My Thoughts on Michael Jackson
The news came recently: Michael Jackson, aged 50, deceased. I will admit that, having been born in 1988, my knowledge on the history of Michael Jackson is sparse. Only recently have I seen and heard many of his performances and songs. What I remembered Michael Jackson for was primarily the controversies of recent years, but the juxtaposition of the man portrayed in the media versus the man that touched and changed the lives of millions and millions of people was for me disquieting. The two didn't quite match up; something here seemed to be missing.
Michael Jackson didn't become the Michael Jackson we know today in a vacuum. He was, in part, what we made him. With each performance, each hug, each smile, and each scandal we were taking a part of him for ourselves. He was a man with an extraordinary gift, and he was, I think most would agree, the superlative musical performer of our era. In many ways he seemed to become his gift with time. The more he was denied a "normal" existence the more he turned to his monumental talent to sustain him.
From the few videos I have seen of him, the way he would light up when he saw a fan was remarkable, and he always seemed to be very considerate and very generous with his time and person. He was a man that understood he had the power to change lives and he desired to
share this otherworldly gift with as many people as possible. While this is often what we expect of those who are inordinately talented, many musicians and famous individuals of various stripes fall prey to the narcissism that comes with such fame and adulation. While some of this was inevitable with Michael Jackson as well, he still continued seeking to share himself and his gift with the world in a very selfless manner. He perceived the magnitude of the affect he had on those around him and instead of keeping that for himself he chose to give it to all of us. He always came off as spectacularly kind hearted and generous, going out of his way to be courteous to his fans, often talking with them or giving them hugs when most people in his position would have had them whisked away. While we often admire those financially successful individuals who give away vast sums of wealth (although it is often to these few, paltry sums) for the benefit of others, we somehow see fit to ridicule this man who wanted to do nothing more than to give us each a little part of himself. He wanted to move us and inspire us even though it cost him his life, figuratively and now literally, to do so. Michael Jackson was the ultimate philanthropist.
I am not exonerating his personal behavior. He may have harmed a number of children, which, if it is true, is absolutely inexcusable. But we have to recognize that we all share some responsibility for each of those acts. While he may have also had an abusive father and childhood, we all denied him the opportunity for human growth in a way that would skew even the most balanced or healthiest of individuals. Michael Jackson was clearly a man in pain, and we all share a responsibility for much of that pain. While the adulation of his millions of fans may have in some way sustained him, this dynamic was only symptomatic of the loneliness and isolation he was forced into. Michael Jackson lived for the adulation of his fans because we denied him the hope of anything else. We almost categorically denied him the possibility of real and meaningful human connection. To everyone but a few he would never be a human being, he would always be Michael Jackson: dancer, singer, icon. He became an image, he became an idea, he became his gift and his genius because we wouldn't allow him to be anything else. We all wanted and demanded more Michael Jackson and he gave us more Michael Jackson.
But beneath this image was a human being, and human beings are finite. In giving us what we all desired, he was taking away from himself, something all us followers of the American fame machine seem unwilling or unable to recognize. And when we finally saw the man beneath the image, the mask, it alarmed us that this man was a very lonely and distorted human being, as if he could have become anything else under the circumstances. We wanted more Michael Jackson, but what we got was Michael Joseph Jackson. And it scared us. We were once again unwilling or unable to see this man, however exceptional, for what he was--a man--and to take responsibility for what he had become. Instead we ridiculed him, put him in tabloids, and forced him to become even more reclusive than before.
In an interview Michael Jackson once said that he wanted to live forever, but this [in my opinion] was because we wanted him to live forever. He lived for us, and once we discarded him for what we had made him, he was understandably broken, distraught, lonely, and lost. While he may or may not have engaged in inappropriate behavior with children, in some ways it is understandable that he turned to the friendly company of children because they were likely the only people he could turn to who wouldn't be trying to glean some benefit from their relationship, to use his extraordinary talent for their personal gain. Children were the only ones that could enjoy Michael Joseph Jackson for Michael Joseph Jackson, whereas we were always asking for more and were only asking for or willing to see Michael Jackson the
performer.
We forced Michael Jackson to become a perpetual child, always seeking the approval of the media, of his fans, of us--his collective surrogate parent. He worked tirelessly for our approval and we gave it to him, and when we finally withheld it, he was understandably surprised, alarmed and hurt. He had become what we had asked and when he finally shared this with the world, the world rejected him for what he had become.
As his physical ailments robbed him of his performance abilities, he became, by all accounts, a man who regularly endured an extraordinary amount of physical, emotional and mental anguish. I would wager that any one not named Michael Joseph Jackson would have long ago perished under the circumstances. Stripped of the gift that had long sustained him, he turned to prescription drugs and painkillers, and to what little sanctuary he found in the privacy of his own home.
The demise of Michael Jackson seems to have been, in some ways, inevitable. He is now lost to us like many other great artists have been in recent years. He was, to borrow the description of another brilliant, and unfortunately recently departed, artist, David Foster Wallace, a "comet flying by at ground level." The candle that burns brightest also burns fastest, and Michael Jackson's light was blindingly bright, much to the benefit of us all. But as we stoked the flames and the light burned brighter it would inevitably burn out, and when the flame was finally extinguished, when the candle ran out, we have no one else to blame but ourselves.
Michael Joseph Jackson was not only a singular, once-in-a-century musical artist and performer, but he was also a genuine and kindhearted human being. His greatest flaw was only that he expected of us what he gave in return. He was in many ways greater than any of us, and when we asked, he asked in return for something we were all unable or unwilling to give. We forced him to create and live in a pseudo-reality that facilitated the offering of his amazing talent and gifts to us, and when he tried to extend what he had been asked to do all along, share himself with us, he was laughed at and mercilessly mocked and ridiculed. We asked him to live in the funhouse, and when he asked us to join him we scoffed and threw stones through the windows. To paraphrase the aforementioned late artist, David Foster Wallace:
For lovers, the Funhouse is fun. For phonies, the Funhouse is love. But for whom is the Funhouse a house?
Michael Jackson should be remembered first and foremost for the way he changed the lives of millions of people. It will likely be a long time, if ever, before we see another musical performer with the incredible gifts and generosity that he possessed. We asked him to be super-human, and in many ways he was, but ultimately he was just as human and just as frail as we all are. We were given the gift of this extraordinary man, and thus began the rise and fall, the slow and inevitable erosion, of Michael Jackson. The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away, and so it goes.
Rest in Peace, Michael Joseph Jackson.
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Thank you for this lovely piece!!
Nick,
Great Job. Michael was an inspiration to many. Just like BARRACK OBAMA is an inspiration to todays youth, He was an Inspiration to me when i was younger. And Even though some don't feel the same way, no one can dispute the fact that he changed the face of music forever.
It was a brilliant piece and it was an enlightening viewpoint from the perspective of a person in their 20's who captured the essence of MJ's life from my perspective.
Nick, your thoughts on Michael Jackson brought me to tears. I hope Michael's mother gets to read your article. Thank you for your lovely words.
Nick
I was 7 years old when I learnt my first Michael Jackson song for my church's talent quest night. The song was " I saw Mummy kissing Santa Claus". I actually liked the track on side B of our one and only Jackson 5 single vinyl record a lot better " Give love on Christmas Day", I still remember playing that record over and over mesmerized by the sound and range of Michaels angelic voice. It only seems like yesterday. I'm now 47 years old and the last 2 weeks have felt like I have lost a much loved member of my family, someone who i marvelled at as a child, as a teen an adult and still marvel at although Im closing in on my 50th. You not only honored Michael Jackson through your article but you also honored the million's of Michael Jackson fans still coming to terms with his death. I salute you mate. Phillip - Australia
I too joined this site upon reading your article, I just had to post a comment. I'm also 21 years old, and being around only to see what many people would call the "fall of Michael Jackson," has not tainted my image of him in the least. I believe he was one of the greatest musical icons that will ever exist, few people/groups can achieve the type of stardom he did, but fewer are as generous as he was. I completely agree with everything you said and am extremely happy to find someone in the "news" world shares my opinion! I wish more people felt this way instead of believing whatever they read and failing to use their own brain. Thank you for writing and posting such a wonderful article that was so beautifully and thought provokingly written.
Nick: Your words are priceless. Your article is well written and respectful. Thank you and keep up the good work!!
Nick, I just signed up here after reading your article. I have become a fan of yours. I felt really touched by the way its written. I am a huge fan of MJ and its always saddening to read such negative things written about him. Despite all the good things he has done to millions of people. I wish If we have more journalists and writers like you.
Thank you, your words mean a lot to me. Thank you for writing them.
Nick, I actually became a fan of yours today after reading your compassionate, thoughful article on Michael Jackson! I've never done that before. But after reading your insight, I know that I can't go wrong reading anything you ever write about anything. Your soul and spirit come through in your writing. You have a wisdom well beyond your years. And, you have the courage to say what isn't necessarily popular in this age of rabid, tabloid sensationalism, but you say what is necessary about a man who so deserved the respect and adulation from all of us that he gave to everyone he met. I NEVER believed Michael harmed or sexually molested any child. Michael thought as a child and children don't have perverted thoughts..
Thank you, Nick Johnson. I've always felt the same way about Michael Jackson. He was mostly honest with us, his fans. Maybe not with the media, but I'll tell you - we could always see how things with Michael were. We saw this man you just described. We knew Michael Jackson. It wasn't that hard to find what he was about. He was always open and if people cared, they would know too. I had to laugh at some media commenting on Michael's memorial service. Telling us how Brooke Shields and Magic Johnson were the only people that humanized Michael. I was thinking to myself : " You all had a chance to get to know Michael if you wanted, he's always been here with his heart open". If they really tried. Instead, they turned their backs to him, talking crap and making him look "unhuman". If they didn't take Michael as a human being they could ridicule and laugh at him.
I've always cried for Michael Jackson. I always felt he wasn't happy and that was breaking my heart over and over.I was always defending him...It hurt me what people were saying. I can't imagine how much it had to hurt Michael. I hope he'll find his happiness now. His spirit will always be here with us because he was such a strong person. Always got up when people knocked him down. I love you forever, Michael and I will be there for you forever. I miss you.
Marzipan29, I agree with your thoughts on how the media believed people attempted to humanize Michael as if he was some sort of alien. He was always here as human as everyone else, but the media refused to accept this and repeatedly attempted to manipulate his actions into something else. He was definitely a very strong person for being able to withstand so many lies and rumors written about him, something I wish the media would stop doing in regards to every "celebrity
Thank God for people like you who never wavered. He did not deserve the treatment he got. But I am happy that there are those who stood with him. I myself got caught up in the rumors and gossip. But he had you. You were a blessing to him.
Thank you Nick, for your compassionate and wise assessment of Michael! Knowing how much pain such a lovely human being was in will always bring tears to my eyes and pain to my heart. I grew up singing and dancing to his tunes and thankfully learned young the fickleness of fame and the media as I watched the talented man I admired so much eaten alive by the media, scandals, and the weight of his own fame and expectations. Even though he turned to drugs at times and had a lifestyle rightly described as isolated and decadent, he was still resilient and kept going, creating and trying to have as healthy a family life as possible. I hope that in future there will be biographers who write about him like you have - through the lens of truth and with the eyes of compassion.
Wow, INCREDIBLY OUTSTANDING opinion!!
I never thought wrong about MICHAEL JACKSON.
I agree with you opinion 100%!!
I wish I could have met MJ in my life and certainly become friends =(
I am your same age 20 years old. He was the most lovely person whom people did not appreciate.
SADLY but TRUE!
Rest in peace, Michael Jackson.
Forever will be loved.
-Melissa Janice Villegas (San Diego, CA)
Unfortunately the greatness of Micheal was not enough for many. History has shown that the greatest artists have to have the melodrama, some have to sacrifice to the point of martyrdom in order to gain the full appreciation and finally the full recognition they deserve. This is often accomplished after their death. The greater their talents, the greater their drama it seems. Often they become martyrs like I suspect MJ will reveal to be and is already. At this point, the artist is immortalized in history and in our psyche. Micheal will have the magnitude among the greatests in the history of the arts/music. He will be remembered for his multilayered talents and anguish. His music will stand alone as classics, every single one of them and they are many. Above all I wish and hope that his beautiful soul reflects as history judges him. Nick Johnson I wish and hope that you could be one of his biographers. I am so impressed with your writing. I echo Blaqntelligence with his statement about your wisdom for one as young as you. Thank you again.
Nick Johnson, my friend
I type this through my tears.
My oldest daughter is your age and, no disrespect intended, I am honestly shocked to hear such wisdom and maturity from one so young.
Young people are our future and if just a fraction of them demonstrate such wisdom, our world is in good hands.
Thank you, may God bless and keep you.
You will go far.
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