R.I.P. MJ

I was in the elevator at work and two other passengers were chatting when I overheard: "Apparently Michael Jackson died." "Whaaa....??" I blurted in disbelief. He repeated the bombshell news, but it barely registered as I stepped off the elevator in a daze, heading to the nearest computer to confirm the news. I constantly refreshed the news feeds, some of which were still reporting of his being rushed to hospital. TMZ was the first to report his death, though some held out hope that as a gossip site they weren't the most reliable source. The tweets I followed were a mix of shock and denial with the most useful updates were coming from @BreakingNews. An hour or so later, the LA Times confirmed without a doubt the King of Pop died.

Tributes and pre-written obituaries have popped up everywhere. Jian Ghomeshi has a nice piece on the mess of conflicts faced by media and public alike in paying tribute. Yep, every blurb comes with an asterisk, disclaimer, or Big But and I'm no different. Eccentricities and controversies aside, Michael Jackson was an incredible talent and performer whose legacy and influence are undeniable.

We pay tribute here at Fong Songs the only way we know how, with a sampling of some of my favourite MJ covers, remixes, and mash-ups.

Heath Brandon - Billie Jean [originally by Michael Jackson]

Neil Finn - Billie Jean [originally by Michael Jackson]

The Lost Fingers - Billie Jean [originally by Michael Jackson]
Originally the subjects of today's post, I'm going to see these guys tonight on Granville Island as part of the Vancouver Jazz Festival. This MJ cover is from their first album Lost in the 80s, which covered 80s pop, while their sophomore record released less than 2 weeks ago is all French-language covers.

Speak Low - Thriller [originally by Michael Jackson]

J. Viewz - Smooth Criminal [originally by Michael Jackson]

Dick Brave & The Backbeats - Black or White [originally by Michael Jackson]

Transformer di Roboter - Stranger in Moscow [originally by Michael Jackson]

Konishi Yasuharu - I Want You Back (Readymade 524 Mix) [Remix of The Jackson 5]

Ben Double M - I Want Your Digital Love [The Jackson 5 vs. Daft Punk]

MadMixMustang - The Way You Got Me That Feeling [Michael Jackson vs. James Brown]

team9 - Screaming Pro [Michael Jackson vs. Beck]

Bittersweet headline of the day: Thriller inmates saddened over death of Michael Jackson
If you're not one of the 23.5 million viewers of the youtube video, check it out here.

Saddest typo of the day: "Micheal Jackson" as seen on Twitter's Trending Topics

RIP: Mitch Mitchell

The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Fire

Thanks Stan (updated with pics)

I was deeply saddened to read that special effects genius Stan Winston passed away yesterday after a lengthy battle with multiple myeloma. When I was little I used to borrow these big ILM and Digital Domain tomes from the library, entertaining thoughts of one day getting into visual effects, and Stan Winston was one of the giants of the industry. He's helped create some of the greatest special effects in cinematic history, make-up and animatronics that remain unsurpassed by even current usage of CGI effects. His filmography speaks for itself: Terminator, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Aliens, Edward Scissorhands, Predator, Jurassic Park, just to name a few. I mean, just re-read that list... amazing. He won Oscars for his work on Aliens, Jurassic Park, two for T2 with several other nominations as well. He was recruited by frequent collaborator James Cameron to contribute designs for his upcoming return to sci-fi cinema, Avatar due in 2009. The two of them were co-founders of VFX house Digital Domain. His most recent work was creating the physical suits for Iron Man. We'll miss you Stan, thanks for all the memories.

UPDATE: I wanted to include some photos in the earlier post but Blogger was having issues. Now take a look at these shots below and imagine movies without Stan Winston.








(this fitting portrait of Stan Winston is by the always awesome Sebastian Kruger)

We'll Miss You, Jeff Healey

I was saddened to learn today that Canadian blues rock and jazz musician Jeff Healey passed away yesterday after a prologued bout with cancer at the age of 41. I was oblivious to the fact that he had been fighting cancer for over a year, so this came as quite a shock. A candid, yet positive note to fans last September regarding his treatments can be read here. Blind due to a rare form of cancer since he was a baby, he learned guitar at age 3 and developed a distinct style of playing with the guitar in his lap. Known primarily as a rock guitarist in the vein of Stevie Ray Vaughan, in recent years he's pursued his true love of 20's/30's jazz with three albums distributed by Edmonton-based indie label Stony Plain Records: Among Friends, Adventures in Jazzland, and It's Tight Like That (with guest Chris Barber). When he wasn't touring, he hosted a jazz show on local Toronto station JAZZ.FM and performed as part of the house band at Jeff Healey's Roadhouse, a live music venue named after his role alongside Patrick Swayze in the cult 80's film Road House.

I saw him years ago perform alongside Ronnie Hawkins at a baseball game in Edmonton (baseball in Edmonton-- weird thought, eh?). In 2005, I brought my dad to see Jeff Healey & The Jazz Wizards at the intimate 500-seat Arden Theatre in St. Albert, a city just north of Edmonton city limits. In addition to being a phenomenal guitar player, Jeff also plays trumpet and clarinet. It was a wonderful night of joyous jazz standards with the band exchanging solos, chatting with the audience, and having as much fun on stage as we were out in the crowd. Following the show, the whole band was in the lobby to sign autographs and mingle with fans.

Over the years, he's done a bunch of covers including a great version of While My Gently Weeps and a full cover album in 1995, Cover to Cover. A new album Mess of Blues to be released next month was going to be his first rock/blues album in 8 years and looks to have some covers on there including The Weight. Here are some of his other covers with his Jeff Healey Band and jazz standards with his Jazz Wizards. He will be missed.

The Jeff Healey Band - Harvest [originally by Neil Young]
The Jeff Healey Band - While My Guitar Gently Weeps [originally by The Beatles]
The Jeff Healey Band - Run Through the Jungle [originally by Creedence Clearwater Revival]
The Jeff Healey Band - Communication Breakdown [originally by Led Zeppelin]

Jeff Healey - You're Driving Me Crazy [originally by Walter Donaldson]
Jeff Healey - My Blackbirds are Bluebirds Now [originally by Irving Caesar & Cliff Friend]

Terra Hazelton - Let's Do It [originally by Cole Porter]
Terra Hazelton - Ain't He Sweet? [originally "Ain't She Sweet?" by Milton Ager and Jack Yellen]
That show in St. Albert featured jazz vocalist Terra Hazelton as a member of the Jazz Wizards. That year Jeff Healey produced and played on her debut album Anybody's Baby, which also featured backing by the Jazz Wizards. After visiting her website, I found out she has a new album due soon and she's trying to reach 500 pre-orders by March 15th. Some special guest include Toronto jazz vocalist Alex Pangman, Drew Jurecka (of the Jazz Wizards), and the Valleau brothers (of the Polyjesters). Listen to some of her other stuff on her myspace page.

FYI

Hello intrepid readers. I am in LA now. Will be back next week. I'm blogging from an iPod touch (not mine!) one painstaking letter at a time. You have no idea how long it took to type that sentence... Or that one. Thanks to Kurtis and Boyhowdy for taking care of things.

I was shocked, sad, angry, and depressed when I heard about Heath Ledger yesterday. Words seem pretty useless to describe it. Sad, tragic, devastating. A truly great loss for everyone.

Goodbye, Miss Moneypenny

"Pretty Penny was her name
She was loved and we all will miss her."

I was saddened to learn that Canadian-born actress Lois Maxwell, known to millions as Miss Moneypenny in 14 James Bond films, passed away this weekend at the age of 80.

Stone Temple Pilots - Pretty Penny
Chaka Khan - Diamonds are Forever [originally performed by Shirley Bassey]