TODAY A FEW PERSONAL THOUGHTS ABOUT MICHAEL JACKSON.
ENOUGH WILL COME OUT ABOUT THE SORDID SIDE OF MICHAELS LIFE AND DEATH - SOME IS ALREADY
LEAKING OUT TODAY. THAT’S NOT MY INTEREST. MINE IS HAS ALWAYS BEEN AND ALWAYS WILL BE
THE MUSIC. I’VE MET ENOUGH PERFORMERS THROUGH THE YEARS TO KNOW THEY’RE JUST PEOPLE,
AND ONLY ONE OCCASION WAS I STUMPED FOR SOMETHING TO SAY. THAT WAS WITH (OF ALL PEOPLE)
BOB HOPE, WHO I FIGURED HAD BEEN ASKED ABOUT EVERYTHING UNDER THE SUN AND THEN SOME.
SOMEHOW I AWKWARDLY STRUGGLED THROUGH THE INTERVIEW AND AT THAT MOMENT VOWED NOT
TO BE IN AWE OF ANYONE. I CAN ADMORE THEIR TALENT, BUT THE PERSON IS A HUMAN BRING - NOT A
STAR - WHICH BY DEFINITION IS A BIG BALL OF GAS. I THINK ANYONE WHO BELIEVES THEY ARE A STAR
FITS THAT DEFINITION.
HAVING SAID ALL THAT, I DID APPRECIATE MICAHEL JACKSON’S UNIQUE TALENT. I WAS A VERY YOUNG
DJ IN MUSKOGEE OKLAHOMA WHEN “I WANT YOU BACK” CAME OUT. I THOUGHT AT THE TIME IT WAS ONE
OF THE BEST RECORDS OF ITS TIME…STILL DO. IT REALLY CUT THROUGH MOST OF WHAT WAS OUT THEN.
I ALWAYS TRIED TO CONCENTRATE ON THE MUSIC CHANGES AND NOT THE PERSONAL CHANGES MICHAEL
WAS GOING THROUGH. THERE ARE MICHAEL JACKSON SONGS I DON’T CARE FOR. “BEN” AND “I’LL BE THERE
COME TO MIND. THERE ARE OTHERS, BUT I DON’T HAVE TO LIKE EVERYTHING A PERSON DOES TO APPRECIATE
THEIR TALENT. HECK, ELVIS IS STILL MY ALL TIME FAVORITE AND THERE ARE A LOT OF RECORDS HE MADE
THAT WERE JUST HORRIBLE…A LOT. BUT THAT DOESN’T OVERSHADOW THE ONES I LOVE. AND TALK ABOUT A
TRAIN WRECK OF A PERSONAL LIFE! AGAIN , I CONCENTRATE ON THE MUSIC. WE ALL HAVE OUR LIKES AND
DISLIKES, AND THERE ARE ENOUGH SONGS TO GO AROUND FOR EVERYONE.
I MENTION ELVIS, BECAUSE AS I WAS ON THE AIR YESTERDAY WHEN MICHAEL JACKSON DIES,I WAS ON THE AIR
THE DAY ELVIS DIED TOO.
THERE WERE SIMULARITIES BETWEEN THE TWO DAYS.
THERE WERE EARLY REPORTS OF THEIR DEATHS BEFORE
OFFICIAL STATEMENTS, AND I HELD OFF SAYTING THEY WERE DEAD UNTIL THAT WORD CAME DOWN. I’D RATHER
GET IT RIGHT THAN GET IT FIRST.
THERE WAS AN IMMEDIATLY OUTPOURING FROM THE PUBLIC AND GATHERINGS AT GRACELAND IN 1977 AND THE UCLA
HOSPITAL AND MICHAELS HOME IN 2009.
THERE WAS SHOCK IN BOTH CASES ON HOW TWO MEN COULD DIE AT SUCH EARLY AGES OF A HEART ATTACK - AND KEEP IN
MIND AS HARD AS IT IS TO BELIEVE, MICHAEL WAS 8 YEARS OLDER AT THE TIME OF HIS DEATH THAN ELVIS WAS AT HIS.
THERE WAS NOT THE INSTANT COMMUNICATION WITH ELVIS THAT WE HAD YESTERDAY WITH MICHAEL, AND I CAN
HONESTLY SAY I BELIEVE THE GRIEF WAS DEEPER AND MORE FAR REACHING WITH ELVIS THAN MICHAEL.
STILL IT WAS AN AMAZING OUTPOURING THAT CONTINUES TO FLOW AND I THANKEVERYONE WHO CALLED WITH THEIR
STORIES YESTERDAY.
ONE THAT STICKS OUT WAS A LADY FROM MESA WHO HAD A COUPLE VISITING FROM ENGLAND WHO HAD TICKETS TO
SEE MICHAEL ON HIS UPCOMING EUROPEAN TOUR, SO SAD, AND LEFT TO WONDER WHAT THAT SHOW WOULD HAVE BEEN.
MICHAEL JACKSON TOTALLY BLEW MY MIND A COUPLLE MORE TIMES AFTER THE INITIAL IMPACT OF THE JACKSON FIVE.
HIS APPEARANCE ON THE MOTOWN 25TH ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL LIP-SINGING TO “BILLIE JEAN” AND DOING THE
MOON WALK WAS (AT THAT TIME) ASTOUNDING! WE’VE SEEN A LOT MORE SINCE THAT MOMENT, BUT PUT INTO THAT
CONTEXT, IT WAS STUNNUNG. EVEN FRED ASTAIRE ACKNOWLEDGED MICHAELS DANCING, AND YOU’LL NEVER TOP THAT
ENDORSEMENT ANYWHERE ANYTIME.
THE LAST TIME I TOOK NOTICE WAS WITH THE THRILLER VIDEO, WHICH EVEN TO THIS DAY I SEE ON A WEEKLY BASIS.
NOT BECAUSE I NEED TO SEE IT AGAIN, BUT AYDIN AND BRENNA, OUR 5 YEAR OLD NEICE AND NEPHEW, JUST LOVE IT. THEY’VE
WATCHED IT ALMOST EVERY FRIDAY SINCE I FIRST SHOED IT TO THEM A YEAR AGO (AND EXPLAINED IN ADVANCE THAT
THE MONSTERS WERE JUST PROPLE IN HALOWEEN COSTUMES - THEY GOT IT - AND THEY STILL LOVE IT)
SO WHAT DID MICAHEL JACKSON CONTRIBUTE TO MUSIC HISTORY? HERE’S MY TAKE.
ELVIS WAS OF OF THE FOUNDING BUILDING BLOCKS OF ROCK AND ROLL.
THE BEATLES GAVE US BACK SOME OF OUR OWN ROOTS MUSIC, COVERING A LOT OF BLACK AMERICAN MUSIC EARLY ON.
TO ME, FOR THE MOST PART, THEY’VE ALWAYS BEEN MORE OF A POP BAND THAN A ROCK & ROLL BAND.
MICHAEL JACKSON WAS A PURE POP ARTIST, WHO EXPANDED THE MUSIC WITH HIS MUSICAL INNOVATION (EVERYONE
THOUGHT HE WAS NUTS WHEN HE ASKED EDDIE VAN HALEN TO PLAY A SCREAMING GUITAR SOLO IN “BEAT IT” - AGAIN
PUT IT IN THE CONTEXT OF THE TIME) AND THE TIMING WAS RIGHT FOR HIS MUSIC VIDEOS WITH THE ASCENTION OF
MTV TO GIVE THEM EXPOSURE AND THE LONG FORM “THRILLER”, WHICH HAD NEVER BEEN DONE BEFORE.
IT’S SAD TO THINK OF THE PERSONAL PROBLEMS, WHICH IS AGAIN, WHY MY FOCUS IS ON THE MUSIC. FOR ITS TIME
IT WAS FRESH, SOMETIMES DARING, AND, PARDON THE PUN, YOU COULDN’T BEAT IT!
*******
HERE’S AN AUDIO CLIP OF MICHAEL AT AGE 11, TALKING ABOUT HOW THEY CAME TO MOTOWN.
CLICK ON THE AUDIO ICON BELOW.
jackson-michael-interview-clip-11-years-old2
BIRTHDAYS AND DEPARTURES -6/26
1919 – JAY SILVERHEELS (TONTO) WOULD HAVE BEEN 90
1940 – BILLY DAVIS JR (5TH DIMENSION)
1942 – LARRY TAYLOR (CANNED HEAT)
1943 – JEAN KNIGHT (MR BIG STUFF)
1943 – GEORGIE FAME
1951 – RINDY ROSS (QUARTERFLASH)
1957 – PATTY SMYTH (SCANDAL)
1993 - ROY CAMPANELLA (BASEBALL GREAT)
*******
THANKS FOR LIIKING IN AND LISTENING TODAY - HOPE YOU’LL JOIN ME TOMORROW MORNING FROM
7-10AM FOR MY SATURDAY MORNING SHOW “THE 70′S WITH STEVE GODDARD”
APPRECIATE IT 
