RIP, Michael Jackson

Now I have not written in my journal for a while and I'm sorry.

But today I am posting something that I feel I really need to say..

After going onto some of the forums that I post on, I saw so many that are negative. So, this is what I had to say to everyone:

-Ah, I get to be the unpopular one yet again. I am going to use the statement I said on my Facebook after I had posted a picture with "RIP Michael, you will be missed" and then receiving a few snide remarks.

"You are entitled to your opinion, but I know in my case I am sad he is gone. He was an amazing entertainer, regardless of his personal life.

And I am sure I am not alone in thinking that."

I didn't find jokes about him funny when he was alive either. Maybe that makes me the odd duck out, but I was never ashamed to say I was a fan. Ever.

Too many folks forget or choose not to acknowledge just how many musicians and others in the industry owe their careers to his innovations and imagination.

I am not saying he didn't have some eccentricities. But what celebrity doesn't or didn't?

Who out there watched that Thriller video and thought so many different things and grew up to do them? Such as Rick Baker's makeup or John Landis' directing? Or being a band and knowing that they could push that envelope a bit more instead of the same things that were popular at the time?

I'm not saying he's a god, but take out your cd collection today. Look at it and think, "If Michael hadn't done all the things he did in his life, would this even exist?" I'd bet it wouldn't.

That's my soapbox and I'll thank you to put it back when you're done.-

And that is all for now.

Today is a day of remembrance in our house

Now while most jokesters are acting all crazy and playing pranks on each other, we have lit candles and been very solemn today.

It's more Jack than myself, but I support him in all that he does. Today is a special day in Jack's book. It is Rozz Williams' death day.

Now for those who don't know, Rozz is considered the father of Gothic music, deathrock to be exact. He lived a fairly obscure life, but left a mark on Gothic culture. Some say he was Gothic culture.

Unfortunately, his personal turmoil made him so unhappy that he took his own life on April 1st in 1998. His ashes are in the Hollywood Forever cemetery and we have visited every year that we have been together on or as close to that day as possible.

He is what helped to form part of what Jack is today. So I look upon today as not a day of frivolity, but of inspiration and reflection.

This is Rozz' memorial video:


(WARNING: This may not be appropriate for everyone)

If you want to learn more about Rozz and his life, go to www.rozznet.com.