There is no way I can string together a sentence that can fittingly express just how much Michael Jackson meant to me or how deeply devastated I am by his death.
The word “epic” is unworthy of describing his life, his career and his iconic level of fame. Not only was he the most significant artist in music history during his life, but the news of his death today nearly shut down the entire internet. The way the story unfolded in the news marks a major change in journalism and social media that will surely have implications for years to come. The biggest comfort to me, and surely many other fans, has been the overwhelmingly positive nature of the coverage and comments. Aside from the few who feel the need to make jokes or spread malicious garbage, most everything I have read, listened to and seen today regarding his passing has expressed sadness and appreciation for the light he brought to the world.
To me, Michael Jackson was much more than a singer, a dancer, and a celebrity. To me, he represented The Dream, the hope and optimism that can keep us going in our darkest hours. Whenever I felt like I was wallowing in the lowest points of my life, I had The Dream to lift me up and make me believe things would get better. The Dream is that magical part of childhood, the wild imagination, which makes us believe anything is possible, that the future will be brighter than the present. Today, I feel like my childhood is officially over because The Dream is gone.
In time, I am sure that I will be able to once again feel that optimism and inspiration that Michael Jackson represented in my life. Today, however, I am left with sorrow and disbelief.
Here’s a few pictures from the Suns/Nuggets game at the Pepsi center last night.
It was one of the first really exciting games I’ve seen in a while, which might not be saying much because I hardly ever watch sports. The dudes were playing their asses off and it even went into overtime. It was a late game anyway, so this meant it wouldn’t end until after midnight. Despite how tired I was, I really enjoyed it and it brought me back to the old days when I had the NBA League Pass for DirecTV and watched every Clippers game.
Afterward, me and my peeps (AKA my mom, my good friend Dave and my boss Neil from DFS) went back to say hello to the guys. Everyone we saw from both the Nuggets and the Suns was very friendly and cool, but the highlight for me was definitely Grant Hill.
I’ve known him since I was a kid and my dad was an Assistant (and later Head Coach) of the Pistons. Of all the NBA players I’ve ever met, he is definitely the coolest. He’s like the quintessential role model for how NBA players should be. He’s smart; he’s friendly and polite; he’s charismatic and personable, just an all-around great dude.
After we said goodbye to my dad, I headed home and got about 3 hours of sleep before heading off to work this morning. Needless to say, I’m pretty worn out today. Still, it was one of the funnest nights since the Festival and totally worth chugging Pepsi Max to stay awake the next day.
Here’s a few clips of Vanilla Ice performing “Ice Ice Baby” live at the Pepsi Center during halftime at the Denver Nuggets game tonight. Totally the highlight of my week!
While he was on stage, I flashed back to myself as a kid in the early 90s dancing to this song and thinking he was so hot. Then I flash back to myself just a few years ago watching Rob Van Winkle on The Surreal Life and absolutely loving it. Usually anyone on celebreality tv proves their lameness, but he was one of very few celebrities who actually end up looking better after a reality show.
