Michael Jackson (1958-2009)

So everyone knows now. I must say that I was extremely shocked and have spent the last 24 hours enjoying some of Michael's best songs and watching endless youtube videos. He was one of the finest performers of all time. He invented music videos and the paparazzi. He made Thriller which stayed in the Billboard top 10 for 80 weeks and donated 7 singles to the Billboard Top 10 in one week. He integrated MTV by being the first black artist to have his video aired. "Bad" was my first cassette I can remember and I still bust the moonwalk (sort of) whenever on hardwood without shoes. He followed in line right behind Elvis, whose eccentricities almost matched their talent. The last 10 years were not easy to watch and it makes it even tougher to listen to the eulogies that will arise this week.

Of all the videos I watched today this one was new to me. James Brown calls Michael up on stage who then calls Prince up on stage. It was a rare scene when James Brown was the "well adjusted" one. It seems to me that had Michael had a semi-normal upbringing he may have turned out a lot like Prince. I wonder if they ever hung out?