A bit of a mouthful that title isn’t it?!

This was the first new book to hit the shelves following Michael Jackson’s death but it certainly won’t be the last.  It looks at his life in pretty broad strokes without really dwelling on any one period - this is both good and bad in that it really does cover his entire life but at the same time offers little new information for the reader.

I’ve been thinking about Michael Jackson’s lasting legacy, his music, and which songs will live on best personally for me.

He was not the most prolific of artists - some like to release an album every couple of years but Jacko was never like that. His usual release schedule even in his early solo career was more like one album every four or five years.

Of course this means that there’s less of a back catalogue to draw on - although despite his recent spate of greatest hits collections, no doubt more will be appearing from now on.

I don’t really know what to say. I am a fan who loved his music but I didn’t know the man, I doubt many really did, despite all the talking heads appearing non-stop on the news channels over the last 24 hours.

Where were these people when he really needed them?

Rewind a few years and it would have done him and his reputation the world of good to have his fellow musicians and celebrities saying a few good words about him, but when the mud was flying about they kept their heads down - no wonder worried more about some of it sticking to them for being associated with him.

August 1992, over sixteen years ago, I attended my first concert.

Geographically speaking I grew up in a place which saw no bands come anywhere near which would perhaps explain why I was 15 before I saw anyone play live.

Music wasn’t a huge thing in my life early on so that probably had something to do with it as well - I was a Shakin’ Stevens fan for heavens sake!

I’m not really one to judge someone else on their appearance, each to their own and all that, but sometimes people lay themselves open to criticism and I just can’t help myself.

Over the years the newspapers have been full of allegations regarding various bits of plastic surgery Michael Jackson is meant to have undertaken - claims he has almost always denied.  To look at photographic evidence however few people would accept this as the truth though.