Tuesday, June 30, 2009

After The Thriller Is Gone


I, just like most of you, am getting pretty tired of hearing about Michael Jackson. Thankfully, his tragic passing does not seem to be attracting the media hullabaloo as Anna Nicole Smith's death, and she didn't even contribute anything to society. I mean, FOX News, you know, the most trusted news source, spent more time covering her death that week than they did covering the war in Iraq. However, the flipside to that proverbial coin is that his death should obtain more attention than it has. Allow me to explain.

Michael Jackson's landmark record Thriller, released on November 30th, 1982 respectively, had 7 singles, won 8 Grammy's in three different categories at the 1984 Grammy Awards. It has been and still remains the best-selling record of all time. And this was an album that his record company, Epic, did not expect to do well (Epic seems to not have much faith in their bands, or at least that's what I have noticed over time). This was his sixth album.

Naturally, he is easier to be remembered for his recent activities than his past work and legacy left behind in the world of music. Currently I can rattle off over a dozen jokes about him, just off the top of my head. Yet, I could not at the same moment think of the titles of over a dozen of his songs. That is something to be said about society's twisted and macabre way of finding humor where there should be sympathy, caring more for scandal than success, and proving once and for all that the world is going to hell at a much higher speed than a basket is capable of producing (if any).

My point is that yes, he was accused of child molestation. Yes, he was accused twice. Yes, his behavior near the end of his life became quite obscure (which could be said about almost any celebrity with his legacy of success). Neverland Ranch was a little weird. He did try to build a giant robot of himself and let it wonder the Strip in Las Vegas while shooting fake lasers at people. And if I remember correctly, he was black (not to intend that in a negative way). But none of that should belittle or distort his contribution to the arts.

He was a great artist, a great performer, and there will never, in many ways, be another Michael Jackson. Some say that's good, some say bad. Either way, he accomplished more by the age of 10 than any of you reading this ever will, especially me. So go ahead and make your jokes, your viral video parodies, or whatever it is that will help you get over the fact that you will never be 1% as successful as Michael Jackson. So show some God Damn respect.

-B
break up the concrete