As everyone knows by now, we lost Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson (!!!) this week. What a huge chunk of Gen X's childhood to lose all at once. Ed was a household name, Farrah's hair was legendary and Michael changed the face of pop music forever.
I know it's kinda crass, but I'm really only sad about Michael - as troubled as the past 15 years have been for him, I didn't see that coming. At least Ed lived to be an old man. Farrah's death put an end to a long and painful battle with cancer. But Michael Jackson's heart stopped yesterday and it shocked the world.
What makes me sad is that because Michael got SO weird in the latter part of his life - financial and legal battles that obliterated most of his wealth and rumors and allegations of child abuse and molestation - many of us who "knew him when" have forgotten his former cool factor. And younger generations don't even realize how badass he was. Sure, everyone likes his tunes still, but most would ultimately categorize him as a freak.
And yes, Michael Jackson was a weird, freakish man. But I feel sorry for him. I think his story is tragic, and I think most of his problems can be attributed to a childhood spent almost entirely in show business - he really didn't have a childhood at all. It was spent singing for people in bars and nightclubs, and then the Jackson 5 exploded to fame and all the pressure was on Michael to lead the way. That's a lot for any kid to take.
In my opinion, Michael formed unhealthy relationships with children because they represented a purity and innocence that he never was able to experience. I believe Michael went to such drastic measures to change his appearance because he didn't know who he was. Even as far back as the Bad and Thriller albums he'd had a lot of plastic surgery. By the time Dangerous came out, he no longer resembled his childhood self. In the past ten years, I think I speak for most people when I say I couldn't bear to look at him.
But regardless of his personal battles, Michael Jackson changed the face of pop music worldwide. He was one of the most gifted performers ever to walk across a stage, and 25 years later his songs and his music videos are still completely awesome and cutting edge. One of my very first memories is of my mom watching the Thriller video in our house in Michigan - I couldn't have been more than three - and I absolutely loved the music but the monsters scared me so I would hide behind the chair and just peek out intermittently. That's my first musical memory, and it completely shaped my musical taste.
I hope that the world will join me in choosing to remember Michael for his talent and his vibrant energy as a performer and not for his dark, troubled personal life. I'm going to remember him like this:
and this:
and maybe a little bit of this:
Rest in peace, MJ.
Even as someone who isn't a huge MJ fan, that was a really lovely tribute.
Posted by: Cheryl | June 26, 2009 at 08:05 AM
that was really well done. And man... micheal with the 'fro back in the day. That's the MJ to remember, for sure.
Posted by: Jay | June 26, 2009 at 08:21 AM
I concur. I remember fighting with grampa about how much I ADORED MJ and he just couldn't understand the LOVE. Nice post!
Posted by: SAR | June 26, 2009 at 08:38 AM
Thriller cover - white suit with the tiger - that's how I choose to remember MJ. It doesn't get any better than that.
Posted by: Heather | June 26, 2009 at 09:06 AM
Talent, tragedy. Seeing Gen X react to this (I am a borderline Boomer/Xer) is akin to my senior year in HS learning about John Lennon's shooting. We were all pretty gobsmacked then too.
Posted by: Joan | June 26, 2009 at 09:41 AM
This has certainly been a tough week for celebrities
Posted by: D. Anderson | June 27, 2009 at 01:16 AM
i totally agree with you , he should be remembered by the wonderful music he created . I was a huge MJ fan back in the day. who wasnt? as the years progressed i sorta got out of it, but the songs they were memorable. yea as hard as it is to say it, i couldnt look at him either in the past 10 years just because of everything he was accused of. on the day they have the whole day memory thing i couldnt beleive everything that everyone who spoke for him said..i was utterly astonished..i didnt think he was capable of being that kind of person. and when his daughter said what she did..that just brought tears to my eyes..and i didnt know ed mcmahon died! the internet n cable (cuz we got cable internet) was down that whole week..and whenn i got it back i couldnt beleive that farrah and MJ passed.
i love that last photo of him! great post!
Posted by: amy | July 17, 2009 at 10:05 AM