April Fools and Memorial Too...

Happy April Fools Day to YOU!

I think I want to post every day. 'Tis but a dream right now. But I can dream, can't I?

I don't want to talk about April fools day. There were no jokes played over here. I actually spent the day with my sister (yes, Kentucky is home!). We watched movies all day (Sing, Fences, Hidden Figures). It was good to see her. I haven't seen her since the winter holiday season.

Today, April 1st, is also the anniversary of the death of Marvin Gaye.

And I can remember where I was when he was killed. Me, my mother, my stepfather and LadyTee were riding down Old National Highway in College Park in the late afternoon when they announced his murder on the radio. And it was one of those days where they play a bunch of the singer's songs. And I remember me and LadyTee wondering aloud... Why are they playing all of his songs?

And to this day, when I hear a whole group of a singer's songs on the radio, I automatically think... OH NO, did they die?

Anyway, we were riding down Old National Highway. I'm not sure where we were going when the announcement was made.

I remember LadyTee and I broke out crying.

And we both hollered, "Why couldn't it be Teddy Pendergrass?"

Looking back, that was such an awful thing to say. But one must take a glimpse into our teenage minds, and know of the controversial news concerning Teddy Pendergrass at the time. He had been paralyzed in a car accident and was with a transvestite. I don't think the thinking was as "free" as it is now about such matters. This shocking news was HIGH controversy and widely discussed among me and my peers.

But it is still shocking to holler that in our angst.

What a sad day that was.

With that said, one of the most important books I read last year was Marvin Gaye's ex-wife Jan Gaye's biography After the Dance.

She chronicled her life with him, and honey, she spilled some tea. She spilled a whole ocean of tea. I almost drowned in the ocean. And it was a page turner.  I highly recommend it, and I wish I would've blogged about my feelings after reading it back then.

But my feelings still linger long after reading this book. I pause and ponder life whenever a Marvin Gaye song comes on the radio. He had so many internal problems. And it made me realize that these stars that we place on such high pedestals have to live their lives in the spotlight. Our speculations and criticisms about their lives is up for open discussion. How would I feel if the complexities of my life were on display like that?

I wouldn't like it. Not one bit. I may not have the fame and fortune of a superstar, but I have my private life with all it's triumphs, tribulations, tragedies, and accomplishments. Many people are inherently judgmental, even if it is on a subconscious level. But it has taught me to pull back mentally and be respectful of what people go through.

And reading that biography, where his life with Jan is laid out from start to finish made me pause. Let's just say his songs have more meaning. They mean much more to me. I don't see him as this superstar that I have listened to since the 70s, but I see him as a real person.

And that's the way it should have been in the first place, right?

It's been 33 years since he was killed by his own father, which is a tragedy in its own right.  He was 44 years old. Sigh.

My favorite song by Marvin Gaye: "I Want You".



I love that song! And I love the album cover art.

Marvin Gaye may be gone, but his music lives on. And his music is timeless.