Buzz Blog

If I just got back from some camping trip into the rain forest of Brazil and picked up a paper I wouldn't believe it! Who died? I can't remember having my own mortality so heavily confronted as it has been by this past week. Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett, Michael Jackson and Billy Mays. I know we loose tons of people everyday to age, disease, accidents and such but never in my memory have I seen so many people who are known by virtually everybody die in the same week. We all knew that Farrah has been battling cancer for years and she made a documentary about her battle that was aired just a couple of weeks ago so her death, though sad, was not really a shock. We also knew that Ed McMahon was ailing and his passing wasn't a great surprise either but Michael Jackson! Jacko! Jackson was 50....this fact alone was a shock to the system...50? The man/boy who was the closest thing to Peter Pan I have ever imagined....gone in the blink of an eye. Now out of left field "Super Pitchman" Billy Mays, Mr. Oxyclean, Orange Glow and a million other products made him the best known salesman on TV, dead at 50. With that thick black beard and boundless energy, he really could sell refridgerators to Eskimos. It makes you wonder if Karl Rove orchestrated these events to take the heat off South Carolina Governor Mark....what was his name? God, it's working. I had the opportunity to interview Ed McMahon a couple of years ago when his book, "Heressssss...Johnny" was released. He was one of the most fun people I have ever had the opportunity to interview and I am so glad that I have a CD of it. I think I will play a portion of it on my Internet radio show on utahfm.org Tuesday between 9 and noon. Ed was an absolute delight. I am in shock most though about Michael Jackson. His passing has dominated the news like no other in memory. We all know his story and the hundreds of variations of it but the thing that I still have a hard time comprehending is how huge globally he was. The stories from just about every corner of the earth showing adoring fans paying tribute to the man and his music is staggering. Like tens of millions of others, I was always in awe of his talent. I was equally puzzled by the man himself. Bizarre behavior and accusations of child molestations along with never ending surgeries to his face made you wonder just what was he? Truely a tragic figure all his life. Endowed with a level of talent that will never be seen again. I don't think anyone will ever know now just who Michael Jackson was because it seemed that he didn't know either and only felt alive when he was performing. While amassing hundreds of millions of dollars he died deeply in debt for hundreds of millions of dollars. What will come next are the vultures who see how Jackson will make more money in death than he ever could alive. We have seen this with Elvis, Marilyn Monroe, James Dean and so may others, but I doubt anything will come close to Michael Jackson. I have been trying to figure out just what my emotions over these events means and the only thing I can think of is that they are reminders of our own clock ticking. Their work will live on but they are gone. How can this be....the news is over and I want to see Johnny Carson.