WOW Michael Jackson ....dead?????

[tedsingingfox]

OK, I have to admit I couldn't read this entire thread. WAY too emotional, on both sides of the MJ debate. Another reason I totally avoided this thread for several days now.But believe it or not, Arthur is entitled to his opinion and we ALL know he's not the only one who feels the way he does about MJ.I will never detract from his musical legacy, as I was an immense fan for decades.But he had clearly lost all touch with reality LONG ago.And now that we know beyond a shadow of a doubt that it was his abuse of drugs that caused his death, I feel safe sharing this with y'all.What's going to happen to Michael Jackson after he's cremated?They're planning on melting him down and turning him into Legos so that little boys can play with HIM for a change.OK, flame away....Ted

[brindabella]

I just feel so sad that someone was so tormented he needed anesthetics to sleep. I sometimes have bad insomnia and when I cant take it anymore my remedy is Nyquil. How do you go from an OTC to an anesthetic? That person is surely desperate!

[mojobone]

Jul 6, 2009, 11:32pm, suzdoyle wrote:Well said, Mojo. A grief counselor once suggested that our response to situations is guided by an inner board of directors -- one which is made up of diverse abilities/ dis-abilities/ and moral compasses that can cause us to hold polar opposite feelings and responses to a situation. There's the hero, the whiner, the saint, the sinner, the maternal guide, the warrior, the one with infinite perseverance, the one who wants to end it all, etc. Each voice is an aspect of self (and of our collective cultural mores, whether absorbed consciously or unconsciously). Some aspects of self are more dominant that others, but ultimately, the entire "board of directors" votes upon what course of action to take, and each "voice" helped us shape a deeper perspective about matters.When thinking about things this way, it is easy to understand how we can hold divergent responses to things (e.g. holding both anger and compassion towards the perpetrator of a crime), and how we can behave in ways that exhibit seemingly incongruent values.I know a woman who creates incredible visionary art, deeply moving and spiritual. At the same time, she poisons neighborhood cats and treated her stepdaughters abusively so they were removed from her home. Which of those is her true nature? Or are all those things -- and more -- who she is?With celebrities, we tend to expect them to be one-dimensional characters, and we find it surprising when they turn out to be as human as everyone else -- full of noble accomplishments right alongside with less than noble ones.Not saying this explains anything specifically about the life of Michael Jackson or anyone else; but it helps me have compassion for the depth and breadth of human experience possible within each person and how much our lives travel upon the spectrum of possibility. ,SuzThanks, Suz, for adding what I left out of my last post in the interest of brevity. There's good and evil in all of us, and when we focus on the evil in others, it reinforces our own.That said, I too am tiring of the seemingly endless coverage; perhaps after today's memorial service we can all finally let him rest.

[trentoliphant]

In one of my recording classes a number of years ago, we had the opportunity to listen to the vocal track on one of MJ's recordings. I don't remember the exact track, but the lead vocal was not recorded with a close mic - but with a room mic. It was obvious that he was dancing while he recorded it - you heard it. The sound of just his voice - with nothing else except his feet movements - was mesmerizing.I can't say I was ever a huge fan - I wouldn't ever pay to see him perform - but I wouldn't turn down a ticket. His personal life got a bit bizarre for me - and I don't know where I stand on the guilt or innocence issue - and frankly to me it doesn't matter that much. Even if he was guilty - there isn't anything I can do about it. There are terrible things that are happening around me that I can do something about. I can also look at myself and the evil things that I am capable of and focus on not doing those. That seems to be a far better use of my energy then worrying about what some public figure may or may not have done.What I do know is what his music has done for me and my world. There is no denying his great influence, and I for one am grateful.I haven't been watching the coverage, mostly because I don't even really have TV and I definitely don't have the time. I tend to not give to much credence to celebrity coverage anyway.I was sitting at dinner backstage before performing a concert at the Sprint Center in Kansas City, MO when a performer friend of mine got a text of the news. It took me a while to believe it, and we did discuss it a while (We mostly talked about the insurance issues on the 50 concerts - interesting discussion).Anyway - those are just some of my thoughts on the whole MJ Death issue. To me it is always sad to see a great entertainer die - regardless of the circumstances.Trent

[pitterpatter]

I guess I owe Michael Jackson and his family an apology. I didn't know if Michael was guilty of the child molestation charges and the rich seem to be able to buy their way out of jail. I know you can't tell everything from just looking at his kids but I have to say, his little daughter Paris sure loves her Dad. His children sure don't look like abused children at all. The videos of him with his kids show a lot of love between them. Maybe if Michael had been more willing to share his children with the world, people would have seen that his kids were healthy and normal and I'm sure they could speak for themselves if they were being abused. The media sure would have asked them if given the chance. Maybe they will now.I still don't know the whole story and I never will but it looks more to me than ever that because MJ had a lot of money, he was a target. Maybe MJ was an innocent, child like person who was loving and who would never harm a child, any child. I never knew the extent to which he contributed to charities. It does show a tender, kind heart. So I think I owe MJ and his family an apology. The whole word turned away from him because they didn't know if he was guilty or not and so did I. What a tragedy if it wasn't true. I can only imagine how terrible it would be to live with that public of an accusation with the stigma it carries when a person is innocent. I really think now he was the victim and not the other way around. I could be wrong but if he was a child molester, he would probably molest his own kids and now that I see them without the masks and some of the videos, there seemed to be a lot of love. The congress woman who spoke reminded me that in America, people are innocent until proven guilty. It's too bad it had to take MJ's death to make me think about my own ruling. I didn't even make up my mind to believe in him or not believe in him. I sat on the fence along with most everyone else and that was probably much worse. If he was innocent, I apologize.

[suzdoyle]

Lots of heartfelt thoughts and perspective here. I am a strong advocate of the rights of victims of assault, having dealt with that issue personally in the past. At the same time, the only people who really know about whether the allegations about MJ were true or not are those directly involved in the matter and those in the courtroom.Unless hearing things directly from the source, it is difficult to know what may or may not be true. Especially given the media's propensity for sensationalizing matters. So I'd just as soon step back, sad for the loss of a talented performer, and trusting that those directly involved in matters of his personal life will find their way to resolution.I watched "The Wiz" last night, a 1980s Motown version of the Wizard of Oz, with Jackson playing the scarecrow. Even in this dated show, his talent shone through. Suz

[jjktunes]

All I can say is I am a fan of greatness. You have to put yourself in his shoes if he was innocent of those charges, how bad that would be to deal with. In yours and my world only knowing what the media gives us he put his self in some bad situations for somebody to take advantage of him and IMO thats what happened. None of us know the real truth at all, we just take what the media machine tells us and form our own opinions. I would hate to know that I was innocent of such crime against kids and the world still thinks of me as a freak and a child molester, especially if I had the means to create my own little world where I could be the kid I never was allowed to be and and thats all I was doing. I know about addiction, I know about not being able to sleep and getting to the point of desperation. None of us are above finding ourselves in that position. If we love kids I'm sure that if we could spend some time with his kids we would love them too. And if we say we love children and we know that he was dearly loved by his kids, then it is our and the media's responsibility not to make his kids grow up having to relive all these allegations about their father even after he was proven innocent. I'll say it again we do not know the truth.

[toddt]

Is his death getting maybe just a little to much oxygen? Elizabeth Taylor and Quincy Jones seem to think so... although wonderful doting father Joe just seems to be happy for the opportunity to be able to sell a few more records and to plug his new label.I hope the family donates a large part of the proceeds of last night to some children's charity that MJ would have supported.

[mojobone]

When you hear it from people that knew and worked with MJ, you get the idea he was nothing like that person portrayed in the media:http://www.gearslutz.com/board/4325168-post15.html

[allends]

Jul 8, 2009, 6:00am, mojobone wrote:When you hear it from people that knew and worked with MJ, you get the idea he was nothing like that person portrayed in the media:http://www.gearslutz.com/board/4325168-post15.htmlI followed your link and read the whole post, Mojo. Very inspiring! Thanks for sharing!Allen