Michael Jackson RIP
July 7, 2009 at 8:17 am 12 comments
Now I know that there’s not much to do in Bridgend, Wales, on a wet summer’s day but come on! There was something wrong with the reaction of two middle-aged Welsh ladies when Sky News gave them free tickets to the Michael Jackson Memorial Concert this morning – read about it here. They acted like eleven year old girls at a Take That concert.
I simply do not understand all the adulation. Yes he was a good singer. Yes he was a fantastic dancer. And, yes, he was a brilliant performer. But, despite his Jesus-like performance at the 1996 Brit Awards (God bless you Jarvis Cocker – see it here), and to quote Monty Python, he was “not the Messiah” but “a very naughty boy!” This is a person who blew a large fortune. This is a person who, allegedly, abused his body with prescription pills. This is a person who definitely abused his body through surgery. This is a person who seemingly could not accept his colour or the ageing process. This is a person who, at best, acted inappropriately with small boys. Hardly a role model.
I am always amazed how the public adore those of us who are most flawed. Michael Jackson has received Jade Goody cum Princess Diana-like adulation since his sad and untimely death. I am just hoping that today’s funeral and the Memorial Concert will be the end of it. And, I hope that someone is looking after the giraffes at Neverland.
Michael, thanks for the music and I hope that, now, they’ll let you rest in peace.
One very strange side-effect of poor Michael’s’ demise is the number of people who appear to be finding my blog using the search “La Toya Jackson nude” or “La Toya Jackson naked”…..glad to see the real fans are still out there! 😉
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Entry filed under: Celebrities, rant. Tags: bridgend, concert, Diana Princess of Wales, giraffes, jade goody, jarvis cocker, La Toya, La Toya Jackson, la toya jackson naked, la toya jackson nude, memorial, michael jackson, neverland, princess diana, rip, sky news.
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Middle Man 
1.
SilverTiger | July 7, 2009 at 10:28 am
Jackon’s dead, so his peace is assured, but in the sense of perpetrating silliness around his name – as continues to happen with people like Elvis – I doubt whether we shall see peace any time soon.
Reports that Jackson is alive and well and planning a comeback have already been filed (he’s no doubt taking strategy advice from Tupac) whilst on the other hand, his ghost was seen during a videoed news item! Dead and alive at the same time, eh? Only Schrödinger can explain.
Celebrity is a strange thing. People seem to manage to incorporate the celebrity into their personal mythology so that s/he becomes part of their own identity. In many cases, people only “realize” how important s/he was to them when the death is notified. Either way, the death then seems to them to rob them of something essential, like the death of a (genuine) loved one. However hysterical, their grief is deeply felt.
I don’t “get” Jackson’s music and dance. If I did, I too might bandy around words like “unique” and “genius” but I think that if we look at the real geniuses of music – Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, etc – we will see we are here talking molehills rather than mountains.
When all is said and done, though, Jackson was a complex character, a one-off, and in that sense very interesting, even to a professional grouch like me. At least we can look forward to the forthcoming biographies, from the “official” through the “unofficial” to the “I bore Michael’s secret love child” bio-fictions.
Yes, I think this story still has plenty of mileage in it…
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2.
Middle Man | July 7, 2009 at 10:34 am
Dear SilverTiger, thanks for popping in and leaving such a thoughtful comment.
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3.
Alan | July 7, 2009 at 10:43 am
But is he ttruely worth a stamp?
http://alanspicer.wordpress.com/2009/07/07/sharpton-calls-for-jackson-postage-stamp-and-day-of-mourning/
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4.
Middle Man | July 7, 2009 at 10:46 am
Alan,
No. Although he was fairly perforated around the edges in life.
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5.
Alan | July 7, 2009 at 11:16 am
I love the article and I love your sense of humour, I see a great bond building here over time.
The sad thing is I was one of the people sending bad taste jokes less than 15minutes after his official confirmation of passing broke lol
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6.
cerebr8 | July 14, 2009 at 9:42 am
I for one am glad I rarely, if ever use a postage stamp in this electronic world. So if ever they do put that child molesting, self mutilating excuse of a pop culture icon on a postage stamp… I for one will not be lickin it!
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7.
akin sankofa | July 14, 2009 at 9:52 am
Michael jackson means different things to different people. For a Black British person growing up in the 1970s and 1980s Michael jackson was an oxymoron: he was a hero to us: before him you did not see Black popstars that went into superstar status, no other Black artist sold as many albums as he did and he supassed all other artists: Bob Marley, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gayeand his brothers and sisters who were themselves accomplished musicians. Michael jackson left an immense and high quality body of creative work that transcended both the visual and audio cultures. Michael jackson also broke down barriers: the first Black artist to be truly accepted on to MTV – and his videos didn’t disappoint! they were of a consistent high standard. Black people looked up to Michael Jackson from the 1970s through to the 1980s. However, the other side was he made us cringe with his pub licity antics: the oxygen tank, the issues with children, the high spending on trinkets, baubles and trivia, the skin lightening – ok he said he had vitilligo – some of the cringeing singles like “Heal the world, Black or White, Earth Song”, the peter pan-like behaviour, the high voice. Michael Jackson was an oxymoron but he did make a stand for Black musical artists,protesting against the sony music group. he was highly influential to his and the next generation of american musicians such as justin timberlake. I am not a michael jackson devotee but i do recognise his contribution, makng millions of people in the world happy with his music and his entertainment. I do not subscribe to the British habit of knocking successful people who achieve what they could not perceive to be possible. You see any of his videos today and they are exceptional compared to the dross that we have to endure today masquerading as “pop musiic” or “rnb” such as lady “madasahattershutyourmouth” gaga. Rant over.
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8.
Middle Man | July 15, 2009 at 1:34 pm
Wize and thoughtful words as ever my friend
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9.
akinsankofa | July 15, 2009 at 8:49 pm
thank you middle man try this http://akinsankofa.wordpress.com/2009/07/14/another-michael-jackson-post/
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10.
asfasfasfasf | August 20, 2009 at 10:52 pm
asfasfasfasfasfasfsaf
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11.
Sune | October 6, 2009 at 6:23 pm
‘But,’ – how many times do you write this? Where did you learn to write? Droolers Academy?
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12.
Middle Man | October 9, 2009 at 12:28 pm
Sune, what the heck are you on about?
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