sparkle debacle

So, Michael Jackson passed away today.  I am very sad about it, on a personal level.  But that’s not entirely the reason I wanted to submit this post.  I haven’t posted in ages because I guess I haven’t really needed an outlet for that much recently, that and I simply haven’t had time.  Work here is crazy.  Anyway..

The reason for this post is the reaction of people to the death of a celebrity.  Whether it be Michael Jackson, Farrah Fawcet, Steve Irwin or whoever…

My first point is that - since twitter and facebook and online news in general isn’t it amazing how the news/rumors/grief of someones death travels?  I remember when Diana died, I didnt have my iPhone out tweeting about it, I didn’t post a status update.  I sat and watched the news (my bro was in hospital at the time) with my family and we discussed how sad it was, especially for her children and what a legacy she left.  We weren’t really prone to hearing rumors about what may or may not have happened because we didn’t have such a huge, uninformed media network such as the internet.  All of that is here nor there - just it occured to me the massive change technology has had on even the most emotional things.

Another point.  People who say they will not grieve because they did not know him personally.  I dunno, maybe music didn’t have a big influence on those people’s life but it certainly did on mine.  This morning I’ve sat and listened to some MJ tunes on youtube, itunes etc.  It astounds me the amount of unforgetable music Michael made.  And almost each and every track I can relate to a personal situation or time in my life.  Even the songs that were released before I was born I feel relate to me life in some way.  People think of celebrities as brands, in some form or another.  You can’t say you think of them in the same way you would a friend or a colleauge, a real person.  I myself are somewhat hypocritical, I love Perez, but I don’t always agree with what he says.  Celebrities are actually real people though - the have minds that wander and hearts that break.  Keep that in mind, or things can only get worse for anyone famous. So, while I may not have known him personally, he had a massive effect on my life and who I am today.  You may think that sounds a ‘bit rich’ or whatever, but I don’t write here for your kudos.  I have no reason to exaggerate.

My biggest point of contention is people who can say such horrible things about a person who has died.  Yes, he’s led a controversial life, but sometimes I’m absolutely convinced that’s ALL media speculation.  Yes, he was charged with child molestation - but people who aim to hurt rarely mention the acquital. The video tape of the kid saying  ”If I go through with this, I win big-time. There’s no way I lose. I will get everything I want and they will be destroyed forever…Michael’s career will be over” never seems to come up! Or the fact that the childs own mother said it never happened.  I cannot fathom how someone could express such pure hatred for another human.  I will not re-post anything I’ve read here, but I’m sure everyone’s seen some form of critisism of him since he’s passed.

The media scrutiny of  Michael Jacksonalso  has to have taken it’s toll.  I kind of feel like - well, look at Britney Spears, she’s been under media scrutiny for a 10 years.  She reached a point within that 10 years where she hit her breaking point.  All of a sudden people felt sorry for her and became supportive Michael has been the ultimate topic of celebrity gossip for almost 40 years!  He’s never had any respite. And people question his reclusiveness?And call him strange? Come on.  When the media’s treatment of stars is questioned it always comes back ‘they need us for publicity’ and fair enough.  But look at it from their perspective.  They’re ‘built up’ as hero’s, they applauded, praised and loved.  Then they reach the top and we shatter them.  Regardless of strength of character to have the whole world talking about your private life has to cause emotional and physical stress on anyone.  Let alone for 40 years. MJ seemed to be such a simple, and yes childlike person.  When the most recent molestation charges were being investigated a phsychiatrist said that he was a regressed 10 year old who did not have the profile to be a pedophile. He may not have had a the mental capacity or ability to handle such pressure to be ‘perfect’ as you or I.  He DID however have the mental capacity to feel pain, both physical and emotional, I’m sure he felt the joy of love and being loved.

“Why not just tell people I’m an alien from Mars. Tell them I eat live chickens and do a voodoo dance at midnight. They’ll believe anything you say, becauseyou’re a reporter. But if I, Michael Jackson, were to say, ‘I’m an alien from Mars and I eat live chickens and do a voodoo dance at midnight,’ people would say, ‘Oh, man, that Michael Jackson isnuts. He’s cracked up. You can’t believe a damn word that comes out of his mouth.’”

I worry for his children, I hope he had a will. And I hope they’re protected from hearing the bulk of the horrible stuff that is being said about him.

I hope he can see how much happiness he bought to so many people. His music has stayed relevant for generations.  He continued to evolve and produce remixed versions which were, in my opinion, simply amazing.  I hope he can now rest in peace and at least have a normal afterlife, whatever that is.

I’ll leave you with two things, the first a video I’ve just seen that I think pretty much sums up how I feel.

Secondly, my fave MJ song and MJ remixs’. I’ve been listening to all three on my ‘June’ ituned playlist - day in and day out.   I hope one day my kids can get as much from his music as I have.  I feel like a lucky minority to have seen him in concert, I’m sad that all the people who got O2 tickets will never get that chance.

We should be honoured he shared his gift with us all.

This is as close as I can get to a ‘favorite’

Remix - yew!

Oh and another favorite