Reports are coming in that Michael Jackson has died

[MSeries]

Some of the comments on here have been quite illustrative about their authors. One or two, well one actually, I am not surprised at. There comes a time when we heed a certain call when the world must come together as one.

This place isn't what it used to be anymore.

[Moloko]

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/cElMz7qEwGA&rel=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/cElMz7qEwGA&rel=1</a>

I'll never ever forget that afro. A genuine one that'll never ever be beaten.
It even pulled in lesser afros with its gravitational pull.

[Flying_Monkey]

Yes.  I'd hate to think I might upset a grieving Michael Jackson fan.  

heh. not quite what I meant, but anyhoo...

[Jaded]

There comes a time when we heed a certain call when the world must come together as one.

Is this 2012, when the world is due to end?

[Kathy]

I would suggest the MJ lost a lot of peoples sympathy vote with his alledged kiddy fiddling.

Alleged. That's the key word. He was acquitted in court. In the eyes of the law, that means he's innocent. Do you feel it acceptable to victimise someone who was the subject of unproven allegations?

This place isn't what it used to be anymore.

I know. 

[Hot Flatus]

Some of the comments on here have been quite illustrative about their authors. One or two, well one actually, I am not surprised at. There comes a time when we heed a certain call when the world must come together as one.

This place isn't what it used to be anymore.

Where's Jarvis Cocker when you need him?

[clarion]

I think Jarvis' comment was very apposite.

[Regulator]

Has Gordoom Brown made a statement yet?  He's normally fairly quick to jump on the celebrity bandwagon... 

[Tiger]

There comes a time when we heed a certain call when the world must come together as one.

Is this 2012, when the world is due to end?

What - come together as one around Whacko Jacko?  I do hope not - he is just a bloke that died who was raving mad, and did some popular pop songs 25 years ago.
He should be alowed the dignity of a quiet despatch but I fear he may be about to do 'the Diana/Elvis' thing and become a god. 

[clarion]

His time in the limelight has been about twice as long as either Elvis or Diana.  But that hasn't stopped people from raising him up as an idol to worship in the meantime.

[Spinners]

Can I be the first to pay my condolences without taking the piss?

A true musical legend, "genius" seems appropriate given the popularity of his work,  has died.

Edit.  He's an easy target for shit jokes made by the wanna-be-funny but, in all seriousness, you'd be making jokes about an abused child who did remarkable things.

Spot on mate.

[citoyen]

This about sums it up for me:
Warming Up | Richard Herring.com

Apparently, Steven Wells (ex NME hack) has also died this week, aged 49.

d.

[Adam]

I'll admit my first thought for a second or so, was that he was doing a Hotblack Desiato in order to avoid doing the concerts.

A troubled genius who was flawed by his upbringing.

[redshift]

Do you lot make fun of every death?

We will be of yours, if you don't watch your step ... 

<OT>
I'm a regular, and that's the single least funny comment I've seen somebody make on here in a  long time.  It certainly doesn't smack of excellence, whatever the intent.  Just appending a smiley didn't make it amusing.
</OT>

We now return you to your scheduled post mortem character assassination...

[PrettyBoyTim]

So I guess cross-posting pictures from b3ta.com to here wouldn't be appreciated? 

[Attitudeless Badger]

I would suggest the MJ lost a lot of peoples sympathy vote with his alledged kiddy fiddling.

Alleged. That's the key word. He was acquitted in court. In the eyes of the law, that means he's innocent. Do you feel it acceptable to victimise someone who was the subject of unproven allegations?

No, that is why I used the word (albeit badly spelt).  My response was to the previous poster who said he lost his sympathy for David Carradine because he died having a quick wank in a hotel bedroom.  No other parties were involved.  Should we therefore victimise people for their private solo sexual behaviour?

[Fab Foodie]

Do you lot make fun of every death?

Hang around to see the party that will ensue when Mrs Thatcher goes...

[Kathy]

I would suggest the MJ lost a lot of peoples sympathy vote with his alledged kiddy fiddling.

Alleged. That's the key word. He was acquitted in court. In the eyes of the law, that means he's innocent. Do you feel it acceptable to victimise someone who was the subject of unproven allegations?

No, that is why I used the word (albeit badly spelt).  My response was to the previous poster who said he lost his sympathy for David Carradine because he died having a quick wank in a hotel bedroom.  No other parties were involved.  Should we therefore victimise people for their private solo sexual behaviour?

Appologies; I erroneously inferred that you were one of the "lots of people" whose sympathy vote had been lost due to the allegations.

[ChrisO]

Do you lot make fun of every death?

Hang around to see the party that will ensue when Mrs Thatcher goes...

[coffee splutter]

cleans keyboard

[/coffee splutter]

It's horses for courses innnit... personally I don't think there's anything particularly nasty in this thread, and I'm sure there's a lot worse out there as we speak.

On the other hand if someone joins a thread about someone's death or something else that clearly affects people emotionally and makes smartarse comments then don't be surprised if people take offence.

They have as much right to be offended as you have to offend.

Being surprised or indignant at their objections is just attempting to out-trump them.

[Wowbagger]

What I object to his the guy's monopolisation of the media, whether in life or death. It's the odious cult of celebrity and he is probably the world's most adept player at that - not a talented musician, Gonzo, but someone who used a particular brand of music to keep himself in the limelight to the detriment of more important issues. He is the second part of bread & circuses.

[mattc]

I noticed this morning that BBC News ran with the footer/banner:
"MJ is dead"

sometime this afternoon they switched to
"MJ has died"

I can't believe they went with the earlier wording for so long ...

[Hummers]

...... He lost my sympathy vote once he stepped into the wardrobe and got his knob out.

*makes mental note not to share what really happend at Kings YHA that night in May while LEE lay there asleep *

H

[Eccentrica Gallumbits]

FWIW, I think he was talented but misguided.  He didn't change anything, though he managed to ride the Zeitgeist very effectively and for longer than most.

Oh, I don't know about not changing anything. There was quite a bit on the news today about the influence he had on MTV, which had almost exclusively played white rock music until MJ's solo career. He was the first black megastar and lots of people say he went a long way to making black music and even black people acceptable in white American culture.

The news programmes tonight were showing clips of him throughout his life - starting with him auditioning for Motown as a small child, all the way through from Rockin' Robin to Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough to Thriller and beyond. It made me cry a little bit, seeing such a beautiful, talented black man who looks so joyful in his performances turning into a white plastic fuckup squeaking "what about trees?"

Look at him -

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/VfJu_Bom2sA&rel=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/VfJu_Bom2sA&rel=1</a>

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/lD2OsUcgb00&rel=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/lD2OsUcgb00&rel=1</a>

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/-16fDpOW948&rel=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/-16fDpOW948&rel=1</a>


he just looks so happy and joyful, and look at his dancing. He changed contemporary dance forever. And his flares were grooooovy.

Bob Geldof said in his autobiography that when he went over to the US to assist them with their Band Aid thing, all the singers and musicians there were tuning up - using MJ's voice as the note to tune off.

[Jaded]

I think he was a remarkable popular musician.

Consumed by his nurturing, as opposed to Elvis Presley who was nurtured by his consuming.

[clarion]

Did he change contemporary dance?  There isn't a single move he pulled that James Brown hadn't done years before (and many older than that)