RIP Michael Jackson

A few months ago, the unthinkable happened. Michael Jackson, a.k.a. the King Of Pop, a.k.a. the Sultan of Swat, a.k.a. His Airness, died at the age of 50. Did this tragedy affect (or is it "effect") me in a deep, personal way? Let me answer my question with a question: Yes.

But Michael Jackson (or as I call him, Mikey) touched each and every one of us in a deep, personal way, even when he maybe shouldn't have. In his professional life, Mikey enjoyed a string of successes topped only by The Beatles, who, let's face it, were a lot more talented. His personal life, however, was marked by a terrible run of bad luck that nearly ruined his hard-earned reputation as a phenomenally talented entertainer who wasn't a danger to himself and others.

First, Mikey had the misfortune of a couple of kids blabbing to their parents even after he specifically told them not to. Then, he slipped on a banana, sending him into a giant tub of bleach and permanently lightening his skin. More recently, the liberal media took a perfectly common practice--airing-out-your-baby-by-dangling-him-from-a-balcony--completely out of context. He was just airing him out! Talk about unlucky! I mean, what's the big deal?? I blame the Jews. Mikey's bad luck finally ran out (you can't have bad luck after you're dead) when he created 19 aliases, used them to obtain any and every drug known to man, and then overdosed on an ungodly amount of prescription medication. Can a guy ever catch a break?

Thankfully, we'll always have the music. Who can forget where they were when heard Thriller, released in 1982, for the first time? I certainly remember dancing to 1979's Off the Wall at a bar the night he died! And I couldn't call myself a true Mikey fan if I failed to mention everyone's favorite: His 2001 release, the ironically named Invincible. It's safe to say that we can add Mikey's name to a list that includes such legends as Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, and Kurt Kobain- artists tragically taken from the world at the peak of their creative powers. The real tragedy here is that Mikey clearly had so much great music left in him.

Ever since Mikey's untimely death, I've been searching for an appropriate way to eulogize him. With my my little-red travel blog chronicling my Hong Kong adventures, I have the appropriate space. It wasn't until my recent trip to the Hong Kong Space Museum, however, that I finally found the perfect way to say goodbye to my hero:




Byeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.