Wherever you go, whoever you talk to, one thing seems to be on peoples' minds this weekend: Michael Jackson is dead!
And certainly, Mr NYC wishes flights of angels to sing to the King of Pop to his rest (or maybe he'll do the singing).
Granted, MJ was one very weird dude and he had lots of private problems (ain't that an understatement?), but there's no question that his music was amazing, universal, and perennial. Young as he was (only 50 years old!), Jacko was truly the last of a dying breed, the super world-wide megastar, and there really isn't anyone in music nowadays who can quite take his place. We probably won't see his likes again anytime soon.
That said, for my money, Tony Bennett has always been the kind of singer and star I've admired most. Classy. Sophisticated. Fun. Aspirational. And humble.
Tony Bennett doesn't try to WOW his audience, at least not in any over the type kind of way; instead, he wants his music to tap into your better nature and draw out your best feelings about life. You're WOWed, in fact, by his ability to do just this.
Listening to Tony Bennet sing -- "croon" is a better word -- you feel the beauty and comfort that great music, gorgeously sung, can bring to the human spirit. Whether it's "I Left My Heart in San Francisco", "Rags to Riches", "Put on a Happy Face" -- whatever! -- you get the sense that the world is actually a better place than sometimes it seems.
And the other thing that's great about Tony Bennett: he never forgot where he came from. He's an Astoria boy, grew up "right across the river" in that little neighborhood tucked into northeastern Queens. (Puts him in great company too: Ethel Merman and Christopher Walken are native Astorians as well). Tony likes to come back to Astoria from time to time, visit his old haunts, and eat at his favorite restaurants. He even named one of his albums after Astoria.
But it goes deeper than that. Tony Bennett has helped build a new building in his old neighborhood for the Frank Sinatra School of the Arts in Astoria. Tony just sang at the Class of 2009 commencement and the new auditorium in this space has been named after him. How cool.
And, like MJ's, Tony Bennett's music is timelessly great. We certainly won't see his likes again but fortunately for us, even at 82 years old, Tony Bennett ain't slowing down any time soon.
One of the greatest singers who ever lived. A huge celebrity. A neighborhood guy.
That's Mr NYC's kinda star.
And certainly, Mr NYC wishes flights of angels to sing to the King of Pop to his rest (or maybe he'll do the singing).
Granted, MJ was one very weird dude and he had lots of private problems (ain't that an understatement?), but there's no question that his music was amazing, universal, and perennial. Young as he was (only 50 years old!), Jacko was truly the last of a dying breed, the super world-wide megastar, and there really isn't anyone in music nowadays who can quite take his place. We probably won't see his likes again anytime soon.
That said, for my money, Tony Bennett has always been the kind of singer and star I've admired most. Classy. Sophisticated. Fun. Aspirational. And humble.
Tony Bennett doesn't try to WOW his audience, at least not in any over the type kind of way; instead, he wants his music to tap into your better nature and draw out your best feelings about life. You're WOWed, in fact, by his ability to do just this.
Listening to Tony Bennet sing -- "croon" is a better word -- you feel the beauty and comfort that great music, gorgeously sung, can bring to the human spirit. Whether it's "I Left My Heart in San Francisco", "Rags to Riches", "Put on a Happy Face" -- whatever! -- you get the sense that the world is actually a better place than sometimes it seems.
And the other thing that's great about Tony Bennett: he never forgot where he came from. He's an Astoria boy, grew up "right across the river" in that little neighborhood tucked into northeastern Queens. (Puts him in great company too: Ethel Merman and Christopher Walken are native Astorians as well). Tony likes to come back to Astoria from time to time, visit his old haunts, and eat at his favorite restaurants. He even named one of his albums after Astoria.
But it goes deeper than that. Tony Bennett has helped build a new building in his old neighborhood for the Frank Sinatra School of the Arts in Astoria. Tony just sang at the Class of 2009 commencement and the new auditorium in this space has been named after him. How cool.
And, like MJ's, Tony Bennett's music is timelessly great. We certainly won't see his likes again but fortunately for us, even at 82 years old, Tony Bennett ain't slowing down any time soon.
One of the greatest singers who ever lived. A huge celebrity. A neighborhood guy.
That's Mr NYC's kinda star.
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