Not sure if anyone is aware of this but…Michael Jackson died.
What? Oh, you heard?
Yeah, that’s right you heard. Everybody heard. On the planet.
I never bought or owned a Michael Jackson record, but growing up on planet Earth it has been virtually impossible to ignore him or his music. From the bright and shiny (outwardly, anyway) days of the Jackson 5 to the megastardom of ‘Thriller’ to the descent in to all forms of disfigurement in the last 15 or so years.
Like or him or not, the Michael Jackson phenomenon was impossible to escape. Impossible to disregard. So although I never personally got swept up in fanclub Michael, I felt strangely affected and saddened by his death. In fact, I felt a little ill. Like, it was just wrong. And sad. And tragic. You have to be made of stone to not feel some emotion when you watch an old clip of the Jackson 5 in the 70’s and little Michael, with big talent, just shines. But as we now know, all forms of craziness were going on behind the scenes.
His later descent into the Neverland nutiness makes sense then doesn’t it? Madness was forced upon him as a child, madness surrounded him, and so later in life he created the madness. I’ve known plenty of people who have acted out the same psychosis -it’s classic dysfunctional behavior. You recreate the craziness you were raised in because somewhere inside, there’s a little kid that says, “This is normal.”
It’s just that in Michael Jackson’s case the dysfunction was on display for the entire world to behold.
While driving home a few hours ago, I was channel surfing the radio and came across “Billie Jean”. I cranked it up. I’ve listened closely to the song before and it is undeniably a great song but this time I just listened to the vocals. And then when I got home I dialed up a few live performances. I remember seeing an interview where he said he feels most comfortable in life when he is performing. I believe what caused such a worldwide resonance was Michael Jackson was only truly himself when he was on a stage. That was the only place he felt he belonged -the only place he fit. And because he didn’t quite fit anywhere else, when he sang, danced, or performed, he was totally and completely given over to the music -he held back nothing and gave everything. There was no place else he could do that.
Problem is, one can’t stay there forever.
“He missed his childhood and now he’s gonna miss his old age. How f***** up is that?”, asks Bob Lefsetz.
Pretty f***** up.
Keith,
You nailed it. I really did enjoy some of his music. “Billie Jean” and “Beat It” (songs he also wrote) were truly ground breaking songs in pop culture. Seeing all these retrospectives on his life it really is sad to see a young man descend into madness. For me he died long ago.
It’s funny but my sons, rockers to the core, really enjoy some of his music.
Tim
Even ‘rockers to the core’ (myself included) cannot deny great songwriting and performing. I had no idea that he actually wrote much of his material -Billie Jean included. In fct, he even fought Quincy Jones to get that song on the record because he knew it was a hit. That’s a real artist -someone who’s willing to fight for their material.
How come he ended up looking so white? He really ended up looking like a monster, I am sorry. But that’s what you get when you treat your kids badly – screwed up individuals…It is a reminder for us – parents.