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Sunday, June 28. 2009
Iconic Thursday
Summer has certainly arrived. I have a sunburn. Not a terrible one, but a nice warm glow to remind me sunscreen is available for a reason.It’s been a week of news, sad news! First Ed McMahon dies, and then on the same day, Thursday, June 25, 2009, Farrah Faucett and Michael Jackson. One of the first things a friend said to me was, he would miss Farrah, but not Michael Jackson. At first I was put off by that remark, but let it pass because the people who dislike Michael Jackson were taking great pleasure in denigrating him. Probably what’s most galling is that Michael Jackson really is bigger than the Beatles and Elvis Pressley. His Thriller album is the biggest seller of all time.
The King of Pop! Is anyone really surprised? Apparently the years of taking the Heath Ledger Cocktail took their toll. Whatever one might think about his personal life, Jackson was truly one of the giants of music, like the Beatles, Elvis, and Bob Dylan. His music spanned the generations. Like Elvis you were as likely to see women in their 50’s as well as teens and 20-somethings of both genders mobbing whatever hotel he might be staying in, or in the case of his death, mobbing the hospital by the thousands.
Michael Jackson is a phenomenon and like the Beatles he will forever remain a part of American culture — world culture — for decades to come. My friend John and I attended the Ocean Beach Street Fair Saturday and one of the bands, can’t remember the name, started their set with “Billie Jean.” The large crowd erupted in cheers. They did such a good job of covering the song we stuck around to listen.
As if to remind everyone Saturday was a fun day and not a day of mourning, the very next song was “Date Rape” by Sublime. “Date Rape” is about a guy who uses roofies to get laid, the funny line being, “If it wasn’t for date rape I wouldn’t get laid at all.” The song ends with the rapist getting busted, sent to prison and getting raped by a bigger inmate.Farrah Faucett didn’t have such an impact on culture, her shot at pop influence lasted just a couple seasons during the 1970’s when she starred in the original Charlie’s Angels. She made the inexplicable decision to leave the show after one season after it was clear she was the reason all the boys and men watched the show.
The producers made sure her lovely figure and trademark hair — the first woman to have Big Hair — were prominently featured every week. For a long time Farrah was the sexiest woman on the planet and pop fashion took its que from her. We learned not every woman looks good with the Farrah do.
True confession: I had THE poster. You remember the Farrah poster. She wasn’t nude but it was so sexy we all thought she was naked. Or fantasized she was naked, in our bedrooms, in our beds, giving us the sexual thrill only we deserved. Oh how we bristled at the idea of her being married to Lee Majors! Lee Majors? Heath from “The Big Valley” and then The Six Million Dollar Man.
How that must have bruised his ego when his wife became a bigger star than he, especially after the divorce. He toiled away at his TV show; she left hers and was still more sought after by everyone. Or so we imagined. The tabloids were quick to point out the problems in that marriage, real or imagined. She was stalked everywhere she went, with or without Lee Majors. We imagined a lot about Farrah Faucett over the years, none of it … err … innocent.In 1997, when she turned 50, Farrah posed for Playboy. That was the official start of the “cougar” craze. She looked good! To date, she is the biggest celebrity to have shown it all for Playboy’s readers. And the photos proved what the poster could only hint at: her nipples were big and stiff. She had sex appeal for decades.
Michael Jackson’s life ended in controversy and tragedy, his debt in the hundreds of millions, ensuring he would be as mocked and ridiculed in death as revered. His fans won’t leave him. During the trial they stood by his side.
Farrah Faucett left this planet peacefully after battling cancer, memories of her less caustic and in many ways more laudable. Both left an indelible mark on society. I have fond memories of both really. Twenty years ago an acquaintance and I talked about Michael Jackson’s music, especially that produced by Quincy Jones. That stands as some of the best pop music ever recorded. The acquaintance, Jack Grassel, is a spectacular jazz guitarist and educator. It was stunning to hear him speak so highly of Jackson’s music. A snob Grassel is not!This was intended to be about the Ocean Beach Street Fair, but veered off into my ramblings about two icons that have left This Mortal Coil. Maybe tomorrow we can reminisce about the fair. I have enough photos.
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