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Sep. 17th, 2009
Michael and Mary
Sep. 17th, 2009 04:00 pmYou know, when Michael Jackson passed away, it didn't impact me all that much. The angst and hand wringing which splashed like a tidal wave all over the news following Jackson's unexpected death struck me as equally over-the-top as was his headline grabbing lifestyle. Michael's music was always around as I moved into adulthood. I particularly recall watching the Thriller video again and again, noting that this was one of the few performing artists who could sing and dance. And at the same time! His parting was a brief frigid gust of wind on an otherwise warm day.
Hearing the announcement of the death of Mary Travers last evening following a long battle with leukemia garnered a much different reaction. The table of my musical life had had a leg removed. No more was that silky voiced princess of folk's iconic Peter Paul and Mary to be heard again in live performance. No more perfect harmonies. No more songs of protest.
Why such a difference in reaction, I wonder? Jackson was, by far, the bigger and longer lasting star. More people around the world know the name Michael Jackson. Both punctuated my musical life with sweet melodies. In comparison, PP&M will never be remembered for their dancing while Michael's will never be forgotten. But when Mary sang... This was vocalizing. This was what harmony was all about. With Peter and Paul, this defined the stunning power of the vocal group. Those who know me well know that music is air for me, silence is abhorrent.
It's a lot quieter today.
Mary, I'm going to miss you. Greatly.
Hearing the announcement of the death of Mary Travers last evening following a long battle with leukemia garnered a much different reaction. The table of my musical life had had a leg removed. No more was that silky voiced princess of folk's iconic Peter Paul and Mary to be heard again in live performance. No more perfect harmonies. No more songs of protest.
Why such a difference in reaction, I wonder? Jackson was, by far, the bigger and longer lasting star. More people around the world know the name Michael Jackson. Both punctuated my musical life with sweet melodies. In comparison, PP&M will never be remembered for their dancing while Michael's will never be forgotten. But when Mary sang... This was vocalizing. This was what harmony was all about. With Peter and Paul, this defined the stunning power of the vocal group. Those who know me well know that music is air for me, silence is abhorrent.
It's a lot quieter today.
Mary, I'm going to miss you. Greatly.
