Michael Jackson lookalike spotted at SSL towers

MJ lookalike checks out new stagewear

Speculation has been rife about the “King of Pop” and his upcoming concert dates at London’s O2 Arena, but aside this an industry is in decline. The demand for Michael Jackson lookalikes has been steadily dropping over the last decade and times have hit hard for those who used to earn their living moonwalking at corporate parties. This downturn has been global, and new photo evidence shows the latest victim of this trend hitting the UK.

Whereas he used to spend his time in the spotlight wearing tight shoes and a jaunty hat, “Mr C.” as he is known (but I must add for legal reasons this is not Mr C from the Shamen) is to be found wandering around SSL Towers keeping an eye on Quality Control. He told us “It’s tough when your life is taken from you, just because the person you pretend to be is not as popular as they once were. I enjoy my job in QC, but there is still something inside me that just can’t let go of the glory days”. Mr C. still has hope for a return to form, and is hoping to capitalise on new interest when MJ takes to the stage again next year. “I need to get myself back in shape, either that or ask a tailor to let my costume out in the middle. The bosses at SSL have banned me from wearing my diamond-studded codpiece from the Bad era, but I frankly refuse to go on unless I can get back into it.”

Happily a compromise has been reached. Mr C. has been allowed to go about his QC duties wearing only 1 white glove instead of the usual 2. SSL stopped short of adding 720-degree spins to his job description, but Mr C. told us “I hope to get authorisation to start singing “Beat It” while packing X-Desks.

X-Desk has started shipping, and will be hitting stores in limited numbers in the coming weeks.

US Dealer events this week – by Jim

While Damien is recovering from eating too much in Malaysia and Richard is still trying to find the exit from the music mall in Seoul, I am over in the USA at our office in New York. Sitting just around the corner from Times Square, my senses are overloaded from the hustle and bustle of being in a major metropolis – such a difference from leafy Oxfordshire!

We’re doing a couple of events and dealer visits this week with the X-Desk. Firstly, there is a workshop with Vintage King in Chicago who are arranging a speaker shootout – using the X-Desk as the centrepiece to make it all happen. More info can be found here:

X-Desk MuiskMesse 2009