a couple years ago I was trolling wikipedia's obits and discovered that michael jackson was dead. this particular michael jackson was, of course, the famous beer and whisky expert, if you didn't already know that. he died of a DUI...just kidding, that's in bad taste, it was a heart attack, he wasn't driving drunk, unless he was, and the heart attack got him instead, but i really wouldn't know.
Michael Jackson's death is felt by us all. We no longer have this cultural icon, this amazing talent, this exceptional human being, who could tell you anything you needed to know about beer and whisky. He will be missed.
I did not learn of Michael Jackson's death by wikipedia, however. I was working at the bar when my manager came from the kitchen, put on the news, and cranked the volume so we could hear. It was a breaking story, and I would argue it's the most legimate "breaking" news NBC or CNN has reported in recent years.
It's surreal when you read a name in an obituary and it's not the name you expect it to be. Just last week Charles Barkley died, for instance. I am speaking, of course, about the Canadian politician, but I'm sure I don't need to explain.
However, this time around it is indeed that name. When i got off the bar thursday night i went over to zwolfundcinq, which is the name we have for our friends' apartment, and Titomo insisted that Michael Jackson's death deserves no more...prestige...than the murder of an Afghani civilian, or some punk living blocks away here in West Philadelphia. Titomo would tell you that no single human life is worth more than the next.
In a perfect world, I suppose he's right. In this world, however, the only common quality across the living globe is how disposable each human is. Michael Jackson is dead, he died of a heart attack. His corpse will rot.
But, human beings in every corner of our round little planet know who Michael Jackson is, as they know who the Beatles are, who Shakespeare is and who Jesus Christ is. We've bestowed immortality upon these figures, whether we know it or not.
Titomo is bright-eyed, but naive. He surrounds himself with other characters that want to preserve an anarchic quality of life, and they obviously don't mix with the other 98% of the world. The Real World? I've told Titomo to get a restauranting job. He'll find out just what he says he's worth...
also,
the taco truck is called Honest Tom's. I saw a hand-painted van parked outside of an apartment two nights ago, after work. It was blue, with Tom's moniker splayed across the side in an undulating red tag. I wonder what two dollars will get me come thursday morning?
No comments:
Post a Comment