Michael Jackson : Memories Of The King Of Pop

By Lisa Dib
More Feature Articles : Bands Who Should Have Quit

Michael Jackson : King Of Pop

I never believed that Michael Jackson was a paedophile. I knew he was a little nutty, perhaps even chemically unbalanced, but never as depraved a soul as a pederast.

Any mental condition he may have had was not wholly his fault, considering the enormous strain of his personal and financial woes (despite his mind blowing success as a performer), his already cataclysmic issues were probably bubbling over.

And let us not forget that father - Joe Jackson...

But let's face it, most of my fondest memories involve MJ, or at the very least, some kind of Michael Jackson by product.

I am too young to have been part of the Thriller blast, but I discovered him in my own time. At fourteen or fifteen I was singing and laughing to Ben, feeling a bit guilty but also wondering why he loved that rat so darn much.

My father, in his more limber days, would have us in stiches doing Michael Jackson dance moves, less than gracefully. Dirty Diana gives me chills. Songs like Billie Jean, Smooth Criminal, Thriller, You Rock My World... all massive, contagious hits.

Even now, The Way You Make Me Feel is an automatic addition to any party / pre-party mixed CD I make.

The media's hands in the Michael Jackson circus are by no means clean, either. In fact, they are probably the most grubby.

Dave Chappelle, in his stand-up show For What It’s Worth, muses (jokingly, but not without merit) on how most Michael Jackson allegations (as unsubstantiated as they often are, be they monetary or paedophilic accusations) always seem to crop up in times of dire economic times, usually when there is a war to finance.

I am not saying the two are connected, just putting it out there. Really, if anyone is going to be sued for child abuse, why not the richest celebrity in the world?

Right now I am trolling through all manner of Michael Jackson music, from the magical shoulder strut of Can You Feel It, to the chilling racial commentary of They Don't Really Care About Us.

It seems like the saddest thing about his untimely death is that we will never have a chance to thank him.

He had an awful childhood (both emotional and physical violence) and still, he constantly entertained us. He was hung out to dry by the same media that embraced him.

That fickle bitch we know as the media...

Being a small cog in the media machine myself, I have never stooped to such lows as the likes of your Perez Hilton's and gossip rags of the world. It is simlply a shame that his memory is being tarnished with rumours and "sudden startling allegations".

Hell... even his ghostly shadow isn't safe!

MJ said himself (in his now infamous interview with Oprah Winfrey in 1993 - after fourteen years of shunning interviews) that he just wanted to be loved.

Is that not the catch cry of a broken child?

That interview is a startling piece of evidence for anyone unsure of where to stand throughout this Michael Jackson social debacle. Although he was thirty-four at the time of shooting it, he still wore the cheeky smile of a boy of nine or ten.

He giggles shyly and has a beautifully optimistic outlook despite his many tribulations at the hands of others. He has, in a way, the final moral victory.

Even now, though his body is not yet committed to the ground, rumour and speculation still fly.

Despite all he had given us: his tireless touring, his amazing dance and vocal abilities, socially conscious and intelligent lyricism - we could not resist the desire to... what, sell more magazines? 

Michael Jackson died thinking the world had turned its back on him. First the cruelty at the hands of his father and then the media that handed him his arse on a plate, he passed away knowing that no matter how good he was, no matter how many tickets, T-Shirts or albums he sold - his memory would be chained to the lies that live on after him.

People often snort derisively at the death of a celebrity, saying things like, “Oh, yes, but people die every day”.

Yes, they do, and I am sure the people that knew them are very sad to have lost them. But although most of us never actually met Michael Jackson, he still had a profound effect on many of us. His commercial success does not make him any less of an amazingly gifted musician.

Hopefully the scales will tip in the favour of the heartbroken fans who will remember him fondly, for his clear, beautiful voice, seamless dance technique and his undeniable effect on the world... and not in favour of those money grubbing demons who will continue to exploit MJ long after he is gone.

Brought To You By The Dwarf