Michael Jackson is dead and I feel conflicted.
Let’s put aside a few things: though there are definitely more important things to report, the non-stop media coverage of MJ was/is inevitable. Whether you’re a fan or not, the man was a colossal, GLOBAL pop star. Even with Britney at her height or the current Jonas Bros./Miley Cyrus mania, it can’t approximate MJ’s reach.
It seems his death has a polarizing effect. Not only are people expressing their shock or disinterest, they’re focusing on celebrity death in general. There is a mixture of superstitious beliefs that MJ fulfills the role of final death in the ‘Celebrity Rule of 3s,’ or ranking deaths (“to be honest: I was much more upset about Heath Ledger,” from a facebook status update). But this doesn’t concern me either.
MJ has put out some classic pop records, songs that I thoroughly enjoy, and yet his actions regarding children are questionable (at best). Maybe it’s because I’ve never been attached to him or his music the way his most rabid fans are, but I find it difficult to reconcile these prominent aspects of his life. ?uestlove recommends that we “separate the ART and the ARTIST,” so I took his advice and reflected upon my connection with the music.
How will I try to remember the King of Pop? I’ll remind myself about the ‘Michael Jackson Sing-a-long’ at Coolidge Corner. I’ll think about my friends there and how we tried to imitate his movements in the “Thriller” video, or how we danced along to “Don’t Stop Til You Get Enough.” And if that night wasn’t a fitting enough tribute, I’ll have the recent memory of blasting some of his hits in a Ford Taurus with some of my best friends as we roadtripped to the Bonnaroo music festival.
I guess I’d be a hypocrite if I shat on MJ’s death, considering I could reconcile Woody Allen’s actions with my love for his films. Luckily future generations won’t have to deal with MJ infecting their enjoyment of his music.
Oh yeah, I'm apologizing to myself for neglecting this thing. Gotta stay on top of things.
Friday, June 26, 2009
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