Michael Jackson: How Will He Be Remembered?

Posted on July 7, 2009 at 10:00 am

Michael Jackson was a complex and tragic figure. It seems that his memory is being splintered into a thousand shards. Always a showman and a shrewd manager of his brand, Jackson reputedly insisted that he be referred to on MTV as “The King of Pop,” and in today’s memorial, it is that part of his persona that will be saluted. But it is certain that we are in for an avalanche of sordid, inflammatory, and self-serving revelations from those around him.
I’ve seen two especially thoughtful commentaries that seem to me to be a counterweight to all of the fraught and overwrought media hysteria. The always-insightful Mark Jenkins wrote about the way the media has overplayed Jackson’s impact.

It’s been a long time since Michael Jackson penned a hit song, but he did write one last nationwide sensation: the script the mainstream media has followed since his death. Jackson, we’re told, was the “king of pop,” who had “the biggest selling album of all time,” and “broke MTV’s color line.” Every one of these dubious factoids was devised by Jackson or his agents.

And Stephen M. Weissman, the author of Chaplin: A Life, commented on Jackson’s fascination with Charlie Chaplin. The photo of Jackson dressed up as Chaplin is haunting.

Like Chaplin, Jackson also went on to literally become a world historical figure and iconically beloved to his worshipful fans and admirers. And, like Chaplin, Jackson eventually became enmeshed in scandals that nearly destroyed his career. And also like Chaplin, the nature of those scandals stemmed from their separate cases of arrested emotional development.

Tribute: Michael Jackson

Posted on June 25, 2009 at 9:05 pm

I saw Michael Jackson’s first appearance on national television. I was sitting on my parents’ bed with my sisters, watching a variety show called “The Hollywood Palace.” The Jackson 5ive came on stage and I was mesmerized. The lead singer was a kid who was younger than I was and he was sensational. I loved those early songs, “ABC” and “One Bad Apple” and “Never Can Say Goodbye.” I even watched the animated series. Many years later, I was in the front row of the crowd on the lawn of the White House when he visited Ronald Reagan for some event that had to do with auto safety. I could see how shy he was. The gloved hand was shaking. He was at the time the biggest performing artist in the world, which is what he wanted.

Over the past twenty years, Jackson was better known for headlines than for music. He was known as “Wacko Jacko” and there were rumors about his weird, childlike, possibly predatory behavior. He spoke about abuse in his own childhood. He had extensive cosmetic surgery and he and his children appeared in public with their faces concealed. He was accused of molesting young boys. He had two brief marriages. He had financial difficulties. He once said he was Peter Pan. Now he will never grow old.

Let’s remember Michael Jackson when he was young and full of talent and possibility.

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