We tend to over-dramatize a person's significance in the immediate wake of their death. Prominent world figures and newsmakers most especially. 'We' meaning everyone, but certainly the media tops the list of worst offenders. When TV heads began addressing issues of what happens to Michael Jackson's kids and who will get Michael's money (if there is any left) Friday morning on the network morning news cartoons, the story of the death of Michael Jackson quickly went from valid news item to the charade these things usually turn into. So Friday morning came with no real surprises.
Having acknowledged that, I will say a couple of things. Yep, Michael Jackson had serious issues in life. Like most of the rest of us, he was flawed. His tabloid life was sordid and if even 10 percent of what was alleged was true, he was a dark and deeply troubled individual.
But there is no mistaking what he was from a professional and creative standpoint: as big a musical giant as the other giants who came before him. And you can start the name dropping with Elvis and the Beatles. In the pantheon of cultural icons, he rests alongside both those names for many reasons, not the least of which was his ability to draw the masses into collective ogling at mere mention of his name. More importantly, though, was his contribution to popular music. He had several massively successful albums. Two of them, "Thriller" and "Dangerous," were nothing short of pop excellence. And within the other CDs he released through his 40-year tenure were pop jewels which became legitimate additions to the history volumes of modern music.
Within the context of the 1980s, Michael Jackson wrote, sang and performed perfect songs. They simply got no better than "Beat It," "Billie Jean" and "Thriller" in that era. Proof of that comes even today, 27 years after "Thriller": How many millions of people can still successfully conjure up the melodies in their head at the mere mention of the song title. Cliche though it is, he defined a generation and along the way he changed the music industry by showing how powerful music's message could be when supplemented by video. It's up to you to decide whether that's a good thing or a bad thing. There have certainly been worthy videos. Personally, I think video, slick imaging and marketing has destroyed country music.
Even Michael Jackson's professional contributions when it comes to the music video and his stake in that sub-genre are not without asterisk for purists, but be certain about one thing: he was the very best at what he did. His dark side must be acknowledged simply because it is part of his entire story and for that reason his impact and death should be kept in proper perspective. He was no god or messianic figure and should never be thought of as such. But when you focus solely on his craft it's hard to deny his impact.
One of my favorite quotes since the news came yesterday, a sad day that also saw the loss of Farrah Fawcett, herself an icon of the 1970s, was made by a New Yorker who like many people grew up in the iconography of both Michael and Farrah: "These people were on our lunch boxes."
Maybe not on my lunch box or yours, but on enough to prove the point. You don't often make it on a school lunchbox without being someone who people will remember for quite some time.
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