In Memoriam Part 1

On the day of Michael Jackson’s burial and memorial service I find myself finally having thought through my feelings on the whole affair. I have to admit, I haven’t been watching the drama unfold since that fateful day 2 weeks ago when it was announced that the legendary King Of Pop had passed away suddenly. For many who had him as part of their life and musical history that was probably the day the music died. Of course, that is said of every high profile musician’s death. They said it when Lennon was killed and when Elvis died.

I’d wager that with the ease of access to information and the amount of access to the rest of the world there probably hasn’t been an outpouring of emotion quite like we’ve experienced with Michael Jackson. Not because he was any more or less of a legend than Elvis or Lennon, but because times have changed. With the advent of 24 hour news and the internet – where information is available at the touch of a button, anybody is able to publish their own take on it, and we are no longer slaves to handwritten word – we are struck by the immediacy of “as it happens” reporting. Gone are the days when it would take several days for all the facts to come out and the slow ripple effect as newspapers gather the data. Within hours of initial reports the world was in mourning.

Of course I was sad and numb for a while at the news of the passing of Michael Jackson. He was a large part of my musical history being my first conscious musical decision and one of a few that have been a constant during my “music loving” years, but what struck me most wasn’t the fact that he died, or even how he died, but one photograph on the front of a gossip magazine. One photo of a man being wheeled out on a gurney wearing an oxygen mask as they tried to save his life and a photo which I have utter contempt for the piece of scum that took it. That man was Michael Jackson, and that was not the way I wanted to remember the legend. Unfortunately, despite the various tributes paid to MJ over the past couple of weeks that image has stuck with me. I’m sure it will stick with me for a while to come as it is reminiscent of something I experienced personally some years back with my Dad, and has, for the longest time, been the only image of my dear departed dad that I have been able to remember. Even as I type this I can see my Dad suffering the same way I’m sure MJ did. For my sins though, my memory is only in my head. MJ’s children and family have now had that image splashed on magazines the world over and it will not be as easily forgotten. Memories do fade, especially the bad ones, but an image in print like that is not as easily discarded.

Something else that bothers me about the death of MJ, is the circus that seems to have followed it. When I heard about the memorial for MJ, I began thinking that sounded like a lovely idea. When I discovered the ticket lottery for it I thought that was a little distasteful – they are, in essence, tickets for a funeral, but when I read today about the star studded “gala” that the memorial is slated to be (celebrity guests including Mariah Carey, Stevie Wonder, Kobe Bryant, Magic Johnson that I can recall as I type) I found myself absolutely shocked. Yes, tradition dictates that a wake is in order after a funeral – a way to honour the life of the dearly departed, but when a round of celebrities decide to partake in something that can be nothing but good publicity for them and their career I start to wonder about their true motives. Do they truly intend to honour the life of a musical legend or to get a leg up in their own career and garner extra publicity that they are lacking??

Maybe I’m just getting cynical in my old age but one of my online friends said it best about a week ago, mainly in reference to how a few of MJ’s own family members referred to him. We all know he was the King Of Pop, and those who knew him only as a superstar will, 90% of the time, refer to him as such. But when MJ’s own family members refer to him firstly as the King Of Pop and secondly as their brother/son etc it puts a whole new perspective on the way MJ was treated whilst he was alive. We have been told a lot in the past about MJ’s early life and career and how he was allegedly abused and no doubt turned into a money making machine by his own father, but I would expect that, despite all that, the emphasis, from the Jacksons at least should have been on family before fame. Please don't take this as an attack on Michael's family, for right now they are in pain over the loss of a cherished family member.

I will miss MJ and his contributions to the music world. Despite his problems and issues over the years there’s no denying that he was a genius and has the right to be remembered as such. Unfortunately, I strongly believe that for every person willing to remember MJ as such, there will be several more who will focus on his “freakishness”, rumour and legal problems. I read earlier on my Facebook feeds page, the friend of a friend relaying how amongst the floral trbutes laid throughout Los Angeles for the legend there sat one in very bad taste given the current circumstances, making references to the paedophilia accusations of several years ago. I just hope that in death he can find the peace that was so sorely lacking while he was alive.

RIP Michael Jackson