Michael Jackson: The Love We Save

Here's an equation for you. Take one aging celebrity, mix in a hefty scoop of childhood abuse, add a few dozen helpings of bad publicity for pedophilia charges and just plain bizarre behavior, mix in a lethal cocktail of dangerous prescription drugs, plus the loss of billions of dollars due to years of mismanagement and an over the top lifestyle most of us could never even dream of. There's really only one way out of that mess, and it happened two weeks ago to 50 year old Michael Joseph Jackson: Death.

For most of his short, anguished time on earth he was larger than life, but in death MJ has eclipsed all other dead celebs (okay, except for, um, Jesus of Nazareth) for sheer marketability and money-making prowess. And talk about a TV ratings bonanza; holy mamasay-mamasah, the whole world stopped to make room for the breaking news of Jackson's death on June 25th. Iran? Forgotten. Mark Sanford? Luckiest guy in the world, apparently. Recession? Snore. New Iphone? Whatever. And the memorial service? Viewership numbers through the roof, all over the world. We'll get to that.

Perhaps you remember that for a few minutes, right before MJ was rushed to the hospital that Thursday, the world had been stunned and transfixed by the cellphone video of 26 year old Neda Soltani, killed in living color during a protest in Tehran. The video of her death made the situation in Iran immediate and present to us; it made it real. Such is the power of the internet, which transcends all media, making it immediate in every sense.

MJ needed no such boost to make his death relevant to the world. Love him, hate him, you can't help but acknowledge that he changed the world of music forever. But watching the carrion circling him now is plainly horrific. I worry about those three children, who have just inherited the biggest therapy bills known to humankind (although possibly, some day, also the biggest book deals of all time). Their lives up to now must have set new standards for weirdness; what's incredibly sad is that that was nothing compared to the future. Jermaine told NBC News, in tears, that he wishes it had been him who died instead of Michael (hmm...new reality show? I'm A Jackson, Get Me Out of Here!). And Debbie Rowe has done an about face and declared she suddenly wants the two kids she gave birth to, after saying just the opposite right after Jackson's death. Way to go, Deb. Break up a family that's just lost their father. She's obviously ripe for reality TV, maybe she can get signed on to the Octomom's TV deal or something equally tasteless.

It's now abundantly clear that Jackson's money-making abilities are even more pronounced after his death (it's the Kurt Cobain / Anna Nicole Smith / Elvis Presley / Heath Ledger syndrome - times ten). This is clearly a cash cow of such magnitude that it makes my head hurt. Downloads of Jackson's music since his passing set a new standard for internet music sales. His album sales for the last week of June were more than the entire year of sales for the same records. News of his death nearly brought down the largest and most robust internet media sites. Over 31 million U.S. viewers watched the public memorial service on Tuesday on broadcast television. It's estimated that a number close to that watched it live on the web. And ... may I say ... his final sleep chamber, the gold coffin covered in flowers positioned center stage at the Staples Center - was that really necessary at a ceremony planned to celebrate his life?

This is only the first two weeks, people. Now that it's clear that MJ was, if anything, worth more dead than alive, we're so in for it. This news story will go on forever. There will always be someone else crawling out of the woodwork saying they sat next to him in fourth grade or waited on him in a supermarket at 2 a.m. or similar crazy stuff. Any unreleased audio and video material is going to be doled out to the public with big price tags, now that it's clear there is an insatiable thirst for anything related to MJ.

That AEG footage of his tour rehearsals? Certainly a ploy to whet our appetite for the rest of that material, of which there is said to be quite a bit. In fact, Time Magazine said today that plans are underway for a show in London on Aug. 29 - Jackson's 51st birthday - featuring footage from the rehearsals plus performances by Jackson family members. The only thing missing would be MJ himself. This makes me very queasy; I can now picture years of Jackson tours ahead - the brothers Jackson suddenly being marketable again after decades of living in MJ's shadow. Each show will be a tribute to Michael and a massive sales success. You see it too, don't you? It's inevitable. He may have died in debt, but in no time at all that debt will be erased - if it hasn't been already by the album sales. Eleven days later.

Unused tickets to the shows at O2 Arena will no doubt be worth their weight in gold in years to come. Who needs a refund when you have that sitting in your dresser drawer - the value will only go up. AEG has opened a web shop for the concert merch they were planning on selling at the shows. You can buy "Who's Bad" belt buckles, King of Pop wallets, wine glasses, tote bags, socks and other apparel (check out the Michael Jackson Decadent Berry Women's Shirt).

Oh yeah, and in case you haven't noticed, everyone suddenly has had to put in their two cents about Jackson, what he meant to the pop culture zeitgeist, and why he died. My favorite comment yet comes from Rush Limbaugh, who said on his radio show: "Michael Jackson's biggest successes took place in the 80's . . . he flourished under Reagan, he languished under Clinton/Bush, and died under Obama . . . I mean, facts are facts, a timeline's a timeline . . ."

Death. It's a whole new media strategy for success. The only problem is, you're not around to enjoy the spoils.

This column originally ran in a slightly different form on the blog The Critical Condition.

Follow Holly Cara Price on Twitter: www.twitter.com/hollycara

Comments

[carlyt]

Looks like AEG is just going to keep making money on Jackson. Poor guy can't rest in peace. There is a related post at http://iamsoannoyed.com/?page_id=588

[Leslie Young]

A very right on article. But even as I agree to every word of it, I am still sucked into every new development in the aftermath of Jackson's death. This is probably true for many, many of the people who grew up with the Jackson Five music, then watched (and enjoyed) the explosive trajectory of Michael Jackson's career.

Controversial, weird, creepy were all words that could describe the later Michael. But it is impossible to forget the early Michael Jackson whose music broke color and cultural barriers and who developed such a fiercely loyal fan base.

The Jacksons and the media may be fueling the "insatiable thirst" for more and more Michael, but only if there is a willing public. Like "lookie loos" after a car accident, we are all curious and will continue to wait for the next installment.

[zagyzebra]

This only applies to dying young. If MJ had died at, say, 75, the world would have, yes, celebrated his music, and then gotten on with it. No gossip, no lost concert performances, no comeback plans/anno­uncements/­anticipati­on dashed. But instead, MJ was primed and ready for a new wave entering a new decade (of his life), and the whole world was watching WHEN he was alive. So, naturally, it goes to follow, that the whole world is shocked by his passing and left hungering for more. One of the biggest things fueling this frenzy, that could never apply to the other celebs you mentioned, is a gigantic body of stellar work and the global appetite having been so recently whetted for...what's next...can't wait to see.

[cktirumalai]

Yes, no one reads his own obituaries, though some assiduously imagine them. Michael Jackson has certainly proved more successful and celebrated in the few weeks after his death than he had been in his later years. The ambiguities surrounding his life are forgotten or forgiven.
Incidentally, forty years ago the Beatles had to apologize for declaring triumphantly that they had become more popular than Jesus.

[sixyfivepercentwater]

Amazing column, and so true in every respect. What a complete circus this is, and the Jackson family is now at the helm, milking Michael's commercial viability even after Michael himself is not. . .well, viable. How long before the Franklin Mint issues a commemorative Jacko quarter?