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Starting at 5 p.m. yesterday, I won’t be in the office for 10 days. I’m not supposed to be working during this time, and someone else will be handling C-Notes during my absence.

I left the office at 5 and headed to a screening of the movie Public Enemies (you can read the review in next week’s Scene). On the way there, I received a call from someone who told me that gossip website TMZ claimed Michael Jackson had died. TMZ is a lot of things (crass, crappy and blatantly exploitative of celebrities’ rights), but if they said Michael Jackson was dead, Michael Jackson was dead.

But I’m not going to write about Michael Jackson.

You’ve already read enough about this. As my Twitter followers know, I caught up on 18 hours’ worth of Google Reader items this morning, chronicling the whole thing in reverse. Needless to say, it was totally bizarre.

But I’m not going to write about Michael Jackson.

If I were to write about him, I’d tell you that the Jackson 5’s Greatest Hits was the first album I ever owned, when I was six years old. I’d tell you that “I Want You Back” is still my favorite song of all time. And I’d tell you that when MTV started playing “Billie Jean” in 1983, it was a pivotal moment in my music-obsessed life.

But I’m not going to write about Michael Jackson. —Michael Gallucci

This article appears in Jun 24-30, 2009.

9 replies on “I’m Not Going to Write About Michael Jackson”

  1. Michael Jackson broke racial barriers in the music world and also thru White is Might on MTV,opening up the floodgates for black and other ethnic artists.Thriller was a mega masterpiece and Billie Jean will always be a fav of mine.Despite his addled mind and troubled personal life he will always remain the pivotal king of many musical genres and the infusion of drama,flash and film like qualities to the making of music videos.Rest in peace Michael…..u sure have earned it!

  2. Michael Jackson was a good dancer. Very Talented, I don’t believe the things that people are saying in the papers. He was a true Legend! King of Pop forever, nobody could ever be any better then him, Never be forgotten, him or his music. R.I.P M’J xx

  3. I don’t care about what people think about Micael Jackson he was a good singer i am a fan of him i think whatever people think of Micael Jacksonthink of his family

  4. Micheal Jackson, I don’t care what people say about you, you are a legend!!! I’m glad people are listening to your music because they should! I know what people think about you, but I love you!!! I know that you were a good person so you died a brilliant singer and dancer and a lovely person! R.I.P xxxx

  5. Your nickname is true, you are ‘The King of Pop’ You’ve lived a good life! The people who are saying things about you are just jealous a lot of people would love to your amazing talents!!! R.I.P XXX

  6. i just wanted to say that michale will and always will be the best man on earth michael rest in peace

  8. on the behalve of the johnson family we would love to say that we miss you very much and if any dog trys to say he is a evil person we willl track them down.
    you know he is not evil you heard what apris had to say about him you white dogs.

  9. YEA,FOR EVERYONE WHO SAYS” MICHAEL WAS A PEDOPHILE AND A DRUGGIE: WHAT “THEY” DONT SAY IS ABOUT THE GOOD THINGS HE DID FOR THE WORLD! ALL THE MONEY THAT WENT TO CHARITY, NOT ONLY FOR THE UNFORTUNATE CHILDREN WHO WERE SICK BUT FOR MANY PEOPLE HE HELPED, MICHAEL HAD A BIG HEART, HE GAVE HIS ALL AND YES HE WAS NAIVE AND THAT GAVE HIM AWAY AS A CHILD MOLESTER, CLOSE PEOPLE THAT KNEW MICHAEL KNOWS THAT EVERYONE WAS OUT TO GET HIM FOR HIS MONEY AND HE’S FAME, AND SO IF HE WAS WEARD SO WHAT! HE WAS SPECIAL, A PERSON WHO THE WORLD LOVED AND HE GAVE THE WORLD BACK! AND ABOUT THE DRUGGIE PART…IT MUST BE VERY SAD, NOT SLEEPING FOR DAYS! CAN YOU IMAGINE? PEOPLE ARE SO EVIL, MICHAEL WAS BIGGER THAN LIFE…NOW HE IS GONE, BUT NEVER FORGOTTON!

    AND FOR ALL OF YOU MJ HEATERS, WHY DONT YOU READ MICHAEL (UNMASKED THE FINAL YEARS) BY IAN HALPERIN THEN CHOOSE FOR YOUR SELFS READ READ READ BEFORE YOU JUDGE IT’S NOT JUST THE TRUTH BUT IT’S BASED ON FACTS!

    MICHAEL YOU ARE NOW IN A BETTER PLACE! YOU ARE NOW FREE UNDER GOD’S WINGS
    RIP…..

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