owe him. Or something. Further thoughts/feelings/songs/ ‘inappropriate conspiracy theories– all are welcome here! WDYT?
FROM LITOTES:
Some inappropriate Michael Jackson conspiracy theories:
(1) The Castrato Theory: So he could retain his childlike voice into adulthood, his father had him “altered”.
(2) The Clone Theory: After Thriller, he made unreasonable contractual demands. So he was secretly assassinated and replaced by a white guy, whose plastic surgery gradually WORE OFF.
WDYT?
PS: also from Litotes, on an upbeat MJ note, check out this:
Jacko impersonators hit paydirt
PPS: And I’d add to my favorite MJ writings this one.
easearle
THIS JUST IN FROM ‘SANDRA’ on the StarLit. page:
Sandra
Eugenio Volpe had my husband and I laughing out loud at the unlikely, absurd, and hilarious connection between Michael Jackson and an Italian upbringing.
Yes Sandra; I found it LOL too– here’s a taste of the MJ/Italian connection in Eugenio’s essay:
Had my cousin Michael not introduced me to punk rock my fondness for Motown would have continued its natural progression towards the later music of Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie. Instead, I developed the good sense of hating mainstream entertainment and the various members of my extended family.
Read on on our StarLit. Page… Elizabeth
From Ronnie C., re: Eugenio Volpe’s MJ piece on our StarLit. Page:
ronnieC
Eugenio’s piece is hysterical! One of the best reads in a long time!
hi again with some more intriguing Michael-Jackson-related posts that appeared on the StarLit. page, where fur is flying today. Here is an exchange between ‘Sandra’ and ‘Mr. Jay’ in response to Eugenio Volpe’s MJ essay– FYI– Elizabeth
Sandra
I agree that Volpe’s story is totally narcissistic and love it for that reason.
My story isn’t about rejection of pop culture but my desire to actually “be the Eighties.” (Just like every other girl.) I tried my hardest. I made clothes out of rags. I wore pink lip gloss. I wore stupid ribbons in my hair. I lost my virginity early. I tried so hard but I never got to be the Eighties. I was never popular. I was never rich. I never had a convertible white Cabriolet. I was never mean to other girls and I was always ignored by boys. I was never not-Jewish. I couldn’t be the Eighties because I couldn’t not be me. So here I am twenty years later with poor self-esteem because I struggled to be like Molly Ringwald and failed. I ask you what is more 80s than low-self esteem? Nothing.
Mr. Jay commented that Volpe’s story was “not about Michael Jackson at all” neither is my story about Molly Ringwald. It’s all about me. Every generation has their pop culture and everyone in that particular generation is defined by it whether it is from the rejection of it or desire to be it or attempt to hide from it. Is it possible that Mr. Jay can be above the influence of the pop culture of his generation?
FROM Mr. JAY:
edit this on August 13, 2009 at 8:22 pm | Replymistah jay
Sandra posed the thought: Is it possible that Mr. Jay can be above the influence of the pop culture of his generation?
My story is one of neither being rejected by or hiding from pop culture; it is more like oblivious to than above the influence. I was going to say my generation had no pop culture, but (at risk of age stereotype) my favorite Christmas present circa 1956 was a 45 RPM record player (remember those?) and my first vinyl titled “You Aint Nothing But a Hound Dog” by Elvis. I was perhaps singularly unaffected… but surely Elvis and rock & roll molded the culture enough that it influenced me in an oblique way. Those were very different times and in hindsight I suspect that the absence of mass media diminished the effect of the culture somewhat. Being a “Polio Pioneer” (never did know if I got water or the Salk vaccine), the outrageous thought propounded by some that we would land on the moon within 50 years and fear of being nuked by Khrushchev were were far more compelling than any musician. The explosion of the internet (to wit, this thread) had far more impact than any of the aforementioned. Like Sandra I suffer, or more accurately suffered (past tense) low esteem not from estrangement with the pop culture but rather by more mundane aspects of passing through adolescence. My low esteem morphed into a what-does-it-matter attitude and finally settled out to a Ghandi-like sense of humility. I am quite content with that.
HI again– Just returned from the StarLit. page and wanted to post another lively exchange after a busy day for the Blog– Thanks to Eugenio’s MJ essay for stirring the mix– see these comments from HUEY (LEWIS) and SARITA– Elizabeth
Huey (Lewis) wrote:
I found this blog to be most entertaining. I’m wondering about the Dewey post though……Perhaps instead of writing “I’m not exactly sure what this blog was really about” they should have written, I am too ignorant to grasp the concept of this blog”
It is a blog for creative writing meant to inspire and amuse others… two thumbs up from this reader….. Imaginative and over the top ….what fun is the truth? Isn’t it meant to be hyped up and embellished!! Keep ‘em coming!!
ps.. there is no matriarchal character in the Godfather .. but nice try w/ the pop culture reference….
edit this on August 14, 2009 at 3:48 am | Replyeasearle
Thanks very much to Huey (Lewis) for the words of encouragement! I’m new to Blogging but am having fun so far, and yes, you sum up the direction I want the Blog to take better than I did myself in my ‘About’ statement– Anyway, glad you found the Blog to be ‘most entertaining’, that’s great to hear and we will try to keep things lively with writers like Eugenio–
Elizabeth
SARITA wrote:
edit this on August 13, 2009 at 9:53 pm | ReplySarita
Eugenio: Brilliant, funny, smart! Banal words but sincere. I am going to look for more work by you because anyone that writes this well ( and is so funny) I need to read more of!! Sarah
edit this on August 14, 2009 at 3:45 am | Replyeasearle
Hi Sarita– Yes, I’m a fan too of Eugenio Volpe writings– you can find more via Post Road magazine where he had a great story that is forthcoming also in a Best of Post Road anthology– I think the Post Road website has access to stories it published– glad you want more Volpe and hope he posts something more on the blog– he’s stirred up lots of comments– cheers–
Elizabeth
I’m lovin’ and lurkin’ around all this great wacko jacko brouhaha, but I have a small correction on the musical tributes mentioned.
It’s not Yoko Ono, but Mutsumi Kanamori, lead “singer” of Mu. She’s screaming “Stop Bothering Michael Jackson!” on the Manchester’s Revenge album. The track antedates the “Leave Britney Alone!” video by two years or so, but they’re definitely the same meme.
In contrast, Yoko Ono would be screaming something like “I broke up the Beatles hahaha!”
Thanks for the correction, Litotes– will insert Mu right now into the Post–
cheers– Elizabeth
From the NY Times,
Jacko impersonators hit paydirt
THANKS for this Litotes! Hope the impersonators do not have to get castrated to ‘do’ young Michael (for those who haven’t read it yet, see Litotes’ posting on his ‘Inappropriate Conspiracy Theories about MJ’s death’…)
Rock on, Litotes! Elizabeth
more interesting postings from the StarLit. page, where comments are still flowing in from the MJ essay…
FROM BILLP.:
billp.
This rocks, Eugenio. Frickin hilarious and full of truth. Though I too “am ambiguous about your clitoral prowness.”
FROM AMABOtraeh:
edit this on August 16, 2009 at 2:36 am | ReplyamabO traeh I
I love the love fest. I love the love we share in our hate. I love the reverse ingnorance. I love the twisting of tolerance and intolerance. I love seeing so much smoke blown that one can no longer distinguish love and hate and hate and love. I love this blog because we can mimic pop culture and give ourselves praise and glory and then we can praise one another for hating the pop culture we mimic. I love the fact we can all be so greatful to have one another to hate side by side, in unison, together. Feel the love..err…hate…uhh…love?
I know this will probably get me booted…but I never really got the whole “Michael Jackson” thing.
I’ll take The Purple One any day.
There’s room for MJ non-believers on this blog! The Purple One– are you by chance referring to ‘the artist formerly known as Prince’? Maybe not, but Purple Rain is a fave of mine and I have noticed how, in contrast to the ghastly ghostly MJ, Prince is aging well. Maybe that’s what comes from swinging both ways, outside the closet. Plus, Little Red Corvette still rocks.
Is this the way to the library?
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