rivercityvibe   “Puerile, smutty, schoolboy nonsense” – My Mom

As it is impossible not to know by now, last night the King of Pop was murdered by his enablers. With all the hysterical bullshit coverage in the media (decorum, please………) and the unpleasantness that is bound to ensue, I am relieved that my feelings about his music seem unlikely to ever change.

You see, for my generation his songs were the incidental music in our lives*. At boarding school we listened to Thriller and Bad on orange “mix” cassettes that a friend’s 11th grade brother used to make for him. (They lived in the Bahamas. I don’t know why that is relevant information, but it is).

So whenever I hear Michael Jackson I am nostalgic for a time of boring sundays, local talent, stegophily and Nelly’s Pond. That’s what his music does for me.

*My actual theme tune was Gold by Spandau Ballet, if you’re curious.

Ricardo Montalban has joined the choir invisible, aged 88. I hope and pray that in heaven, he has well-deserved respite from those pranksters who follow him around shouting “The plane! The plane!” (though come to think of it, following Ricardo around all day shouting that is pretty close to my idea of heaven……)

Perma-tan? Check.

Of course, to some of us his TV days were not his best. Some of us will remember him for his movie roles, such as that of “Fiesta Specialty Dancer” in The Kissing Bandit (1948).

I also respect him for his realistic view of his own profession. The usual source tells us:

In several interviews and public speeches, Montalbán described “the five stages of the actor” as follows:

1. Who is Ricardo Montalbán?
2. Get me Ricardo Montalbán.
3. Get me a Ricardo Montalbán type.
4. Get me a young Ricardo Montalbán.
5. Who is Ricardo Montalbán?

Nicely put.

50’s pin-up girl Bettie Page threw a seven, today, aged 85. She was smoking, there’s no doubt, so this isn’t a memorial post, it’s a celebration.

Giving Saint Peter palpitations at the gates of heaven......