Michael Jackson and Me

This is a re-post of a blog I wrote on July 01, 2008. Unless you have been in a cave, you probably know that The King of Pop passed away suddenly last week. Celebrity deaths are always talked about with intense scrutiny, even more-so, I suspect, when it's celebrity royalty: The King (Elvis Presley) and Princess Diana being a few other difficult deaths for pop culture to swallow. I was wondering if I could add anything to the public discussion on Michael Jackson's death when I remembered this post and realized that it embodied pretty much everything I wanted to say about the man.

Enjoy.

~Will

There are certain people who you just can't escape in this life. They sort of define you in many ways, inadvertently marking important segments of your life without even realizing it. Some do it for good and some...

For evil.

As I sit here thinking about who filled this role for me several names come to mind. I remember bawling my brains out a few years ago for example when Pope John Paul II died. I never knew the man, never even came within reach physically. And yet all that he represented somehow managed to touch me through my formative years.



Mrs. Moran, my 3rd grade teacher filled a similar role. She taught me in many ways to be creative and use the right side of my brain in a world that rewarded the left. She was unique in so many ways, and I much of who I am today I have her to thank. I was so touched a few years ago when she (along with my first grade teacher Mrs. Bruener) showed up at my mother's memorial service. I hadn't seen her in years.



There are people who shape our existence in many ways, sometimes when we ask for it, and sometimes when we do not. So for whatever reason, good or bad, this blog has been inspired by none other than the famous pop star Michael Jackson.



I have no idea when it was that I first heard Michael's name. I suspect that it was when I was in the third or fourth grade. Around the same time that Thriller was just becoming so popular. Sure, the self proclaimed King of Pop had been around for a while, but I was just beginning to realize that I was alive and that there was a world around me to explore. Teachers like Mrs. Moran and Mrs. Bruener were teaching me all about that!

But on a personal and pop culture level, I was learning that there was a world beyond the one that my parents created for me. I was making friends and exploring. Sleepovers and soccer games were the norm and these became the proving grounds for new ideas and opinions.

My firstest and bestest friend was Matt. We played soccer together and had sleepovers together. But what set Matt apart was that his parents had cable while mine did not. So while I stayed up late watching Saturday Night Live at my house, at Matt's house we could stay up late watching MTV.

And what did we stay up late hoping to find?

Michael Jackson's Thriller! Of course!





A few years later, my family finally got cable, and that was great. Michael Jackson had, by then moved on to other things, and thriller was not nearly as popular (even if I did enjoy skating to it at the local Star Skate). We stayed up late hoping to catch Bad. Down the road on I-5 a ways, Captain E-O played at Disneyland, and I begged my parents to take me. I knew I would like Star Tours, but the Captain (in 3-D!) was out of sight!



We all knew Michael was a little weird, but it didn't matter. Man had talent, and made us buy a million Sega Genesis machines.



In high-school life got complicated. Girls suddenly became much more interesting than they ever had been before. People became cruel. Life became complicated.

But Michael Jackson was still around, as popular as ever to provide a little escape. Now he was doing videos with Macaulay Culkin and Heavy D. Made me want to go back to Disneyland all over again.



After Dangerous was released, things got dark for the King of Pop. I don't think we need to go into the details. You all know what happened. Collectively, we all wondered why Jack-o liked Mack-O so much. As an adult Mack-o is so weird you really have to wonder.

Then there was the talk of the 100 ft. Michael in the Desert near Las Vegas...

And then there were the rumors of a comeback...

And then there was...

The kid who couldn't have been older than 10 at the library browsing DVD's with me a few weeks ago.

"Excuse me mister" he had said. I wondered much in the way Michael must now wonder every time a child approaches him, if I should even acknowledge the request.

"Excuse me mister...can you tell me where I can find the Michael Jackson DVD?"

Yes, son.

It's right over here.

Run For Your Life 10K

It was my pleasure to participate in the Northland Hospice 10k over the weekend in
Flagstaff, AZ.

It was a beautiful day for a race. Only 27 men in my age group finished in front
of me , but I am certain that they were all on steroids.

10K RUN MALE AGE GROUP: 30-39

                                   GUN
PLACE   NO. NAME                    SEX AGE    TIME  PACE   DIV    CITY, ST
=====  ==== =====================   === ===  ======= =====  =====  ======================


26    85 GEORGE MASON             M   37    54:39  8:48  M3039  FLAGSTAFF, AZ
27   245 ALEX INIQUEZ             M   35    56:31  9:06  M3039  FLAGSTAFF, AZ
28    66 WILLIAM GASS             M   33    57:30  9:16  M3039  MESA, AZ     
29     1 T. MARK MONTOYA          M   34    58:09  9:22  M3039  FLAGSTAFF, AZ


I set out with three goals.

    1. Finish the race.  
2. Finish the 2nd half of the race faster than the 1st half of the race.  
3. Pass more people in the last mile of the race than I was being passed by.

All three goals were achieved, in my opinion.

Although the American Legion was offering a free pancake breakfast to all participants,
we decided to have breakfast at a little hole in the wall restaurant called La Bellavia.
I had the Eggs Benedict with Salmon and Cream Cheese, and it was
fantastic. At La Bellavia, everything is smothered in Hollandaise Sauce... even the coffee,
I think.

(La Bellavia)

Congratulations to my brother Bert and his girlfriend Lori. They finished the race too!


Here are some photos...

(Bert Lori and I near the Starting Corral)

(Bert gives us his Andy Roddick pose)

(I have no idea why that Pothead is following Lori)




(Me and some woman outrunning a Prius)

As you can see in that last photo, I was given the number 66. Perhaps that is why my hair turned red???

F(l)ight Test

I read an article today that suggested that the Flaming Lips, one of my favorite bands, are getting ready to release a double album called Embryonic. The Lips played the McDowell Mountain Music Festival a few months back, though sadly I was unable to attend. So I'm hopeful that I will be able to catch Wayne Coyne and the boys as they tour later this Summer to promote the album. I hear their shows are amazing.

Flaming Lips give birth to 'Embryonic' sneak peek

Their 2002 album Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots is one of my favorites, and one of the best songs on the album is Fight Test.

So it is in honor of this song (often mistakenly called Flight Test) that I dedicate this blog.