Do you walk the walk? Have you ever been to Michael Jackson’s Neverland?
Of course I’ve been there! I am the Guru of Pop Culture. .
The fabulous fictional estate of Richie Rich pales in comparison to Neverland in its prime. Each year Michael Jackson threw a wonderful party for his employees and their families and friends. I was buds with the Ranch audio/ visual expert and in 1996 my wife, daughters (9 and 15) and I jumped down the rabbit hole to Neverland…a magic world created by a real billionaire boy. Neverland .
Above: The main house (closed to us) overlooked a beautiful lake…
Statues of children laughing and playing everywhere. The one exception was a statue of Peter Pan (Disney, not English tradional) peering in a window of the main house (Michael’s office or bedroom?). Music blared from rock speakers everywhere on the 500 developed acres of the 1600 acre estate.
Behind the house was a big two-story building (open to us) filled with pinball and virtual reality machines and a jukebox that included the usual plus Muddy Waters, BB King, etc (??!!!).
We then hopped on the train to the amusement park area.
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Above: Does this look familiar? It should…an exact copy of Disneyland’s Main St Station.
Michael’s park was so much better than Disneyland. No lines, unmanned vending carts where you could reach in and grab a free ice cream or bag of candy…a Ferris wheel, merry-go-round, zipper, spider, sea dragon, wave swinger, super slide, dragon wagon kiddie roller coaster. My kids rode the Viking Ship over and over again (usually the only ones on board). And then we hopped on the smaller train to the zoo. .
Who could have ever guessed that the theme of Michael Jackson’s zoo was Albino Animals? The line was too long to ride the elephant so my kids fed raw chickens on a pole to the alligator. Great family fun!
Then, back on the train to the twin threater where two kid flicks were playing. Caught a five minute welcome special Michael had shot just for this occasion…and, at the urging of my youngest…off to the bumper cars…The best ever! When it was time to leave I had to drag Alissa kicking and screaming from her car back onto the bus.
The following summer we did it all over again. Thanks, Michael.
Poor MJ…another kid robbed of childhood (Liz Taylor, Judy Garland, Mickey Rooney, etc) by wannabe, greedy parents. . JOE JACKSON: “Give me custody of Michael’s so-called childen and I will beat those brats into Superstardom. They own 200 of Michael’s unpublished songs and they need a loving grandpa to whip them to fame. So, Let’s Beat It! In 2 months these little freaks will have an album on my Ranch Records label and a tour…and I will have more hot chicks and bling.”
Why is American Rock & Roll so bland? Ever another era so boring?
Ah, yes- click here for my archive link to the Teen Idol Era 1959 to 1964. Whenever the American Music Industry (not Art) feels threatened by a surge of exciting new music from young rockers, the white fat suits try to jump in and seize control.
It always begins the same way:
Corporate Seeds of Pop Music Mediocracy…AKA Mouseketeers
. TAGS: Mouseketeers, Annette, teen idols, Christina Aguilera, Justin Timberlake, Britney Spears and Who Cares from N’Lip Sync. ABOVE LEFT: The first Mouseketeers show ran from Oct 1955 until 1959…by coincidence exactly the span of The First Golden Age of Rock & Roll with Elvis, Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee, Little Richard, Buddy Holly.
By 1959 Annette developed to the point that the letters on her T-shirt read “NNTT”. Disney could have replaced the over-the-hill kids with younger ones on “The Mickey Mouse Club”, but instead cancelled the program and created Vista Records. Annette immediately morphed into the role of Teen Idolette, with eight big hits in 1959-60. Other Mouseketeers also scored minor hits on the label. This impressed Warner Brothers, who started their own label to cash in on the fad. The Bros figured that the singing ability of their network stars couldn’t be any worse than their acting. MORE TAGS: Connie Stevens, Edd “Kookie” Byrnes, Roger Smith (“Hawaiian Eye” and “77 Sunset Strip”), Shelly Fabares and Paul Petersen (“Donna Reed Show”), Vince Edwards (“Ben Casey”), Johnny Crawford (“The Rifleman”) and James Darren (Gidget movies), all scored hits on the new WB label. The Day the Music Died indeed. ABOVE RIGHT: The All New Mickey Mouse Club (1989- 1995).The 6th season featured Christina Aguilera, Justin Timberlake, Britney Spears and Who Cares from N’Lip Sync.
Why is American Idol so popular? No A-Stars in 10 years!
Every 50 years Americans become Delusional! .
There are more 300,000,000 of us. Get a clue…you and I are American Idles…not Idols.
Haven’t you wondered why Golden Calf Idol, now in its 8th season has not produced one big star?
They aren’t looking for talent…The search is for lowest-common-denominator idiots…willing to play the fool on National TV…so the audience can say, “I can do better than that!”
There were so many programs like American Idol in the early days of television.
Elvis failed his audition for the Ted Mack Original Amateur Hour in 1955…Too new and exciting!
Pat Boone became a big star on the show.
Forgetabout the music industry, the Grammies, air guitar, karaoke, ex-mouseketeers and American Idol.
Search the net for real Rock & Roll before your mind turns to jello.
Is it true that all the best Christmas songs were written by Jews?
Not all…only most:
1. “White Christmas” is the best-selling single of all-time. Written by Irving Berlin (nee Israel Isidore Baline) in 1940 poolside at the Arizona Biltmore Resort and Spa in Phoenix, Arizona (talk about your White Christmas). Made famous by: Bing Crosby in the movie Holiday Inn.
2. “Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer” Written by: Johnny Marks in 1949. Based on: a poem/story penned by Marks’ brother-in-law, who invented Rudolph. Made famous by: Gene Autry, whose recording sold over 2 million copies in the first year alone.
3. “Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!” Written by: composer Jule Styne in 1945 with lyrics by Sammy Cahn (nee Cohen). Made Famous by: Vaughn Monroe, hitting #1 on Billboard in ’46.
4. “Silver Bells” Written by: Jay Livingston (nee Jacob Harold Levison) and Ray Evans in 1951. Introduced by: Bob Hope and Marilyn Maxwell in the movie The Lemon Drop Kid. Made Famous by: Bing Crosby and Carol Richards.
5. “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch” Written by: Albert Hague in 1966 (with words/lyrics by Dr. Seuss). 5 Famous Christmas Songs Written by Jewish Songwriters- David K. Israel
6. “The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire)” written in 1945 by Mel Tormé and Robert “Bob” Wells. In 2000, it was third on chart, with “White Christmas” holding the #1 spot.
7. “Santa Claus is Coming to Town”- co-writer Fred Coots
8. “Sleigh Ride” Composer Leroy Anderson wasn’t Jewish, but lyricist Mitchell Parish (nee Michael Hyman Pashelinsky) was.
9 & 10. Johnny Marks of “Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer” fame also wrote “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” and “Holly Jolly Christmas”.
11. “It’s The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year” by George Wyle (nee Bernard Weissman)
12. “l’ll Be Home For Christmas” by Walter Kent music and Buck Ram, who co-wrote the lyrics with Kim Gannon, were Jewish. “I’ll Be Home,” like “White Christmas,” was first sung by Bing Crosby and released (1943) during World War II. Like “White Christmas,” it hit a nerve among those separated from their loved ones, and was an instant hit and holiday classic.
13. “There’s No Place Like Home For The Holidays”- lyricist Al Stillman.
14. “Santa Baby”- written by Joan Ellen Javits was first recorded by Eartha Kitt back in 1953. Madonna’s 1987 version has proven popular enough to put this tune into the top 25. The Jews Who Wrote Christmas Songs By Nate Bloom
Do celebrities ALWAYS die 3-at-a-time?
Of course…that is a cosmic rule. On 06/25/09 we lost 3 Pop Culture Icons: .
Worse than The Day the Music Died when Buddy Holly, Richie Valens and the Big Bopper went down in a plane crash. I’m tired…you know how to google. Refs tomorrow… ABOVE LEFT- Pop Culture Golden Cow Idols spanning 3 decades:
1982 Michael Jackson’s Thriller. CENTER- Farrah Fawcett’s (1976) poster which inspired millions of Baby Boomer boys to beat it. RIGHT- 1960s Sky Saxon, who was the: .
Sky Saxon was all that he claimed to be.
LA was Rock&Roll Heaven when I moved here in 1966 with the Doors, Zappa, Buffalo Springfield, Steppenwolf, Love, etc playing nearly every weekend. But, my favorite group was the Seeds.
Sky Saxon’s songs spoke to Baby Boomer teen boys. Most of us bought electric guitars after watching girls flip out over the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan show in 1964, but never learned how to play. I owned a classic 1957 Strat and sucked. The Seeds also sucked, but they put on an incredible ultra-energy, raw, teen angst show. Most of their songs used only 2 chords…and power chords at that (utilizing the top two of six strings on the guitar). Hello Garage bands, Heavy Metal and Punk. “I can do that!”
I was blown away when I saw the Seeds perform “You’re Pushing Too Hard”…A week later I formed my own garage band.
By 1969 Rock fans demanded at least 3 chords per song so Sky switched to blues… Bad move…Blues is a 3-chord system with real MUSICIANS.
Sky Saxon dropped out and joined the wacky Source Family Hollywood Hills commune led by YahoWha - who gave Saxon the name Sunlight because there were already too many kids named Rainbow, Flower, Sky and Love in his group. nee Jim Baker…not Jim Bakker, but just as bat-shit crazy supported his cult (with at least 100 kids living in his mansion) with the LaDeDah Source Restaurant (organic vegetarian) on the Sunset Strip with regulars such as John Lennon, Julie Christie, Marlon Brando, etc. When Sky joined the commune in 1969 Baker immediately formed the worst psychedelic rock band ever- Ya Ho Wha 13.
Baker sold the restaurant in 1974 and move his cut (including 13 wives) to Hawaii and a year later used a hang glider to leap off a 1300-foot cliff on the eastern shore of Oahu, although he had no previous hang-gliding experience. He crash-landed on the beach. If only Cat Stevens had been so lucky…
The cult broke up and Sky Saxon returned to R&R where he remained active until a couple of days before his death. Official website of Sky Saxon and the Seeds
“Sky Saxon wihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sky_Saxonkipedia”:
What was the scariest SciFi monster of all time?
The Id Monster in Forbidden Planet: (1956).
The story was loosely based on Shakespeare’s The Tempest, with Walter Pidegon as Morbius/ Prospero, who discovers the ancient records of the advanced Krell civilization on this brave new world. Morbius uses their technology to multiply his brainpower tenfold, but in doing so also increases and releases the suppressed evils from his subconscious. His Id Monster takes on a huge, hideous physical form and then begins a rampage of death and destruction. Morbius fights desperately to control his id. He is a good scientist with a noble quest. The human race can benefited greatly from this method of increasing intelligence, but only if they can first come to grips with, and then conquer the basic animal instincts deep within each subconscious. The message was clear… to ignore and/or suppress the id only makes it grow to gigantic proportions and finally explode with an uncontrolled fury.
One must remember that the oldest Boomers were only ten years old when this complex film premiered. Kids were accustomed to lightweight eye-candy with conventional monsters, the bomb and world destruction, and before the end credits they knew that the good guys would always win… or, at least Boomers thought that was true before viewing Forbidden Planet. The film raised a lot of disturbing questions that the usual sources (school, church, TV and parents) were unwilling or unable to answer. Did George Washington have evils in his id? How about Jimmy Dodd? Gene Autry? Ike? The Pope? How about us Boomers… did we have evils in our ids? After all, little girls and boys began playing doctor about this time. Some of the oldest Boomers felt strange, new urges. Talking about such feelings was absolutely taboo in 50’s society, so many kids began to think they were misfits, freaks and definitely sicko. That opinion changed when we learned that Morbius, too, had monsters in his id.
In those early days of television only two men really understood the tremendous potential for mass persuasion by the medium. Unfortunately, those two pioneers, Trickie Dickie Nixon and Tailgunner Joe McCarthy, had id monsters galore.READ MORE from my free Pop Culture EBook.
Philadelphia and NYC World Series in 2009. Most boring ever?
An evil American Flashback!
The NY YANKEES and the Philadelphia Phillies last met up in 1950. What was significant about this match-up? IT WAS THE LAST ALL-WHITE WORLD SERIES!
Ah, yes, birthers, tea-baggers, tenners, the KKK, etc will scramble for tickets.
This is sign Fox News will have no audience during these games! .
Do you see any black or brown faces on these two teams? Bad traditions…RIP
Jackie Robinson broke the color line in 1947 and other National League teams soon followed their lead…snatching up all the great players from the Negro Leagues. By the time the mighty Yankees and their American League peers realized this was more than a fad, it was too late.
1955 was the turning point. By then a few more great Black players joined JR on the Dodgers and the Yanks knew this was the beginning of the end.
NY finally signed Elston Howard…Encouragement from manager Casey Stengel (above right): “Well, when they finally get me a nigger, I get the only one who can’t run.”
(Like most catchers Howard wasn’t a speedy runner, but the musclebound catcher could hit….348…Won the AL MVP Award in 1963.
A trillion sites on the net…Why am I the only one talking about this?
What’s up with Roman Polanski’s obsession with little girls?
Is it true that short people have no one to love?
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Neverland 
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Back to Bartcop
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But, my favorite group was the Seeds.
Bad move…Blues is a 3-chord system with real MUSICIANS.
nee Jim Baker…not Jim Bakker, but just as bat-shit crazy supported his cult (with at least 100 kids living in his mansion) with the LaDeDah Source Restaurant (organic vegetarian) on the Sunset Strip with regulars such as John Lennon, Julie Christie, Marlon Brando, etc. When Sky joined the commune in 1969 Baker immediately formed the worst psychedelic rock band ever- Ya Ho Wha 13.
(1956). 
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