“ …Michael Jackson was one of popular culture’s greatest artists. Nobody danced better. Few sang more compellingly. No one understood more about stage spectacles or music videos. He was an innovator. His reach was global. Was he post-racial, as some say? I’d call him trans-racial. He never left the classic elements of black style behind; he kept mixing them with new material and bringing them to new audiences.
Reading this and listening to “I Want You Back” got me thinking: MJ may have suffered something of a messiah complex, which complicated the last 20 years of his life. In a way, though, he is a sacrificial lamb of sorts. This man, who (it appears) never had an intimate, trusting relationship with an adult in his life, somehow made music that brought—and brings—together millions of people worldwide. Perhaps he got a little help in the songwriting component, but still, his performance deepens the irony.
RIP, Michael. Thanks for sharing the gift.
2 years ago • 1 note
