Michael Jackson's tragic death put me in mind of a question that first struck me some years ago: How did Jackson keep that boyish treble voice as he matured? The boy who sang on the Jackson Five's early hits became the grown-up Michael Jackson without apparently going through the vocal changes brought on in boys by puberty. Did his voice ever truly "break"?
I remember dancing wildly to "I want you back," in 1969, the year Jackson turned 11. For him, puberty loomed. One can imagine that those close to him worried about what might happen when that voice dropped.
What lengths might they go to in order to avoid any interruption to the Jackson Five's musical and financial progress? Was Michael given some medication to retard or mute the normal processes of puberty, so that his voice would remain high, and retain its appeal? If so, this might help to give a context to some of his later "weirdness."
Quincy Jones on NBC Nightly News the other night called Jackson a victim. One can understand that what Jones probably meant was that Michael Jackson was a victim of his fame. Perhaps he meant more than that. But if Jackson was given drugs to stop his voice from dropping, then he was also the victim of a unique kind of child abuse.
I think probably some people tried to get him to stop- Janet and Quincy Jones especially.
As great as he was, it's so sad to think what he could have been. His fabulous dancing would have been even better if he would have been as masculine as he should have been. His naturally beautiful voice probably would have had an even more amazing full sound- It really does seem that the range of his voice became higher and narrower after he turned 14- except for footage from The Wiz- where his voice is truly beautiful as it hits the low notes.
If that is what happened, then no wonder the poor guy had so many problems.
Now we should be happy with the great music and performances he did share with us.
His family was looking at millions going down the drain; from what I have read about his father (controlling, abusive) it wouldn't surprise me at all if he was the one who authorized the procedure.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-Y5Hwz-AV8
Judge for yourself and be done with it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHuRpGEEaok&feature=PlayList&p=BA2AE373C4BC240F&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=60
The rest of his life he sang falsetto, like Jackie Jackson, Smokey Robinson, and Eddie Kendricks.
Oh no! Maybe it is a conspiracy....sheesh!
This was not considered a form of "abuse" as it would be today, but a means for those with the most beautiful voices to retain them as long as possible. Five-hundred years ago and more, not unlike women in some cultures today, women were not permitted to perform in public. Whether on stage in a Shakespearean play or in musical theater, young boys and "castrati" performed the roles of women.
If such was the case with Mr. Jackson it would certainly explain why he was unable to father his own children. You might watch the fairly recent film, "Farinelli" for a depiction of the life of a famous castrati, who, while able to perform sexually, was not fertile.
but we never stopped to try to empathize with him. we never stopped to try to realize how having a father who told him his nose was too big, that he was ugly, that there were men in the audience with guns who would shoot him if he didn't move fast enough would affect him as an adult.
we never stopped to think that this is a man who'd been pushing his body as hard as a professional athlete for 45 years. pro athletes get what? 10 good years, fifteen if they're lucky? michael had 45 years of pro athlete wear and tear on his body. last week his body said "enough!".
i think he should have retired after the Dangerous album. by that time he'd given us his best and then some. unfortunately being a performer was the only thing he knew. so he resorted to a coctail of drugs so his body could keep going like it used to.
how many of us wouldn't be psychologically scarred if we had been raised as he was?
next.
For the record, I think we are becoming a crazy society even when it comes to regular people..,.they want to do a credit check on a person they are considering hiring as if somebody credit score somehow makes them a good or bad employee. Well, I bet Madoff had a great credit score prior to the dislosure of his favorite pasttime of stealing people blind...the men of Enron had great credit scores as well...up until they pulled a fast one. We are too intrusive as a society and somehow think it is our right to know everything and even if we don't know...we will speculate. Michael Jackson sold us his voice and talent...not his soul.
None of the things I see indicate any use of female hormones so perhaps you can point me to what you are seeing that is proof of the contrary?