“Dream as if you'll live forever, live as if you'll die today.”

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James Dean said that... and it's been quite a summer of iconic farewells...

Did you know Ed McMahon was a U.S. Marine and fighter pilot?
His was an unmistakable voice and proof that every comedian
needs at least one guaranteed giggle by their side and someone
willing to play along. Thank you, Ed, for serving our country, and
dishing out laughter for so many years.

I loved hearing how Farrah Fawcett was known to her close friends as
"Double F." There's a fierce sense of life & humor in that and it's probably amusing to anyone who carried a Charlie's Angels lunch box or imagined (once upon a time) they might some day work for the covert boss, Charlie. : )
In the last days of her life we learned that there really is a third "f," for fighter.
Thank you, Farrah, for reminding us of what beauty truly is.

Perhaps the most startling and devastating passing was that of the beacon of music and dance,
Michael Jackson. I regret that I never saw him perform live, but I had an unforgettable moment involving him while working as a DJ at The Virgin Megastore in Times Square, about 9 years ago.

The DJ booth in that store is above the ground level, sort of to the side of the giant video screen. Whenever we played a Michael Jackson video (and this only happened when it was a Michael Jackson video) people entering the store would stop in their tracks, mesmerized by the screen--even with the sound turned down--watching a performer who thrilled us like no other. There was a day I came close to being fired when a co-worker called up to the booth and asked me to play "any Michael Jackson song." Thrilled to accommodate them, I gave a spin to Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough. What I didn't realize, was that Michael was actually shopping in the store at that moment. Within seconds, I could see below me a frenzied group of people, and the sudden intervention of security ushering someone out of the crowd and out the door. The security guard had a few unpleasant words for my fumble, and that's the closest I came to meeting The King of Pop. : )

As our Night Rhythms dedications expressed the last few nights, many of us feel like we grew up with the star presence of Michael. Thank you, to everyone who called to share their thoughts and memories--Janine in West Haverstraw mentioned recently finding her old BOP magazines and Michael Jackson pins...that's quite a trip down music-memory lane.

His talent... his artistry... his music... and other-worldly ability to dance and make us want to emulate the moves has left a colossal imprint on the world. The messages in many of his lyrics illustrate the contents of his heart.

Thank you, Michael for electrifying the music world, and for your captivating and inextinguishable fire in the solar system of our existence. Michael wrote a song for his friend that eloquently expresses the feeling of his fans: gone too soon.

Laugh, be bold & beautiful and DANCE!

Catherine