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Jacko frenzy: where was intelligent radio when we needed it?
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Saint Michael
We're all sick to death of the vultures picking at the emaciated corpse of the manchild who declared himself the "King of Pop" and then got the rubes to agree that he was.
Elvis didn't nickname himself the King of Rock. Others did. But Jacko had it in contracts that he would appear on MTV only if they used that appellation. How did the masses get so sucked in?
Jackson's last album, 2001's "Invincible" was all but invisible. It sold 5 million copies worldwide when it was released, paltry when compared to his 1980s work, and hardly fit for a king. He was staging is rebirth in England, not the U.S. Anyone think about why that was?
Until his death, he was mostly considered a freak, and suddenly, in death he got a reprieve. I looked for an intelligent commentary on radio for days and found none. Finally, I see someone with whom I agree here, Mitch Albom's Detroit Free Press column.
My radio standards mostly let me down. Where was the serious analysis of his work and life? Ronn Owens gushed yesterday and today, with nary a trace of the cynic. I know Ronn better. Deep in his heart he wanted to look at the other side, but was caught up in the surge. Same thing happened with him during the Iraqi invasion. He and Rush Limbaugh told us the protesters were putting the troops in danger. He's apologized many times for that.
You can hear Ronn in the KGO archives here, with guest Dr. Harry Edwards. Sample: Ronn: "Michael was a Jehovah's Witness, right?" Harry: "He was."
Guys: Michael's religion was mostly narcisism and self-promotion, and you know it.
Owens was amazed that musicians could perform so well with such short notice. Of course they can, Ronn, when they are pros. I know cover bands that can get up and play anything requested without a bit of practice and sound as good as the original.
Today, Owens's feedback was positive from listeners who thought he was appropriately respectful. I wanted to call and ask if he would give the same respect to OJ when he dies. After all, he too was innocent of the charges and was a great football player and commercial actor. At this rate, I'm truly scared about how he'll be celebrated. Mike Tyson too.
A caller today said she would let her daughters stay at Jackson's house. Right. But what about her sons? Has the world gone mad? Now, it's suddenly ok for a 40 year old man to sleep naked with strangers' kids.
And let's not forget that Jackson settled one of those suits for big money, presumably the stronger case.
On the other side of the dial, these jackasses on KNEW's morning show were joking about the fact that Michael was being buried without his brain and wondering what that meant about his soul. That wasn't the kind of analysis I was looking for.
Michael Savage, who, like a broken clock, gets it right sometimes, told his audience the Jackson publicity was a chance to cover up Obama's failures in Korea, Iran and Honduras.
"You weren't thinking about Michael Jackson last week before he died and the media pumped it all up," said Savage.
Uhhh. No. There was no news about him to think about.
But I think he was on the right track here. The media should have been covering the rest of the world as well, but because they are too broke to hire and send intelligent reporters where they should, it was easier to send them to Los Angeles.
And of course, the fact that more people watched the memorial than watched Obama's inauguration, lets us know that the media is giving the people what they want, even while they fail to educate them to want something more.
And as said the man whose circus was moving into Staples Center as the Jackson circus moved out: No one ever went broke underestimating the taste of the American people.
Now, onto more serious matters: so is it true about Sarah Palin and Mark Sanford?
