None More Black (![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} blueyeddevil) wrote,@ 2009-06-26 01:46:00 |
|
No Title
I suppose I could chime in with all the obvious jokes like everyone else and belittle MJ and chuckle over his sad fate because, y'know, the guy was a freak. Right? I mean, he was acquitted of those child molestation charges in a court of law but obviously he molested children. Isn't that right? He had to have molested them because he was such a freak. He loved children. He probably loved them a little too much. And he was so "weird." So obviously he was touching them. Beyond that there was all the garish plastic surgery and the goofy animals and collections and...hey, waaay beyond eccentric. Easy target.
We built this man up as one of the greatest music figures of the twentieth century and then, rather predictably, we tore him down. That's what we do as a society. We build 'em up and knock 'em down because it's fun. And it sells advertising and it sells magazines. And hell, he made it so easy. I mean, just look at the guy. I'm sure he reeked of pederasty in person.
Well, y'know what? Fuck you. MJ furthered music in his time. He was a brilliant artist and performer. I was a huge fan. I see no shame in admitting that. From the time he burst on the scene as the young(est), short(est) member of a fantastic group of brothers called the Jackson 5 he mesmerized audiences everywhere. And when he grew up and went solo he won over the hearts of every music admirer. He took Soul, R&B and Pop and fused it all together into something powerful and irresistible. Then this thing called MTV came along and he elevated the "music video" into an art form. He was cutting edge, he was musical brilliance, he was performance bliss. He was the spirit of not just one age but a few. At one time it seemed there would never be a moment when Michael Jackson wasn't the "King Of Pop" because no one could touch him.
There were the ailments. There was all the plastic surgery. Personally, I think they really fucked up the surgery and then spent so much effort trying to fix it that they kept fucking it up more. It's like when you put together a song or a sketch/painting/portrait and there's something that doesn't work so you try to fix it but just fuck it up even more. It's horribly unfortunate but it happens. And it wasn't as though he had an enviable childhood. Read up on his parents sometime. And he was thrust into the spotlight from the beginning. You have no idea what that does to a person. It skewed his whole perspective and affected the way he developed in an extreme way. I always felt bad for the guy. But I also really dug his music, all the way up through Dangerous.
MJ had more impact on music than most any other artist out there. It's a shame that things ended the way they did. And I'm not just talking about the last twenty-four hours. The last fifteen years were hard. But that just follows suit with how the greats end up. Greatness and misery go hand in hand. And this was another Elvis situation, quite frankly. Someone recognized that as much as society loves to build up stars and tear them down they also love a good comeback and there are people who put down a lot of money to see Jackson rise again. To ensure it would happen they "augmented" his health with whatever it would take to make the upcoming tour happen. They got him addicted to drugs that ultimately did him in. I'm convinced of that. While it's rich in irony it's also utterly ridiculous that it could happen in this day and age. But Jackson was like a child, even at 50. He was too trusting and too ignorant in the face of those who were manipulating him.
Yes, he was way past his "prime." He was in no physical condition to be of any relevance in what the "market" has now become. His death isn't just a "shock," it's symbolic of the death of the way things used to be. Everything that built MJ up is gone now. Everything is completely different now. He was a relic. And he was also difficult to behold and sort of creepy as well.
That doesn't lessen his impact. He may have exhibited a childlike ignorance which ultimately did him in but he also possessed a creative brilliance that affected generations and influenced most every musician of the past forty years.
I regard his passing as sad. I mean, it is what it is. But it's unfortunate. And I still love his albums. People can tear him down all they like. The man can pass into the restful black. But the music is still there and it's still just as great as the first time I heard it.
MJ FTW.
I suppose I could chime in with all the obvious jokes like everyone else and belittle MJ and chuckle over his sad fate because, y'know, the guy was a freak. Right? I mean, he was acquitted of those child molestation charges in a court of law but obviously he molested children. Isn't that right? He had to have molested them because he was such a freak. He loved children. He probably loved them a little too much. And he was so "weird." So obviously he was touching them. Beyond that there was all the garish plastic surgery and the goofy animals and collections and...hey, waaay beyond eccentric. Easy target.
We built this man up as one of the greatest music figures of the twentieth century and then, rather predictably, we tore him down. That's what we do as a society. We build 'em up and knock 'em down because it's fun. And it sells advertising and it sells magazines. And hell, he made it so easy. I mean, just look at the guy. I'm sure he reeked of pederasty in person.
Well, y'know what? Fuck you. MJ furthered music in his time. He was a brilliant artist and performer. I was a huge fan. I see no shame in admitting that. From the time he burst on the scene as the young(est), short(est) member of a fantastic group of brothers called the Jackson 5 he mesmerized audiences everywhere. And when he grew up and went solo he won over the hearts of every music admirer. He took Soul, R&B and Pop and fused it all together into something powerful and irresistible. Then this thing called MTV came along and he elevated the "music video" into an art form. He was cutting edge, he was musical brilliance, he was performance bliss. He was the spirit of not just one age but a few. At one time it seemed there would never be a moment when Michael Jackson wasn't the "King Of Pop" because no one could touch him.
There were the ailments. There was all the plastic surgery. Personally, I think they really fucked up the surgery and then spent so much effort trying to fix it that they kept fucking it up more. It's like when you put together a song or a sketch/painting/portrait and there's something that doesn't work so you try to fix it but just fuck it up even more. It's horribly unfortunate but it happens. And it wasn't as though he had an enviable childhood. Read up on his parents sometime. And he was thrust into the spotlight from the beginning. You have no idea what that does to a person. It skewed his whole perspective and affected the way he developed in an extreme way. I always felt bad for the guy. But I also really dug his music, all the way up through Dangerous.
MJ had more impact on music than most any other artist out there. It's a shame that things ended the way they did. And I'm not just talking about the last twenty-four hours. The last fifteen years were hard. But that just follows suit with how the greats end up. Greatness and misery go hand in hand. And this was another Elvis situation, quite frankly. Someone recognized that as much as society loves to build up stars and tear them down they also love a good comeback and there are people who put down a lot of money to see Jackson rise again. To ensure it would happen they "augmented" his health with whatever it would take to make the upcoming tour happen. They got him addicted to drugs that ultimately did him in. I'm convinced of that. While it's rich in irony it's also utterly ridiculous that it could happen in this day and age. But Jackson was like a child, even at 50. He was too trusting and too ignorant in the face of those who were manipulating him.
Yes, he was way past his "prime." He was in no physical condition to be of any relevance in what the "market" has now become. His death isn't just a "shock," it's symbolic of the death of the way things used to be. Everything that built MJ up is gone now. Everything is completely different now. He was a relic. And he was also difficult to behold and sort of creepy as well.
That doesn't lessen his impact. He may have exhibited a childlike ignorance which ultimately did him in but he also possessed a creative brilliance that affected generations and influenced most every musician of the past forty years.
I regard his passing as sad. I mean, it is what it is. But it's unfortunate. And I still love his albums. People can tear him down all they like. The man can pass into the restful black. But the music is still there and it's still just as great as the first time I heard it.
MJ FTW.
