I started getting into pop music right after the death of my friend Jim May 30, 2009. He died of addiction.
I used to sing with him, before he died, and sang to him as well.
A few weeks after Jim died, Michael Jackson died, also of addiction.
I really did not know much about Michael Jackson, other than that I had seen him on TV when we were both kids. He was about two years younger than I. I guess I had heard "Billie Jean" and "Beat It" in the lobby of some building some time. I guess I knew they were from Michael Jackson, but I did not inquire much.
I read that "Thriller" was Michael Jackson's greatest hit. I had never actually heard this song or seen the famous music video. I decided that, given that this person had just died, I ought to, perhaps, just look once at the video, to see what all the fuss was about. I was sure I would hate the video. I almost always hate popular music.
Oops.
I hardly knew what hit me. I spent all of my free time for the next six months watching YouTube videos of Michael Jackson and getting his DVDs. Somehow my grief at the death of my dear friend got sublimated into a Michael Jackson obsession.
Sometime, in December of 2009, I was asked to perform "Oh, Holy Night" at a Christmas service for my religious group. I went on YouTube & found Josh Groban singing that song.
Oops.... again hardly knew what hit me.
Now I'm a hard core Grobanite, but, along the way, I picked up some other musicians as well.
One of them was Greyson Chance the wunderkind -- aged 12 -- whose creative Paparazzi cover took YouTube by storm.
I still like Greyson. He's really a genius. He writes & arranges his own songs. He sings with great feeling.
Today he tweeted this
Greyson is now 14. Do you see this? This sounds like something an adult musician with formal music training would write. This is a self-taught kid who is touring and going to school via the Internet.
I'm just blown away. Just blown away.
Genius. So amazing when it strikes.
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