Forget what you know, it lives on a level so far beyond that.  At his death, Theodore Giselle (AKA Dr. Suess) has sold 150 million books.  MotherF****k a hundred and fifty MILLION books, that's lot of f*****g books.  No ->-bleeped-<-. 

But...

Michael Jackson had sold 180 million copies of his records and CDs.  That's 30 million more copies of Michael Jackson on this planet over Dr. Sueses.  Unreal.  And its not just that the sound is beyond awesome (Thank you Quincy Jones) or that the songs were first rate, the ideas of videos pioneering, but that, in the end, when he danced.  He was the ->-bleeped-<-.  As it turns out, performance is the hardest thing to do in the arts, and he did it like this...

BILLIE JEANS BEST EVER MOONWALK

Yeah, just like that.  Now, and forever. 

An entertainment genius. Everything was to perfection. Solid hard work to make it all look effortless.

I think he must have had a miserable life. (JMO) Always on the stage from childhood, never being able to be "normal" (good coming from me ).

Tekla did you ever work with him?

Cindy

I've watched this for a long time, and I don't think its misery.  He did get to spend his off time at Neverland, how many of us could afford that.  But, what I think it really is, that 90 minutes on stage is so much better then the other 22.5 hours in the day that you are not performing, that you trade one for the other, its really a deal with the devil.

I remember when he really became the King of Pop (a title given to him by the Queen of Hollywood, Liz Taylor, and when Liz Taylor says your the king of pop, nobody will argue, but...) on the Motown Anniversary show, at the Apollo in New York, the greatest venue for African-American music in the world, that sacred stage, that harder than hard audience he had to follow the Temptations, the Four Tops and Diana Ross - hell, nobody follows Diana Ross and he did what?  He unleashed the Motherf*****g Moonwalk and you could hear the audience gasp, AFTER the Temps, after Diana Ross, AFTER all the legends of Motown, after what all they did and meant to black music, at the Apollo, he made them gasp.  Just wow. It's on just about everyone's list of the greatest performances ever.  It's just that good.
MJNews - Michael Jackson - Billie Jean Motown 25th Anniversary

A freakin'  great talent.  No argument about that!

And a terrible loss.

To me, a measure of greatness is not how well known you are, but how much you inspire those that know you.  To say that he inspired an entire generation is something I think everyone can agree on.

Few ever attain such greatness.  He is one.  He will be missed.

Well we were talking the other day in some other post about Carlos, and Emerson, so the deal to me about Jackson was that with all he had the singing, the production, the songs he wrote that all that paled compared to his performance of it.  Well at least its on video - he pretty much defined, hell, invented the video - and CD.  The 20 bit remaster of Thriller is pretty jaw dropping.  And as long as there are dance clubs, of any kind (except country and western) Off The Wall will be in the heavy rotation bin where it has been since the day it was released.  Even Sir Nose D'Voidoffunk will get up and dance to Don't Stop Till You Get Enough.

I will agree with you there.  Though I have been to very few concerts (like three),  in my life.  And you are just the opposite, who probably have an industrial case of tinnitus by now from your work in the performing arts.

I have only seen the vids of his performances and I'm sure I have only a small feeling of the power and magic of his presence on stage.

-Sandy

Quote from: tekla on June 27, 2009, 02:08:35 AM
... Theodore Giselle (AKA Dr. Suess) ...

Let's make that Theodor Seuss Geisel, whose pen name was Dr. Seuss.