Weekend Assignment: Music(ians) of Your Life
Fresh when it gets here from
Julie Barrett
Saturday, June 27, 2009
The death of Michael Jackson has provoked a huge reaction, much of it from people who grew up listening to his music. Is there a particular musician whose work has particular meaning for you?
My musical tastes are fairly eclectic, and so it's hard to pin any artist down. Paul McCartney is about the only "must have" artist for me these days. Of course, there are the "moment" songs. We all have songs associated with memories. But if you mean someone will leave a gaping hole, I'm not sure.
Sure, I grew up listening to the Jackson 5. I even had a picture of young Michael Jackson on my wall when I was twelve. But my heart belonged to the Beatles. Even then, I listened to a lot of different music. I was probably the only kid my age who knew that swing music wasn't something made schmaltzy by Lawrence Welk. I was also a huge standup comedy fan and could listen to those records for hours. I still can. The other day I was reading an urban fantasy story that involved Noah, and all I could think of was Bill Cosby: "God? What's a cubit?"
What can I say? I've always listened to a variety of stuff.
Extra credit: What is your personal reaction, if any, to the death of Michael Jackson?
I was shocked initially. I'm very close to his age, so there's always that pang of one's own mortality. My first thought was massive cardiac arrest, and at least he apparently didn't go under suspicious circumstances. My second thought was that the tabloids won't let go of this for months. There will be tandem Elvis and MJ sightings now.
But I can't see him has a candidate for sainthood any more than Elvis Presley was, or Johnny Cash was, or Buddy Holly was, or John Lennon was. They were artists who touched a lot of lives, but they were human beings, and all flawed just like everyone else. I try to ignore the bulk of the media coverage, but it's like watching a train wreck (what happened to THAT story?): I just can't peel my eyes away.
But I will. I'm reading Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. What that has to do with the assignment, I don't know. Other than the fact that it shows I have better things to do than follow the media hype.
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Karen Funk Blocher said:
Oh, definitely not a saint, any of the people you mention. But I have to wonder whether that's part of why the public was so interested on each of them. Somewhere there's a talented musician who never did drugs, never got divorced, never did anything scandalous - and nobody cares.
Date: 6/28/2009 3:34:55 AM
Date: 6/28/2009 3:34:55 AM
Karen Funk Blocher said:
Oh, definitely not a saint, any of the people you mention. But I have to wonder whether that's part of why the public was so interested on each of them. Somewhere there's a talented musician who never did drugs, never got divorced, never did anything scandalous - and nobody cares.
Date: 6/28/2009 3:34:55 AM
Date: 6/28/2009 3:34:55 AM
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