michael jackson

2010: End of end-of-year round-up

Hero of the year Sharon Corr. For her outspoken stance against music piracy. One question, who the fuck is illegally downloading Sharon Corr tracks?

Villain of the year The general public for doing all that cocaine in the RTE toilets. Seriously, what are we like? Read the rest of this entry »

MOONWALK TO PARADISE

This is the most depressing article I’ve read in a while.

“WILL THIS CEREMONY BRING CLOSURE TO HIS FANS?” “AH YES, KAY… IT WILL”

IIf you’re not watching the live coverage of Michael Jackson’s funeral on Sky News then, seriously, turn it on. The fan interviews are priceless… So random redneck couple, could you tell us why Michael Jackson’s music means so much to you? “Uh… Michael Jackson is the King of Pop.” “Yeah, he’s the King of Pop.” Right. And why did you bring a pile of his records? “This is a historic occasion… so I figured, you know, better bring the records.” Read the rest of this entry »

THE KING IS DEAD (SLIGHT RETURN)

Perhaps the most depressing aspect of Michael Jackson’s demise is that, for all the singer’s peculiarities, his death so exactly echoes the deaths of countless of other troubled, prodigiously talented entertainment icons down through the years (Elvis, Judy Garland, Hank Williams etc. etc.) It has the same basic plot (the gift as the curse) and exactly the same cast of characters (sycophants, leeches, quack doctors.) There will, no doubt, be further revelations about Michael Jackson’s personal life in the coming weeks and months, and it’s safe to assume that it won’t be pretty.

But on a happier note for now, this personal remembrance, written by Deepak Chopra’s (wonderfully monikered) son Gotham Chopra, is among the more interesting tributes to Jackson I’ve come across in the last few days. In it, he talks about planned strip club visits, sacks full of cash and doling out sex advice to a man seventeen years his senior – on the occasion of Jackson’s marriage to Lisa Marie Presley. Read the rest of this entry »

MR BOJANGLES (1968)

It’s almost 3am as I sit down to write. I became an uncle for the first time today, and have just returned from toasting the birth of my niece. No doubt, by the time anyone gets around to reading this, Michael Jackson will already have been eulogized far beyond my meager power to add or detract. If you weren’t a child of the 1980s, it’s impossible to exaggerate the extent to which this man’s outrageous talent captivated a generation. There is no contemporary equivalent. No one even comes close.

As an entertainer, in the modern era, his only peers were Elvis, Sinatra and the Beatles. Read the rest of this entry »

THE GLOVE IS MINE

Guess which bankrupt megastar is auctioning off a pile of their crap in Los Angelus today? (Update: Except it’s just been cancelled. B’ah.) Read the rest of this entry »