Michael Jackson - Another Worker Down.

Last night I was at Trash Kit (still fuckin ruling, they rule so much they try get feedback out of a violin!!!!) and Teen Sheikhs (also still rulin', getting drunk, breaking strings, talking trash, losing cash but moulding it all with some catchy songs and melody)

Anyway unfortunately just before the Teen Sheikhs went on news filtered through that Michael Jackson might be dead ......... this soured the evening as myself and many other punters began to realise what a shock this was to the system.

Personally Michael Jackson has always been in my psyche. My first stirrings into music owe much to watching the "Thriller" video and being slightly frightened by the monsters but hooked on the pulsating beat and moves that permeated beneath the zombie exterior, then came "Beat it", "The Way You Make Me Feel", "Dirty Diana", "BAD".

Towards the 90's, when most of us in our 30's (or late-teens/early 20's) hit our rebellious grunged era, and my interest waned a bit, especially with the ultra tacky "Earth Song" and "Heal The World", even though I still rocked out to "Black or White" and "Do You Remember The Time".

Into the late 90's & noughties(such a crap term), I started going into his back catalogue and loving the Jackson 5 stuff and ealry solo albums, have faint inklings of my parents blasting tunes like, "Can You Feel It", "I wanna Rock with You", "Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)" and "Blame it on the Boogie", at their christmas parties when I was only knee high .

This, in conclusion, brings me to realise the real sadness of Michael's passing, it's not just the fact that he's gone and has left a colossal back catalogue, it is more the people of his ilk are getting less and less, the hard workers and the stars that last for decades and not just a 15 sec youtube video. I am constantly appaled by the lack of artistic commitment certain artists have performers cancelling left right and centre due to colds or an ailing pet. If you did that to James Brown or Joseph Jackson for that matter you would have been fined a bunch of wages and got your ass kicked until you reached the next show.
This probably highlights the madness which befell him in the years that followed imagine from the age of 5 -18 your rehearsing, touring, rain or shine sickness and health. Everyone's trying to be your best friend or girlfriend but nobody knows you. If Britney grew up in Michael's era that bitch would not have any where near K-Fed or a pair of shears.
So it is therefore for this reason I feel sad, sad that yet another important cog in what made music so great and alive has perished and that the money spinning glamour puss acts of today can get even more money for less.