Friday, June 26, 2009

The 'King of Pop' is Dead; Long Live the King

Sat up at 25 to 1 writing this as the news breaks, I feel almost like a proper journalist. No doubt you know: Michael Jackson has reputedly died.

Now it depends how you look at this: the sad downfall of a would-be convicted Paedophile, or the death of an icon?

On one side, Michael Jackson led a sad life. Allegedly, he was beaten and berated by his father over his appearance. He married twice; once to Elvis Presley's daughter Lisa Marie Presley and secondly to a nurse who was allegedly treating him for his 'skin condition' (something which was both supported and mocked in equal measure by media and press alike) and fathered three children of different maternal origin. Because of his naivety and ease with children, he set himself up for a downfall when allegations of inappropriate behaviour around children arose. He was dogged with health issues, and the mystery of his changing facial structure and skin tone was a mystery and even a source of humour.

But on the other side, he was blessed with a wonderful career: you only need to look back to Thriller and the 80s to see how influential he was. He is cited as the influence for many contemporary artists. Although allegations and court cases knocked his reputation, his fans were always loyal.

As FaceBook and Twitter go mad with responses, comments and tributes it shows the influence Jackson had on the young and old. Take a look at the Top Ten artists in the world now - if one of them were to die tomorrow, could you compare the reaction to the united grief in the pictures of the crowd outside UCLA Medical Center streaming from BBC News now?

Personally, I hope that the future will be kind to him, and he will be remembered for his life's work in music rather than the unfortunate low points of his career.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Trey Parker and Matt Stone are going to have a field day.

Sprog said...

Yes, the guy had a great career. In the 70s and 80s. By the late 90s he was pretty much a joke. He still is now. That might seem harsh but let's be honest, he pretty much dissappeared off the radar for the past few years until he announced his 50 concerts at the O2. Over that time he may as well been dead, nobody cared. I can see it swinging 2 ways, either this will go on for months, or by next week nobody will give a shit.

The question I have is how much uproar will there be over the O2 concerts, considering all the tickets were sold with small print reading along the lines of "If Michael Jackson does not show or is unable to perform at the O2 on this date, no refunds are available"

Coolmumh said...

Whoo love it go Rebecca!!!!!!!!!!!!