Michael Jackson's Legacy Is His Music
I just read about Micheal Jackson passing away. The apparent cause of death was cardiac arrest., but details are still unknown at the time of this entry. For some reason still allusive, I find it important to say that Michael Jackson, despite all the controversy that has played out over the past two decades of his life, should first and foremost be remembered for his contributions to the world of popular music. Even though I have personally been estranged from MJ's worldly influence for many years now, there was a time when that wasn't necessarily the case.
I was born in 1981, and pretty much injected straight to into the decade of Michael. Both of my folks were avid music lovers, and among my earliest memories of my family, and the last time the Detroit Tigers won the World Series, was time sitting in the back of an '82 Chevy Monte Carlo or an '83 Pontiac Sunbird, tuning into whatever was on the car radio, and quickly learning about the iconic one-man sensation that was taking the world of pop. music by storm. Though my dad, a former pro drummer, seemed to look at MJ as something of an upstart, my mom was fond him, and so it was that those addictively catchy riffs were forever etched into my memory.
By the time I was six, MJ was pretty much a demi-god. It was hard to come across a kid who DIDN'T own one of his cassette tapes, and damned near impossible to escape his image when I flipped on the TV after school. Then there was the Moonwalk, the move that made every kid in town look fittingly stupid, which was in turn inspired by a movie (or vice versa) virtually interpeting MJ as being otherworldly. Indeed, by the end of the decade there was little reason to doubt at whatever age that Micheal Jackson was larger than life.
As anybody alive during that time could tell you, the cultural gap in America between the 80's and 90's was chasmal, and as life in America changed, so too did Michael. The look was different. The sound was different. The "Dangerous" era became riddled with controversy and ambiguity that clashed at every new turn in the rapidly progresssing 90's. Hard rock became the new anthem of the time. I was pretty much swept out of the water by Pearl Jam at that point, and just a little weirded out by all of MJ's innuendo in my pre-pubescent state.
Then, when I was 12, the big story broke out about Michael Jackson settling out of court on charges of child molestation. At that fragile age, it was hard for me to know what to believe. Nevertheless, the story shattered all the illusions I had ever had about cultural icons, and I was never quite the same person again. Consequently, I disowned his music, and moved on with my life.
So did Micheal apparently. He fired back with "History" in 1995, and at the time, the video for "Scream", made with stellar sister Janet, was the most lavish music video ever made. Europe dotted the map with statues capturing his image in all its flamboyant glory, as if he were some great war hero. His world tour drew in fans by the millions. It would be his last, as he would go on to spend the rest of the 90's focusing on what remained of his humanity, channeling his energy towards marriages and kids.
Seemingly lost somewhere in all the hoopla of being a god amongst mortals, was the music that shaped the myth. In my teenage years, Michael Jackson became something of a joke. I once had a job at a department store, where the awfulness of "You Are Not Alone" played out mercilessly. Meanwhile, I took comfort in the blunt humor of Wesley Willis, in the basement of a college dormatory. It wasn't until a while later, when a band called Alien Ant Farm did a righteous cover of "Smooth Criminal" did it occur to me that Michael's music still posessed a life of its own. While the man was off galavanting the realms of fantasy, and continuing to expand on his ambiguous vision, the music that was the only sure bet in the 80's (where MJ was concerned anyway) was still just that.
"Don't stop 'til You Get Enough" still makes me want to shake my pale white booty. "Thriller" still posesses an uncanny and mysterious energy. "Man In The Mirror" is still chillingly human. He single handedly made a name out of Rockwell and inspired Weird Al towards a slew of memorable parodies. He helped carry Motown through the fallout of the 80's. He transcended across racial boundaries, incorporating all variations of Soul, R&B, Rock & Roll and even Heavy Metal. His impact on modern day Pop is immeasurable. His voice is unforgettable.
The last four or five years of Jackson's life were marked with humility and ultimately tragedy. I feel that Michael Jackson was a product of a world of souls still desperately clinging to an all too dangerous level of fantasy. He was raised in the spotright virtually from the moment of his birth, and likely never even knew what it meant to live a practical life. It is evident in his god-like charitable work and substantial dedication to the lives of children that he meant well, but his poor judgement, coupled with a series of untimely breakdowns in his career ultimately proved that he was human. We may never know the full truth behind all the allegations, but in any case, I still pity the fact that our culture allowed one of it's single greatest assets to fall to pieces.
Not that any of it matters now. Michael Jackson, the "King of Pop" is no more, save for the great music that he left behind. Jam on.
I was born in 1981, and pretty much injected straight to into the decade of Michael. Both of my folks were avid music lovers, and among my earliest memories of my family, and the last time the Detroit Tigers won the World Series, was time sitting in the back of an '82 Chevy Monte Carlo or an '83 Pontiac Sunbird, tuning into whatever was on the car radio, and quickly learning about the iconic one-man sensation that was taking the world of pop. music by storm. Though my dad, a former pro drummer, seemed to look at MJ as something of an upstart, my mom was fond him, and so it was that those addictively catchy riffs were forever etched into my memory.
By the time I was six, MJ was pretty much a demi-god. It was hard to come across a kid who DIDN'T own one of his cassette tapes, and damned near impossible to escape his image when I flipped on the TV after school. Then there was the Moonwalk, the move that made every kid in town look fittingly stupid, which was in turn inspired by a movie (or vice versa) virtually interpeting MJ as being otherworldly. Indeed, by the end of the decade there was little reason to doubt at whatever age that Micheal Jackson was larger than life.
As anybody alive during that time could tell you, the cultural gap in America between the 80's and 90's was chasmal, and as life in America changed, so too did Michael. The look was different. The sound was different. The "Dangerous" era became riddled with controversy and ambiguity that clashed at every new turn in the rapidly progresssing 90's. Hard rock became the new anthem of the time. I was pretty much swept out of the water by Pearl Jam at that point, and just a little weirded out by all of MJ's innuendo in my pre-pubescent state.
Then, when I was 12, the big story broke out about Michael Jackson settling out of court on charges of child molestation. At that fragile age, it was hard for me to know what to believe. Nevertheless, the story shattered all the illusions I had ever had about cultural icons, and I was never quite the same person again. Consequently, I disowned his music, and moved on with my life.
So did Micheal apparently. He fired back with "History" in 1995, and at the time, the video for "Scream", made with stellar sister Janet, was the most lavish music video ever made. Europe dotted the map with statues capturing his image in all its flamboyant glory, as if he were some great war hero. His world tour drew in fans by the millions. It would be his last, as he would go on to spend the rest of the 90's focusing on what remained of his humanity, channeling his energy towards marriages and kids.
Seemingly lost somewhere in all the hoopla of being a god amongst mortals, was the music that shaped the myth. In my teenage years, Michael Jackson became something of a joke. I once had a job at a department store, where the awfulness of "You Are Not Alone" played out mercilessly. Meanwhile, I took comfort in the blunt humor of Wesley Willis, in the basement of a college dormatory. It wasn't until a while later, when a band called Alien Ant Farm did a righteous cover of "Smooth Criminal" did it occur to me that Michael's music still posessed a life of its own. While the man was off galavanting the realms of fantasy, and continuing to expand on his ambiguous vision, the music that was the only sure bet in the 80's (where MJ was concerned anyway) was still just that.
"Don't stop 'til You Get Enough" still makes me want to shake my pale white booty. "Thriller" still posesses an uncanny and mysterious energy. "Man In The Mirror" is still chillingly human. He single handedly made a name out of Rockwell and inspired Weird Al towards a slew of memorable parodies. He helped carry Motown through the fallout of the 80's. He transcended across racial boundaries, incorporating all variations of Soul, R&B, Rock & Roll and even Heavy Metal. His impact on modern day Pop is immeasurable. His voice is unforgettable.
The last four or five years of Jackson's life were marked with humility and ultimately tragedy. I feel that Michael Jackson was a product of a world of souls still desperately clinging to an all too dangerous level of fantasy. He was raised in the spotright virtually from the moment of his birth, and likely never even knew what it meant to live a practical life. It is evident in his god-like charitable work and substantial dedication to the lives of children that he meant well, but his poor judgement, coupled with a series of untimely breakdowns in his career ultimately proved that he was human. We may never know the full truth behind all the allegations, but in any case, I still pity the fact that our culture allowed one of it's single greatest assets to fall to pieces.
Not that any of it matters now. Michael Jackson, the "King of Pop" is no more, save for the great music that he left behind. Jam on.