I received this email the day before yesterday previewing his London shows and trying to get me to buy some tickets that had just been released so obviously yesterdays events were a bit of a shock!

Its so sad, I'm really in shock, 50 is no age to die at all. We have without doubt lost one of the great entertainers and figures of our time. I'm glad the press are making a big deal of it, it was so sad when they aparantly weren't arsed when James Brown passed. I'm sure its because MJ was younger and his O2 shows are in a couple of weeks. I'd say he was a much bigger influence on music than Elvis overall and his death has been much more of a shock because he's meant to be coming back! My dad compared it to John Lennon because he died young after not doing much for a couple of years.
As for the small minority of people attacking him calling him a paedophile etc, in my eyes thats as low as you can get. Insulting the dead while their bodies are still warm. Very heartless. In my eyes, as he was found innocent, he is an innocent man so I will pay my respects. I had a sexual assault on a 12 year old girl accused at me over last summer and while I was also eventually found innocent, if i died its the exact same as someone calling me a paedophile straight after which is totally uncalled for and unfounded. Anyone dwelling on this small period of this man's life just after he died and not remembering him for his music is pretty sadistic in my eyes.
I feel bad for the people at Glastonbury, this year's festival will forever be associated with them for the death of Michael Jackson, I was just watching a DVD with a girl mate when we got a text pretty much as soon as news broke. My first reaction was it was a publicity stunt for his upcoming tour so today has been pretty surreal. Every other song on the radio has been Michael Jackson.
MJ has been dominating facebook statuses today, one of the more imaginitive ones being:

Patrick Cashmore has just bought two tickets to see MJ at the O2 arena for £20 each! can't wait!!!!!!

I'm going to download everything he's ever done and put it on my I-pod for summer. There is no doubt he has been one of the greatest talents and influences he has been in modern times so I'm determined to get educated on him while I still can!!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Last night I went camping for a practice run for Benicassim with my tent buddy, Jenny. We went to a pub in Cheshire where you could pay to pitch your tent in the back but it was literally a patch of grass, without any washing/toilet facilities while the pub was closed and it started getting cold so we came back and set up in my garden. We put the tent up, had a barbecue, drank some whisky and watched Saw V & Gran Torino (both of them were amazing). I've just dropped her back at hers now and I'm about to head back out to another barbecue. I love that girl to bits, she's quality.
Summer is going well!

2 MORE SLEEPS UNTIL ZANTE!!!