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I remember the first time I ever saw Michael Jackson. I was 4 years old and I saw the video for Billie Jean on the television. I was amazed. Sure, I was 4 and the “magic” sidewalk that lit up when he stepped on it probably made my little brain explode but still… I remember being completely enamored. People take this for granted but, at that time, there weren’t very many people on television who looked like me. In fact, as I later learned, Billie Jean was the first video of a Black artist to ever be played on MTV. I remember trying to sing along, as only a 4-year old can, and thinking that he was the coolest thing I had ever seen. After the video went off I started throwing a little mini tantrum because I wanted the video to keep playing.  Inexplicably, the complexities of music video rotations were beyond my comprehension and I fully expected the video to play in an infinite loop.  In an effort to settle me down, my cousin gave me the Thriller album cover and I remember staring at it for the next hour. (Probably expecting it to come to life like the magic sidewalk…)

Sure, I know you might be scoffing at my Stephen Glass-like memory. But it’s the honest to blog truth. While there is no question that Michael was beloved the world over, his status in the black community (particularly in the early days) was almost mythical. He was just a poor black kid from Gary, Indiana who went on to become the biggest star on the planet. His greatness gave a lot of people something to aspire to.

While I grew up listening to his music, it wasn’t until later in high school and college that I became a die hard J5 fan. In college I had a radio show and during each show I would a large portion to “old school” classics. Aretha, Marvin, Bill Withers, The Jackson 5, etc…  Michael Jackson was one soulful little boy.  His voice on Who’s Loving You is so raw and emotional that you almost forget that it’s a 11-year old singing the song.  Even at such a young age, his talent was undeniable.

I always felt that the real tragedy of the Michael Jackson story is the fact that fame basically ruined his life.  Sure it’s easy to talk about what a freak he was (believe me I’m guilty of it too).  But can you even begin to imagine what it must have been like to grow up Michael Jackson?  How alienated and alone he must have felt.  So without bringing up the well publicized tragedies that followed him later in life, I’ll just say that he’ll be missed.

Michael Jackson was without question one of the greatest entertainers who ever lived.  He changed the face of music and his legacy will survive long after his death.

download transporter 3 divx Yesterday I went to Guitar Solo on Townsend to have the action taken down on my guitar. Guitar Solo has almost legendary status in the city because it is known for it’s acoustic guitar selection and even better Tech. I had stopped in before but never had anything done until yesterday. I must say I was not disappointed. The Guitar Tech, Dave, was a really great guy. He took it in the back and basically decided that he could take down the action but that there would still be issues because of the way that my guitar was constructed. Part of the conversation went like this:

Me: So what you’re saying is I should get a new guitar
Dave: Well…

Before you think he’s a shyster who’s just trying to separate a fool from his money I should set you straight. He’s right. My guitar is, to put it mildly, a piece of crap. I only bought it because it was a good starter and I always intended to upgrade to something better.

He explained that he might not be able to give me perfect results but that he would see what he could do. It was obvious that he had a real respect for the craft because he spent a lot of time in the back trying to make it as nice as possible. When he could have just taken my money and phoned it in. It seemed that he really cared whether or not I was happy with the end result. While he was at it I asked him to change the strings and pins. The pins, by the way, were nice wooden ones that he gave me a more than 50% discount on.

To my credit, I resisted the urge to buy any of the many guitars that I tried out while waiting for the Guitar Tech to finish. I really liked the Blueridge BR43 and the Wechter 5713. The Wechter was a small parlor guitar but it had a really nice sound and the back and sides was a gorgeous matte rosewood.

I’d highly recommend Guitar Solo. When small shops are getting crushed by mega chains like Guitar Center, it’s nice to see a local business that cares about quality and service. Oh, and the whole thing only ran me about $50 and that’s including the strings and pins.watch australia in divx

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Listening to music on the walk to work today I made a decision. And I’ve made up my mind so don’t try to convince me otherwise. I am officially boycotting any song that contains the lyrics “Can’t you see push dvdrip dragonball evolution movie

“. It has to be the most hackneyed non-original rhyming phrase of all time. I demand more, people.

That is all.

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You ever have someone tell you something is good so many times you start to believe it? Seriously, if one more person tells me that Lil Wayne is the illest MC out right now…

Yeah, ok I saw him on the VMAs and I will admit that he comes up w/ some original and off the wall freestyles:

“I can’t pronounce her last name so it should be mine” (w/ Nicole Scherzinger)

“I’m a fall out boy / Need a stand up girl” (w/, duh, fall out boy)

That’s all well and good but people come on. The greatest MC of all time?! Let’s not go crazy.

Last Monday I saw a coworker’s band perform at Amnesia. Towards the end of their set my coworker (who is the lead singer) tells the crowd:

I’d like to dedicate this next song to my coworkers who are all sitting up front tonight. This next one goes out to them especially Arquay!

The name of the song, I kid you not, “She’s No Angel”. Ok, so I’ll never win the “Coworker of the Year” award. I can dig that. But right after she made the dedication a guy in the back yells out:

Ain’t that the truth!

Brutal. I don’t even know that dude. I can’t help it if my fly Pumas cause people to hate on me.