[Dixielandjazz] Michael Jackson

[Larry Walton Entertainment - St. Louis]

Michael Jackson was a multi talented person and that is what it takes to make it today.  Someone mentioned Fred Astaire.  He was a multi talented person who could sing, act and dance and probably other things too.  You could go down the list of people who made it and had many talents.

In the remote past you could be just a musician but the movies and later TV changed that all.  I'm sure that thousands of talented musicians lost out when visual productions came into vogue.  By the 50's it was clear that if you wanted to make it big you had to have a lot more under the hood than just a single talent. 

Sadly with great talent often goes great personal flaws.  Michael Jackson had his flaws in bunches as did many other artists such as Janice Joplin,  Jimmy Hendrix and the Bird.  Exaggerated lifestyle has killed more than one famous person and appears to continue.  Just the other day, Kung Foo legend, David Carridine was found dead in bizarre circumstances.

The only impact that his passing will have on me is that I probably won't be able to tell any Michael Jackson jokes on stage anymore.

Truthfully his hang ups were sad and he, for all his money (gone) and hang-ups, should be more of an object of pity.   Maybe now his kids will have some chance at a normal life.
Larry
St.L