…but really not. I wasn’t planning on making a “Michael Jackson Post”; I didn’t deem it necessary, because what could I say that hasn’t already been said?
That still remains clear, but I had to say something. I’ve caught pieces of media coverage – I live in Germany, not Mars – and it’s hard not to have a reaction. He was – IS, I think – the most famous person on the planet, and we all have some idea about who he was. Most of us have very personal memories involving his music/various bits of pop culture, and we appropriate him as our own.
That’s not to be taken lightly. Neither is the fact that he was a great sinner. So am I, by the way.
Some of the points in the memorial seemed calculated (cough cough Brooke Shields) or creepy (pained MJ voiceover with cursive subtitles) or downright wrong, but the genuine moments broke me. The two main points were:
(a) when they showed the video clip I posted at the top of this post. That little boy is undeniable. He’s just bursting with life right there. He hits notes and does runs I think most pop stars couldn’t manage today. But mostly what made me cry was thinking of everything that’s happened since. I think this is self-explanatory. Someone mentioned, too, that it’s strange to see how Michael seemed so emotionally grounded during these sorts of childhood performances – and as he aged physically, he seemed to get more childlike. This breaks my heart.
(b) Seeing his daughter speak at the end. It brought to sober life one of the creepy voiceovers from the service: “It’s nice to be seen as a person, and not as a persona.” (I’m loosely paraphrasing.) A girl lost her daddy. We all, to some degree, know what that feels like.
Anyway. I’m sad today. And it’s a complex sadness – like I don’t feel entitled to be sad, because I didn’t KNOW him or anything, and furthermore, wasn’t he weird or something? At any rate, I really do want the press to back off. Show some dignity, people, and let a human being’s family have some actual time to process. Death is one of those ultimate realities, and if this life, so devoid of contact with reality, does not get the decency of experiencing reality now…well, I’m going to be royally pissed, and I guess that’s all I can do.
That’s all.
