Posted on 06/30/2009 8:52:45 AM PDT by AJKauf
Am I the only person in the world not moved by or concerned with the death of Michael Jackson? Like all bereavements my heart goes out to his family and close friends.
But — a “genius”? “The greatest entertainer of all time”?
Why am I writing this article at all?
I believe it is important, especially for the young, to understand the true meaning of greatness and to appreciate the real essence of “genius.” This may sound like a sacrilege but, as I write, millions of youngsters are breakdancing to Jackson tunes and evidently thinking this is the be-all and end-all of life’s expectations. If I had a young child now I would want him or her to read books, go to orchestra concerts, and be exposed to selective media under my — and my partner’s — supervision. Whether or not the stars I am about to venerate grew up in such a rarefied atmosphere is debatable, but after hearing Al Sharpton’s pronouncements I would like to reflect on what true greatness entails.
The Rev. Sharpton said this week that Michael Jackson broke down a barrier: he made it acceptable for black entertainers to rise to the top in a white world. What is Al Sharpton talking about? ..
(Excerpt) Read more at pajamasmedia.com ...
I don't put The Monkees on par with Eric Clapton, but I have always found it fascinating that after seeing Hendrix live, Mickey Dolenz was so impressed, he got Hendrix to be the opening act for The Monkees (66, I think?? Maybe it was 67). In later interviews, Dolenz laughs about how all these screaming young girls were looking at Hendrix on stage, "Huh? WE WANT DAVY!!"
What the heck could he be grabbing anyway. It is barren land down there.
I went to WalMart to buy a Sinatra cd for a gift and the employees didn’t even know who he was.
Smalltown NC. They didn;t have any of his cds.
Now, honestly, what Michael Jackson song could EVER top "Shama-Lama-Ding-Dong?"
How old are you? 12?
Be thankful, you still have the Andrews Sisters... :^)
Those broads give me a headache after only one side of vinyl ;)
Johnny B. Good, Promised Land, Brown Eyed Handsome Man, Back in the USA, Roll Over Beethoven and a whole bunch more...
I left my home in Norfolk Virginia,
California on my mind.
Straddled that greyhound, rode him past Raleigh,
On across Caroline.
Stopped in Charlotte and bypassed Rock Hill,
And we never was a minute late.
We was ninety miles out of Atlanta by sundown,
Rollin cross the Georgia state.
We had motor trouble it turned into a struggle,
Half way cross Alabam,
And that hound broke down and left us all stranded In downtown Birmingham.
Right away I bought me a through train ticket,
Ridin cross Mississippi clean
And I was on that midnight flyer out of Birmingham
Smoking into New Orleans.
Somebody help me get out of Louisiana
Just help me get to Houston town.
Theres people there who care a little bout me
And they wont let the poor boy down.
Sure as youre born, they bought me a silk suit,
Put luggage in my hands,
And I woke up high over Albuquerque
On a jet to the promised land.
Workin on a t-bone steak a la carte
Flying over to the golden state;
The pilot told me in thirteen minutes
Wed be headin in the terminal gate.
Swing low sweet chariot, come down easy
Taxi to the terminal zone;
Cut your engines, cool your wings,
And let me make it to the telephone.
Los Angeles give me Norfolk Virginia,
Tidewater four ten o nine
Tell the folks back home this is the promised land callin
And the poor boys on the line
BINGO
( and James Brown was better.)
Heh... good ole Mickey Dolenz, glomming onto the frazzled shreds of fame that he only wish he had.
Hendrix was (incredibly) booked to play with the Monkees by his manager. His goofball error has become something of a legend in the annals of popular music lore.
In the end, smarter people got The Experience out of that commitment. They never played on the same bill with the Monkees.
I could not believe the way people behaved when she died. I was sorry for her boys at the loss of their mother, but other than that I was only puzzled and amazed at the behavior of people.
And Otis Day and the Knights, Howlin' Wolf, and John Lee Hooker, Jimi Hendrix, Bo Diddley, and Arlene Smith & The Chantels - just too many great black artists to list.
Some of the Michael Jackson / Barack Obama generation think the universe didn't exist until these two were hatched.
I'm glad you corrected my anecdote, I had no idea Dolenz was stretching; I won't use it again. Thank you!
I never even heard of some of those acts but it just goes to show that the world of entertainment didn’t start with Michael. That was a good point.
Jacko is a pop music icon, but pop music is the bush leagues of music. The king of pop still doesn’t measure up to a gifted serious musician..
Pop, popular, populist, all these words are synonymous with easy, obvious, shallow, weak and trivial.
Dolenz probably thinks that it's been so long now, that he can get away with re-writing history.
That silly episode of the Experience's history is in just about every book about Hendrix' life. Jimi's been my favorite artist for over 35 years now, so I know a thing or two about his career.
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