June 25th, 2009: The day a Charlie's Angel and The King of Pop entered those pearly gates leading to Heaven.
My heart was heavy this morning when I learned of Farrah Fawcett's passing. Just a couple of weeks ago I remember crying as I watched her story, that documentary that she bravely created as a way of sharing her battle with others. What I loved most is that it was all filmed by her, by Ryan, and by her best friend with a simple handheld camera. No crews, no lights! camera! action! stuff - just straight forward and heartbreakingly truthful. I'm guessing it will air again soon, please try to watch it if you haven't. In some ways it was somber and in other ways it was the most inspiring and uplifting thing I have seen in a very long time. God bless her soul, she was a courageous woman who tried her best to kick cancer's butt.
Then this afternoon came the news of Michael Jackson's passing, the most creative artist ever to grace our culture. Wow, a shock to the world. There isn't anything I can say that isn't already being said on eleventy-eight channels right now so I won't even try. Instead I will tell you about the doves.
I used to live in a little town called Lompoc (lom-poke) in Santa Barbara County, nestled among the flower fields near the Pacific Ocean. Bo Derek, John Travolta, the Reagan Ranch, and the famous Neverland Ranch are all in that same area of the Santa Ynez Valley.
I once dated a boy whose family owned a pool cleaning service - John Travolta & Bo Derek were their clients - and I would sometimes ride along with him, just to see the beautiful ranches. I've never actually been star-struck (*) - but I will admit to falling in love with fantastic homes. Do you ever drive by a place and totally picture yourself living there? Mentally rearranging furniture and planting rose bushes here and hanging a porch swing there? I totally do...but I digress.
One day, a couple of months after Gunnar was born (which was the summer of 1991) we were having a family picnic in Los Olivos at a park that is sort of in a canyon area when all of a sudden a flock of white birds flew up over the hill. It was an unusual (and super cool!) sight to see pure white birds that were not seagulls. Were they doves? Could they be doves? Why would that many doves be hanging out in the hills anyways?
We didn't have to wait long to find out...it was all over the evening news that Liz Taylor had married her boyfriend Larry at Michael's ranch and upon kissing, white doves were released.
I had only ever seen the gates to Neverland so little did I know that we were right over a small hill. I probably could have crashed! Or gotten arrested.
I also remember feeling this silly sort of triumph over having witnessed the doves. Why? Well ya see, in the 6th grade there were these girls, Melanie & Lisa - and Melanie & Lisa had formed THE Michael Jackson fan club of our elementary school. In order to gain entry into this very prestigious club you had to pass not only their scrutiny but a written test. The test was you had to list every single song IN ORDER from whatever MJ album they named and do it in under 3 minutes. I couldn't do it. I was denied my fan club membership by way of a folded note sent hand to hand across Mr. Price's classroom. I was as devastated as only a 6th grade girl in the age of Thriller could be. I went home and cried myself to sleep.
The next day? I started THE Duran Duran fan club.
In truth, I never really got over it. I secretly loved Michael Jackson and yet I had to pretend he was not nearly as cool as Simon LeBon or Nick Rhodes.
But that day, having witnessed those birds that Michael HIMSELF had surely laid his own eyes upon too, my 6th grade self was redeemed. If only the internet, with all its Facebook goodness, had been available to me I could have hunted down Melanie and Lisa and said "In Your Face!". Or, you know, something slightly more mature.
~~~
As with Kennedy and Elvis, years from now people will remember exactly where they were the day Michael Jackson died.
I was at the beach, with Max, working on this....
(*) DISCLAIMER - When I say star-struck I mean like when Lucille Ball met William Holden and lit her nose on fire. I am in awe of many people and appreciate their art and the beauty they bring to our world with music, movies, books, and pictures - but I wouldn't drool or trip over myself to catch a peek. THAT SAID - I would totally be star-struck if faced with a few people in this world...like:
Michael Jackson (may he rest in peace)
Madonna
Hillary Clinton
Martha Stewart (I'll have to tell you about my obsession with her since 1991 sometime)
A motley mix of folks, but that's how I roll.... ;)
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