Where were you when Michael Jackson died?
I was in Los Angeles, inside a lighting warehouse when my instructor picked up a call from his cell phone and in a very solemn tone announced that Michael Jackson had passed away. Naturally, of course, I couldn’t believe it. Not because Michael Jackson was too young to die, or a celebrity, or a freak, but because Michael Jackson was, and forever will be, one of those people whose work they leave behind will forever be marked in the annals of history– an artist of his caliber dying seems like a surreal experience, almost as if, when he died the most significant part of his death wasn’t the man perishing away – but the immortalization of his art. Then and there, Michael Jackson erased a recent history of controversies, transcended pop culture and guaranteed his place in the halls of history as a genius that will forever be remembered not for what he was, and perhaps not even for what he did, but simply for the impact he caused; how he changed and revolutionized the whole way his craft is shaped. Simply put, the man flipped the music and showbiz industry upside down and back again.
And even in that sense, Michael Jackson went even further. Not only did he change music and dance, but he reinvented the concept of what a music video is supposed to be. Just writing this down makes me sit back in awe of how much Michael Jackson meant to the industry. It’s hard to believe that anything like him will ever come again.
Upon the notice of his death, I immediately thought about reviewing Thriller, which was, ironically enough, one of the CDs that I had been listening to a lot during my time in California. However, upon my return to Rio, I discovered the gem that is Michael Jackson’s “Off The Wall”, which is, if not as good as Thriller, definitely as important to the immortalization of Michael Jackson’s body of work. It’s his first CD without the Jackson 5 backing him up, his first CD produced by Quincy Jones, the first CD to ever generate four top 10-hits (starting Jackson’s career of staggering numbers when it comes to topping the charts), and frankly his first CD where you can listen to it and say “Holy fuck, this is just really GREAT music!”
I totally respect the position you have chosen to take upon the life of Michael Jackson. This, however, does not mean I entirely and completely agree with it. Despite the fact that Michael Jackson has indeed produced very creative songs highly contributing to pop genre, I believe that most people overly praise him. He was good at what he did, just like millions of other artists have been and will be. In my opinion, if he were in fact so good as people now judge him to be, his talent would have been recognized before he died. And yes, his talent was indeed recognized while he was alive, but only to a certain extent which seized to exist after his death. Why? Probably because of media issues. Great music, indeed; just probably not a lengend. At least not in my eyes.
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