Has enough time passed so we can start trashing Michael Jackson again?
Like many people, I enjoy Mike’s work. From the Jackson 5 to Off the Wall through Bad, the man created a lot of great songs, but seriously, this bullshit genuflecting when somebody dies irritates the shit out of me.
(Why do we crush and vilify people while they’re alive and can be affected by it, then praise and extol those very same people when they die and don’t care what we say about them? That is some genuine American hypocritical bullshit, right there.)
Michael Jackson was an extremely talented and rather troubled megalomaniac. This is a dude that, around 1983, began dressing in jewel-encrusted military uniforms, like if Tiffany’s designed costumes for “The Nutcracker.” This is a dude that sent nine 50-foot statues of himself to ports around the world to promote his greatest hits collection, HIStory. This is a dude that coined himself “the king of pop,” then refused to do public appearances or interviews unless he was addressed as such.
Since when is self-deification an admirable character trait?
But mostly, Mike spent money — copiously and constantly. For all his bullshit posturing about wanting to make the world a better place, he stood as a towering example of conspicuous material consumption.
And that characteristic has followed him, literally, to his grave, where the aforementioned gold death case (including girly princess crown on top) will be placed in a mausoleum that displays a life-size stained-glass window recreation of Leonardo da Vinci's The Last Supper.
That is so preposterous, so solipsistic, so laughably absurd… so very Michael Jackson.
2 comments:
I agree with everything you said (and you didn't even mention the pedophilia) and yet, a significant part of me feels sorry/pity for the guy.
Reason #1: His fucking dad. For shit's sake, if there is a worse father figure or a bigger huckster out there than Joe Jackson, I would sure hate to meet him. Sure, you can argue that without his father's tyranny, Michael might not have risen to such dizzying heights--but as a side-effect, Michael was constantly plagued by his own self-hatred (see: his face) and the fact that he had the emotional development of a 10 year old boy. Thanks, Dad!
Reason #2: Michael Jackson's life from childhood superstar to super weirdo exposes some of the consequences of America's obsession with celebrities. Sure, there were child stars like the Brady kids, Leif Garrett, and Danny Bona-douchebag before him, but Michael was the very first video star in the MTV-era--every eye on the planet was on him for 20+ years. I'm guessing that this level of scrutiny would be hard for the most level-headed, down-to-earth person to deal with. It seems like staying on top is much harder than rising to the top. In my opinion, Michael Jackson, through no fault of his own other than his own success, created the need for the paparazzi--he was the unwitting spark which gave birth to the flaming celebrity-worship funeral pyre we now find ourselves burning on.
Now if you'll excuse me, TMZ.com is beckoning..
All true, and well put. But honestly, if my dad called me ugly and forced me to practice singing and dancing with my four older and equally ugly brothers all day and all night until we were superstars, I would also have some serious self-image and daddy issues. But my issue with Mike is not, and never was, with his grotesque facial transformation or his supposed arrested development.
No, I'm calling bullshit on him making himself out to be a god, which he did quite often. Now, you could argue that was just Mike severely overcompensating for the cripplingly low self esteem his Dad left him with, but you'd be wrong. And I would laugh at you.
So, to conclude: anybody that thinks they're a god is a dick, no matter how rich or dead they are, and no matter how bad their multiplatinum childhood was.
And is anybody going to point out that his kids are white, and since he wasn't white (at least not biologically), those aren't his kids? Anyone? Good job, professional reporters.
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