The King
I know, you might be thinking, "God, haven't we had enough of this already?!". But something happened while I was listening to some old vinyl records a few evenings ago. This is my tribute...
The needle dropped, the static crackled, then an unshakable beat pumped through my headphones. "Wanna Be Starting Somethin'" played on, and I then realized that Michael Jackson is dead. It's actually taken this long to take that fact in.
The other night, I watched "This Is It" in Blu-ray, and I still didn't fully comprehend that Michael won't make another album, video, or crazy media stunt. I'm old enough to remember hearing "Don't Stop Til You Get Enough" on the radio (and get the 45 rpm of it). It took until many years later to fully appreciate Michael's incredible work. As an artist, despite any rumors or taint of his actions or accusations, I completely respect his art. "Off the Wall" is brilliant, and I adore "Thriller" in addition to almost all of his songs (nobody's perfect, eh?). "Human Nature" might be one of the greatest songs of all time IMHO. It's soothing, smooth sound, the ease and pleasant yet melancholy vocals, the sweeping strings and personable guitar..a certain longing, as mysterious as the mood itself. I can listen to that song a million times and still be emotional.
While those two albums were turning on my record player, something finally moved in me. I picked up a pencil and tried to convay the energy and spirit of what Michael expressed. He loved Peter Pan, and in interviews had expressed a deep fascination with the character. Well, we had that in common. I loved Michael not only for his musical gift, but also his profound exploration of eternal youth. Growing old is a very hard pill to swallow. Even at my age, I still can't cope with the fact. Many times I would sell my soul to be young forever, and maybe that's why I love to make art. Something inside tells me that Michael knew that art was the most direct way of keeping a young spirit alive.
One thing I, and probably millions around the world, wish I could've done was tell him directly what an important impact he made on me. It's funny, but I don't normally care about fame or public figures much, but for some reason Michael was different. What was it? I think he somehow tapped into a force that not only channeled it's way through him and could convay a power that many of us could directly relate to, but burned him out in the process. He needed to get this gift across so badly that it killed him.
Well, I hope to one day be able to tell Michael that his vision and art has been one of the brightest lights in my sky. Until then, this drawing was the only way I could make my feelings real. Michael will always be Peter, and I can only imagine his spirit adventuring in Neverland forever. Thank you for the crazy, potent and wonderful emotions your art has given me, Michael.
The needle dropped, the static crackled, then an unshakable beat pumped through my headphones. "Wanna Be Starting Somethin'" played on, and I then realized that Michael Jackson is dead. It's actually taken this long to take that fact in.
The other night, I watched "This Is It" in Blu-ray, and I still didn't fully comprehend that Michael won't make another album, video, or crazy media stunt. I'm old enough to remember hearing "Don't Stop Til You Get Enough" on the radio (and get the 45 rpm of it). It took until many years later to fully appreciate Michael's incredible work. As an artist, despite any rumors or taint of his actions or accusations, I completely respect his art. "Off the Wall" is brilliant, and I adore "Thriller" in addition to almost all of his songs (nobody's perfect, eh?). "Human Nature" might be one of the greatest songs of all time IMHO. It's soothing, smooth sound, the ease and pleasant yet melancholy vocals, the sweeping strings and personable guitar..a certain longing, as mysterious as the mood itself. I can listen to that song a million times and still be emotional.
While those two albums were turning on my record player, something finally moved in me. I picked up a pencil and tried to convay the energy and spirit of what Michael expressed. He loved Peter Pan, and in interviews had expressed a deep fascination with the character. Well, we had that in common. I loved Michael not only for his musical gift, but also his profound exploration of eternal youth. Growing old is a very hard pill to swallow. Even at my age, I still can't cope with the fact. Many times I would sell my soul to be young forever, and maybe that's why I love to make art. Something inside tells me that Michael knew that art was the most direct way of keeping a young spirit alive.
One thing I, and probably millions around the world, wish I could've done was tell him directly what an important impact he made on me. It's funny, but I don't normally care about fame or public figures much, but for some reason Michael was different. What was it? I think he somehow tapped into a force that not only channeled it's way through him and could convay a power that many of us could directly relate to, but burned him out in the process. He needed to get this gift across so badly that it killed him.
Well, I hope to one day be able to tell Michael that his vision and art has been one of the brightest lights in my sky. Until then, this drawing was the only way I could make my feelings real. Michael will always be Peter, and I can only imagine his spirit adventuring in Neverland forever. Thank you for the crazy, potent and wonderful emotions your art has given me, Michael.