I shouldn't have to tell anyone by now. You've all probably heard the news. Thursday, June 25th Michael Jackson passed away at 50 years old.
These past few days have been both strange and difficult for his fans all over the world. That is why it has taken me so long to write something.
After hearing the news, a friend texted me as I was out on a date, I was immediately stunned. What! was my initial reaction followed by how? and when?
Because this is a movie blog I usually don't discuss music. I've tried to sneak it in a few times when writing about the soundtrack to various movies. I even reviewed Martin Scorsese's "Shine A Light" (2008) his concert/documentary on the Rolling Stones. If you read it or if you know me, you know my relationship to pop mainstream music is not like others.
My father is a musician but looked down on pop music strongly. In other households Elvis and the Beatles were celebrated. In my house we laughed at those people. But, for me, Michael Jackson was different. Some of my oldest friends were shocked to know of my sadness when I heard of his passing. Michael Jackson was the first musician whose music I enjoyed as a child. When I heard of his death the memories flooded my mind.
I hadn't thought about Jackson for many years. At least I hadn't thought about his music. His name remained in the news but mostly because of his legal problems. The child molestation charges and such but after his early 90s album "Dangerous" which featured hit singles such as "Black or White", which went straight to number 1 on the charts, and "Remember the Time", which went to number 3, I kind of lost interest. He stopped releasing worthwhile music. I probably would have still listened to him if he had remained prolific. But as the saying goes, out of sight, out of mind. His music became secondary in the news. A whole new generation would know his name for much different reasons. But, for my generation, for those of us who grew up in the 80s Michael Jackson was our Elvis Presley. Going over his list of songs is like going over a Rolodex of the 80s. The way Glenn Miller defined his era, Michael Jackson defined the 80s (I'd also throw in Madonna).
I remember the first time I saw his "Thriller" music video. It gave me nightmares yet I listened to it repeatedly. MTV would play it frequently. Whenever the zombie part came on I'd turned my head away from the TV but turn the volume up. I remember when his follow up album, "Bad" came out. I remember the excitement one of my cousins showed when showing me his latest music video, it was for "Smooth Criminal".
All of these memories came back. My aunt saw him in concert. I was so mad at her. I wanted to go and see him. I bought a Michael Jackson action figure. I pleaded with my mother to let me dress up as him for Halloween one year. He was my musical hero.
But now the "King of Pop" is gone. After listening to the tributes and celebrity statements and the absolute nastiness that is found on the internet I realized something. Michael Jackson's death could have been bigger than Frank Sinatra or Elvis' death but Jackson's recent troubles would forever remain a dark cloud over him. Imagine the impact of his death if it never happened? Imagine if there were only positive things to say about him. That made me sad to think about. It is a shame even now, in his death, the venom continues.
Oh I know what the critics will say. How dare I admire a child molester. But that has nothing to do with anything. I've always been a believer in separating the artist from the individual. Roman Polanski is a director I admire greatly. I was happy when he won the Oscar for best director. There is a man who admitted to having sexual relations with a minor! I've even remained a fan of Woody Allen. He is my favorite American filmmaker working today. If I could extend that kind of "forgiveness" to those men, I should have been able to with Jackson. I'm able to admire the man's music but not his life.
Now with his Jackson's death I've gone into a time warp. As I write this review I'm listening to Jackson's music. I've begun to re-appreciate his music. I even ordered some CD's online. Sadly it took his death to make me appreciate him again. But isn't that the way it always is? We only begin to appreciate something once it is gone. I wonder if Jackson would take any pleasure in knowing how so many of us feel about him now that he is gone. In a way we've all come together. We are sharing stories of our memories. We are discussing his music again. Listening to these songs again, maybe we never should have stopped discussing his songs.
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