I've been pretty quiet about the passing of Michael Jackson. After all, what more can be said about the "King Of Pop"? I feel that so many people have been so derogatory toward him in the past few years, that it is now a shame that everyone realises, too late at this point, what a talent we have lost.First, Michael MADE Mtv. If it weren't for "story videos" like "Thriller" or "Beat It", I would really doubt that MTV would be the cultural influence that it has been over the past 28 years. And, to top that, he was the first African-American artist heavily featured on MTV, paving the way for modern-day artists like Snoop Dogg and Kanye West.
Second, you can argue all you need to about his questionable personal behaviour, but there is one undeniable fact: He was our generation's Elvis. The impact that Michael had upon pop culture and modern music is undeniable. His style was unique and immortal, as was his talent. Some of my favorite memories of Elementary School are the dances with the "Thriller" LP in the background. Like a lot us in our mid-and late-30's, "Thriller" & "Bad" were the soundtracks to our young , Reagan era lives. For the first time in a long time, music had become a great uniter under Michael. Nobody ever thought of his music as "African AMerican" or "dance"; it was just great, upbeat music. He opened the path for many other artists, including Justin Timberlake, Boys 2 Men, and many others. For this, he will forever be immortalized.
Then , there is the fact that his name was ( justly or unjustly) literally destroyed by false allegations of child molestation. Allegations from which he never fully recovered. It's my belief that in fact, he didn't molest these children. He just thought of himself as a child, and acted as a child would around other children. He created a fantasy world where poor & sick children could come and play with him and his exotic animals at Neverland. I honestly believe, in my heart of hearts, that he just truly loved children.
Michael, we will never forget you or the happiness you brought to our generation, and generations to follow. You are a genius and will be greatly missed.
