Jacko monument planned

A small town in Lower Austria could become a pilgrimage site for fans of the late “King of Pop”.

Two residents of Mistelbach explained yesterday (Weds) they asked the town hall to give the green light to their ambition of setting up a statue of Michael Jackson. The council will decide on the request next month. A Czech artist is reportedly ready to create the monument to commemorate one of the most successful artists in the history of pop music. The initiators hope to cover the costs with donations.

Jackson passed away in 2009. Ambitions to stage a tribute concert at Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna ended in a fiasco when organisers failed to attract a significant number of popular performers. However, Georg Kindel and Jermaine Jackson blamed “negative campaigning” by the Austrian press. The city of Vienna pulled out from subsidising the event. Decision-makers were initially willing to bolster the project with 600,000 Euros, hoping it would boost the Austrian capital’s tourism industry.