It has taken me a few days to decide how I would approach the subject of the life and death of Michael Jackson. First, I would like to send my condolences to Michael’s family, friends and fans. I was once a fan of Michaels, I was a fan of the Michael that graced us in the 70’s and 80’s, not the Michael who left us this past Thursday. When I heard about his death I was not totally surprised, it seemed to me the way his life had spiraled downward over the last 20 years that this was the only foreseeable outcome to an otherwise brilliant career. I know I should not have been, but I was a little disturbed at the public’s total shock to his death and even more so at the way he’s been proclaimed as the greatest artist of all time. I’ll say, I think he was really good but definitely not the best, but that’s just my opinion.
I grew up with the music of the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s and mixed in with that period were The Jackson 5 and then Michael as a solo artist. I enjoyed following Michael’s career as most of his fans did, but after the album “Off the Wall” I started to lose interest, it seemed to me that he literally went off the wall. It started with the exposure to his bizarre eccentric lifestyle and then his obsession to be the best of the best which he consciously turned his passion for music into just another corporate, commercialized, money making machine. I’ve got to admit it worked, but at what cost, could things have been different or was this just his ultimate destiny.
In the aftermath of his life it was easy to see that Michael was a troubled soul. Regardless of fortune and fame he had issues that he needed to deal with and most likely or should I say most definitely because he was who he was, his problems were never addressed. All the people that surrounded him in life, all the rich and famous that were supposedly his friends just buried their heads in the sand and ignored what you might call, his dark side. It was quite obvious he had some very disturbing deep seeded problems; it was apparent that with all the facial reconstructions that Michael was not happy with what he would say was, The Man in the Mirror. The type of relationships he had throughout his lifetime left many to question his moral and ethical values, plus there was the extravagant lure of Neverland, and then his encounters with the law that more than reinforced the concerns about Neverland and his questionable lifestyle. But then there were the out of court settlements that seemed to sweep everything under the carpet, the convenience of deep pockets you might say.
Regardless, with all the fortune and fame I genuinely believe that Michael was never really happy, I don’t believe he ever found himself, I don’t think he even knew where to look. It’s a real shame because as a musician and artist he was brilliant but otherwise he was a troubled young man that I believe was never really held accountable for all of his actions. I blame his family and all his so-called friends for never taking the risk to try to get Michael the help he so desperately needed, they need to be held accountable for their lack of action. What is your point of view?
Lazarus