MICHAEL JACKSON

[mandypants]

Was near Baggy Mondays myself when I first heard, then it spread like wildfire. To be honest, I was more upset about (music journo) Steven Wells dying.

[lee_]

on my way back to the tent after Beardyman

we thought it was a rumour, so we started our own telling everyone Michael Barrymore had died!!

Edited July 5, 2009 by lee_

[CATKIN]

We were round the camp fire at strummerville when we got a text.....not bothered either TBH think he was overated..... was far more upset when JS died.

[scudetto_boy]

At a camping stall very near the Pyramid Stage -early friday morning 8am- buying wellies.

[timespeedsup]

I was at the Avalon Cafe as well watching Hobo. Was I with you TSU? I remember Chocsscoffer, Dave, HSC GF and Rabid amongst others. Hold on, I think I may have been a little drunk Oh the shame. I did receive a text from Darth from the outside world that made me think it may be true.

you sure... Hobe Jones did one!!!!!

[gemstarrr]

thursday night walking round i heard the name getting thrown aound and thought nothing on it.

got back to the tent and checked my phone and had a few texts, but we all thought it was a big conspiracy with people outside glasto texting in. i don't think i really believed it til i heard it on radio 1 news in a stall on the saturday! was surreal really.

[ollyh]

Standing by the flags in front of the pyramid stage, someone just came up to us at about 11.30 or so on the Thursday night going on about it, he seemed serious but didn't believe him till I checked my phone, then wandering around it was clear the news had spread pretty fast.

[ShadyBlueBell]

i thought it was a festival rumour

[riotradio]

i was walking back up to my tent on thursday night/early fri morning and a group of drunk lads shouted at me "MJ IS DEAD" i didn't believe them, just thought they were making it up so i said back to them "no he isn't" lol stupid me. Found out when i woke up friday that he definitely was.

[Petaldaze]

I was at silent disco and was so convinced it was festival rumour i vowed to eat my hat if it was true (i'd only jus bought the damn thing)! Spent the rest of the weekend fending of taunts of 'shall we cook your hat now then?' etc!

[sisterofmercy]

I was sat by my campfire with some friends having a few beers when one of our friends who wasn't at the festival texted us to say that he'd died. We thought she may have just been winding us up but then we heard some drunk chaps walking through the field saying that he'd died too. We thought that it couldn't just be a coincidence so I texted my sister and she confirmed it. Plus then 10 minutes after we started hearing the first few jokes about it which pretty much gave it away.

As always with anyone dying it is horrendously sad, but I never really liked MJ's music.

[bombfrog]

but I never really liked MJ's music.

[RichieSpenno]

Can't remember where I was when I first heard it (and thought it was one of those rumours) but was in the dance village when texts started to come in from friends family etc. That was when I caught on that he actually was dead.

[remote]

I was having a piss in the urinals near the brothers bar. Some bloke came in and told me. Certainly the most eventful leak I've ever had.

[HuggyHare]

That was a weird one. I was walking past the Acoustic stage when someone stopped me and told me MJ's dead. I thought it was a wind up but someone else walking past said it's true. We spent about an hour talking about it. The guy I was talking to was a big fan, only 16. I'm not a fan but recognise talent when I hear it, and Jacko had that.

Despite the confirmations everywhere I went, it didn't seem real at all. it was like, yeah well Jacko died in Glasto and when the fest is over and we're back "out there" he'll still be alive.

I was also glad that I heard it there. I was already in a surreal state of mind so hearing that surreal news wasn't that big a shock and I figured the outside world would be going nuts.

-----------------------------------------------------------

Now here follows a theory which you don't have to read...

Although I'm not a fan of his, I never believed him to be a pedophile. (Gasp!)

The Bashir interview (remember that?) was clearly a well edited stitch-up and that's what started it all off. The media had him tried and convicted long before the trial. They portrayed MJ as a freak, Wacko Jacko.

We, the mass public fell for it like the sheep that we are. People seemed shocked and pissed off when he was found innocent of ALL charges, 14 in all - 14 and not ONE conviction. The media wanted the worlds biggest star to fall. It became an obsession. Why? Maybe because scandal sells, never mind the truth. But I suspect it had more to do with the massive stake he had with Sony's catalogue which include Elvis and the Beatles.

Sony were trying for years to get Jacko to sell his stake and he himself claimed that the big guns were trying to ruin him so they could regain control. With him behind bars, that would've been easy.

Now with him gone, I'll be watching this space with great interest.

But hey folks, relax, it's only a theory!

[MarkDavis]

Walking out of East 17, eveyone was like hes dead, hes dead. So the old phone came out and i confirmed it

R.I.P

x

[StevieF]

The DJ in Slippery Dick's Love Shack alluded to it around 11.30. Then we were hearing people talk about it around the site. Hobo Jones confirmed it. Then put on a great set.

[fumps]

I was sat with my mates around our tents, when a mate got a text from a mate who was not at Glastonbury.

not a fan but it just was weird. just then i opened my programme & guess who's face was staring at me .....i choked on me beer.

[verrymerry]

Yeah also coming back from East 17 and heard a girl on the phone saying something like "we got her tickets to see him at the 02 for her birthday and when I found out I was totally speechless" - got the wrong end of the stick and assumed said mate had arranged other plans.

Back at the tent my brother told me and I laughed saying "ever year people try and make up the queen is dead, or Thatchers dead" etc but we googled it and it said "rushed to hospital critically ill with some US media reporting he has died"

Only really confirme in the morning by a) the camp site crew in pennards q daily and c) everyone who walked past me shouting "MJ IS DEAD!!!"

It was a surreal night, did anyone else think it just didn't seem real? Everywhere we went there was a blanket MJ greatest hits - bars, market stools, tents you name it!

[Wanderlei]

I heard about it at 5:30am-ish when i was getting up to do my shift. Someone broke the news to us and there was a moments silence. Then someone dryly said: "So i suppose they'll have to cancel his O2 gigs then..."

lol

[Monkey Allen]

Funnily enough, I was shagging his sister Janet in one of the longdrops when Jermaine rang to tell her.

Edited July 6, 2009 by Monkey Allen

[mikeb]

I heard about it loadsa times but just kinda filed it in the "yeah, right, makes a change from Cliff Richard or whoever allegedly dying" malicious festival rumours file. It wasn't until I was chatting with a couple of girls in Trash City at very stupid o'clock Saturday morning and they dialled up some news site on their phone that I realised it was actually true. Yet another artiste to reluctantly cross off the way too late to see them now list. Was really looking forward to the gig which should have been next week (but had already been moved to March next year) having never seen him live before as well I honestly didn't expect him to complete the full set of dates TBH so was kinda prepared for a no show as it was now going to be the very last performance but I did expect him to at least start the tour albeit a bit later than intended. Very sad really, despite the somewhat dubious personal life and all that.

Edited July 6, 2009 by mikeb

[sifi]

I heard about it on Thursday night, and didn't believe it. It was only when I was reading the seventh page of the Guardian's Jacko coverage that I turned round to my wife and said "Y'know, this might be true"

[beergut100]

I heard about it loadsa times but just kinda filed it in the "yeah, right, makes a change from Cliff Richard or whoever allegedly dying" malicious festival rumours file. It wasn't until I was chatting with a couple of girls in Trash City at very stupid o'clock Saturday morning and they dialled up some news site on their phone that I realised it was actually true. Yet another artiste to reluctantly cross off the way too late to see them now list. Was really looking forward to the gig which should have been next week (but had already been moved to March next year) having never seen him live before as well I honestly didn't expect him to complete the full set of dates TBH so was kinda prepared for a no show as it was now going to be the very last performance but I did expect him to at least start the tour albeit a bit later than intended. Very sad really, despite the somewhat dubious personal life and all that.

[Johnthebar]

We were sat up in the Rabbit hole when the first text came through. We thought it was a mate on a wind up, then more texts arrived from people outside and as people started chatting about it I started believing it.

I heard my first shit joke after Altern 8 and one of the DJ's in the Park Silent Disco cheekily dropped in NOFX's 'Don't Call Me White" as a tribute at the end of his set