We all know that Michael Jackson – love him or loathe him – died on June 25th. Having watched his heartfelt memorial yesterday evening, I wanted to share my own feelings in regards to his passing.
As a youngster (still only 26 mind you!) I grew up in a household where there wasn’t really a lot to do. With strict parents, my sister and I relied heavily on one another to keep ourselves entertained – and our best source of inspiration, other than Disney movies, came undoubtedly from Michael Jackson.
From an early age, his music and dancing had us both mesmerised. My first album, purchased on cassette during a school trip, was Thriller. We later managed to get our hands on Bad and Dangerous, and we played them until the tapes had worn out. Back in the day – without Google (how did we ever survive?) – we’d resort to listening to songs over and over again in an attempt to dissect Mr Jackson’s lyrics. It literally took us years to figure out the first two lines from Black or White – fun times!
It was during those years that I believe his music – along with the music of others – helped shape my personality as an individual. In the early 90’s, songs such as Man In The Mirror were a huge inspiration and perhaps only now, after Michael Jackson’s passing, do I realise how much of an inspiration his words actually were.
However, for the best part of two decades, Michael Jackson as a person and an entertainer has become taboo. Having been accused of multiple transgressions, and widely condemned by mainstream media, he lived the latter stages of his life known simply as Wacko Jacko.
His endless ridicule has, to me, highlighted the cruel nature of the world in which we live. Not knowing Michael Jackson personally, I won’t and can’t defend him. However, it’s equally important that I don’t judge him based on media interpretation. Given the sources of information – I could believe, based on media/tabloid reports, that Jackson was a black paedophile wanting to be white. Alternatively, and following last night’s memorial, I could believe friends and family who knew him – all of whom state that Michael was little more than a musical genius and a loving man who tried, and ultimately failed, to Heal the World.
Given the choice, I prefer to believe the latter, and I find it unfortunate that we as a race are so quick to judge other human beings. It seems we always need a villain, someone to point at and ridicule – Michael Jackson, it seems, was the easy target.
Marlon, Michael Jackson’s brother, summed it up appropriately: "We will never understand what he endured… being judged, ridiculed… maybe, now, Michael, they will leave you alone.”
I can only hope that Michael Jackson is remembered not for his rumoured wrongdoings, but for the enrichment he brought to many lives as a humanitarian and a musician.
Thank you for the inspiration Mr Jackson, you will be missed.
Rather interesting. Has few times re-read for this purpose to remember. Thanks for interesting article. Waiting for trackback
i could say that Michael Jackson is a living legend when it comes to pop music. he would be surely missed by most of us.
| Michael Jackson is truly the King of Pop. i am a die hard fan of him and we are going to miss him now that he is gone.
Michael Jackson would always be the best popstar ever. i love all his songs and his live concerts.
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Michael Jackson is truly the King of Pop. He made a lot of great songs in the area of Pop Music. His death is a great loss to the music industry.
I remember when I was a kid in the 80’s I first heard Michael Jackson’s “Beat It.” I didn’t think too much of the song or Michael Jackson, but his dancing is what caught my eye. When I later saw re-plays of his Motown 25 performance in 1983, that was the turning point for me. I had watched his music video’s, but I had never seen him dance like he did that night. From that point forward, I was enamored with Michael Jackson. I have had my doubts about whether or not the heinous allegations made against were true, but I have concluded, as the author or this article has, that I am neither in the position to judge, nor the position to defend Michael Jackson because I had no relationship with him. However, I can say this his music, dance moves, and vocal ability were awe-inspiring and I don’t believe that I’ll ever seen an entertainer like him in this lifetime. He was simply the best. I hope he is finally able to rest now. What a cruel world we live in.