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King of Pop still thrives
Michael's impact lives on despite recent bizarre behavior
By Lacy Birk , Editorials Writer Published: 4-20-2005
He holds the record for best selling album of all time worldwide (50 million) and best selling original album in the United States (25 million). The largest audience ever, 133.4 million, watched him perform at Super Bowl XXVII. His first solo tour grossed $124 million in just 15 months -- also a record. He was the first to enter the billboard charts at number one, and he holds the record for most Top Ten singles for one album with six. Not sure who I'm referring to? Read on ...
He also has an obsession with plastic surgery, masks his children in public and lives at a place he calls "Neverland." His best friend is Elizabeth Taylor, he hangs out with young kids and he's rumored to be bankrupt and in debt. The culmination of these eccentricities surfaced on Dec. 18, 2003 when he was charged with seven counts of child molestation for which he is currently on trial.
Unfortunately, Michael Jackson's bizarre conduct has assailed his superstar excellence and in the meantime, his seemingly dual persona has left many of his fans in quite a quandary. Is it possible to discern between the King of Pop and Jacko the Wacko? Can the beloved image of MJ be salvaged from the freak that has become his fate? Can one adore his music and abhor his behavior? For the sake of my pop-sanity, it must be so.
Michael's slow departure from all social standards and facial normalcy has delivered a series of awkward and embarrassing blows to his fans, but somehow we've managed to stick by him, for better or for worse ... but not for child molestation. Michael Jackson crossed the lines of civility, legality and popstar-fan relations. Clearly we cannot go on supporting someone convicted of such terrible crimes. What will we do if he's found guilty? Throw away our CD's? Burn our posters? Behead our dolls?
Fortunately, there's more to Michael Jackson than holding babies over railings, a 12-year-old-girl-like whisper and capitol offense charges. In his No.1 hit, "Man in the Mirror," Jackson writes, "If you wanna make the world a better place / Take a look at yourself and then make that change." In "Earth Song," yet another No.1 hit, Michael sings, "Heal the world / Make it a better place / For you and for me / And the entire human race." Clearly, he has not lived up to the lyrics in these songs, but does that make their messages any less true? Of course not, there was once a time when he had much to offer the world.
Michael Jackson was a musical marvel. Even as a young artist in Jackson 5 his voice was prodigious, but it wasn't until he was free as a solo artist that he made his mark in the music industry. His soulful mix of Rhythm and Blues and rock appealed to the masses and made pop music what it is. He sang about love and life in a way that people could understand and dance to. He set the standard for pop, and most would agree he has yet to be surpassed. Michael Jackson changed the world.
I have to believe that somewhere behind the dead tissue of his nostril cavity, the tattooed eyeliner, and the surgically implanted cleft in his chin, a musical mastermind lays idle. Somewhere inside his five-foot-10-inch, 125 pound, pasty-white frame, the heart of the ultimate pop star beats unseen. Michael's best days are most assuredly behind him, but they're by no means gone. The Michael Jackson we know and love may no longer take physical form, but he lives on in his brilliant songwriting, phenomenal voice and unparalleled dance moves. Can we separate the man from the music? Yes. While Jacko deteriorates, the King of Pop thrives in the TVs, stereos, and hearts of his fans.
http://www.thefalcononline.com/story/4612
..
Michael's impact lives on despite recent bizarre behavior
By Lacy Birk , Editorials Writer Published: 4-20-2005
He holds the record for best selling album of all time worldwide (50 million) and best selling original album in the United States (25 million). The largest audience ever, 133.4 million, watched him perform at Super Bowl XXVII. His first solo tour grossed $124 million in just 15 months -- also a record. He was the first to enter the billboard charts at number one, and he holds the record for most Top Ten singles for one album with six. Not sure who I'm referring to? Read on ...
He also has an obsession with plastic surgery, masks his children in public and lives at a place he calls "Neverland." His best friend is Elizabeth Taylor, he hangs out with young kids and he's rumored to be bankrupt and in debt. The culmination of these eccentricities surfaced on Dec. 18, 2003 when he was charged with seven counts of child molestation for which he is currently on trial.
Unfortunately, Michael Jackson's bizarre conduct has assailed his superstar excellence and in the meantime, his seemingly dual persona has left many of his fans in quite a quandary. Is it possible to discern between the King of Pop and Jacko the Wacko? Can the beloved image of MJ be salvaged from the freak that has become his fate? Can one adore his music and abhor his behavior? For the sake of my pop-sanity, it must be so.
Michael's slow departure from all social standards and facial normalcy has delivered a series of awkward and embarrassing blows to his fans, but somehow we've managed to stick by him, for better or for worse ... but not for child molestation. Michael Jackson crossed the lines of civility, legality and popstar-fan relations. Clearly we cannot go on supporting someone convicted of such terrible crimes. What will we do if he's found guilty? Throw away our CD's? Burn our posters? Behead our dolls?
Fortunately, there's more to Michael Jackson than holding babies over railings, a 12-year-old-girl-like whisper and capitol offense charges. In his No.1 hit, "Man in the Mirror," Jackson writes, "If you wanna make the world a better place / Take a look at yourself and then make that change." In "Earth Song," yet another No.1 hit, Michael sings, "Heal the world / Make it a better place / For you and for me / And the entire human race." Clearly, he has not lived up to the lyrics in these songs, but does that make their messages any less true? Of course not, there was once a time when he had much to offer the world.
Michael Jackson was a musical marvel. Even as a young artist in Jackson 5 his voice was prodigious, but it wasn't until he was free as a solo artist that he made his mark in the music industry. His soulful mix of Rhythm and Blues and rock appealed to the masses and made pop music what it is. He sang about love and life in a way that people could understand and dance to. He set the standard for pop, and most would agree he has yet to be surpassed. Michael Jackson changed the world.
I have to believe that somewhere behind the dead tissue of his nostril cavity, the tattooed eyeliner, and the surgically implanted cleft in his chin, a musical mastermind lays idle. Somewhere inside his five-foot-10-inch, 125 pound, pasty-white frame, the heart of the ultimate pop star beats unseen. Michael's best days are most assuredly behind him, but they're by no means gone. The Michael Jackson we know and love may no longer take physical form, but he lives on in his brilliant songwriting, phenomenal voice and unparalleled dance moves. Can we separate the man from the music? Yes. While Jacko deteriorates, the King of Pop thrives in the TVs, stereos, and hearts of his fans.
http://www.thefalcononline.com/story/4612
..
