"The King Of Pop: Gone Too Soon!"

It's time to Break It Down!

What a week! We now know South Carolina Governor Sanford was on the lam in Argentina, instead of hiking the Appalachian Trail, and that he had more "liaisons," Judge Denny Chin threw the book at Bernard Madoff to the tune of 150 years, the U.S. initiated troop withdrawal from Iraq, as scheduled, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Waxman-Markey climate change Bill, The U.S. Supreme Court reversed a ruling against white firefighters in New Haven Connecticut, the Charlotte Bobcats' Carolina educated brain trust drafted the team’s first-ever Dookie, Larry Bird, and the Indiana Pacers drafted a guy every ABC (Anybody But Carolina) member swears will be out of the League after his first contract, the US Soccer, after upsetting Number 1 Spain, lost a hard fought match to Brazil, and oh yeah, the Minnesota Supreme Court declared Al Franken the winner of that State's long contested Senatorial race, giving Democrats 60 votes in the Senate for the first time in 30 years.

As much as those dynamic events fueled our interest during the past week, it was the death of four iconic mavens of entertainment that many will cite as the reference points for the week. Ed McMahon, 86, Farrah Fawcett, 62, Michael Jackson, 50, and Billy Mays, also 50, all died since last Tuesday. As you can glean, I decided to focus on Michael.

Since last Thursday afternoon, news outlets across the Globe have been riveted by the still unfolding melodrama that is the recounting of the life and death of the world’s most renowned Pop Artist. There is a powerful temptation to reduce Michael Jackson to the familiar Wacko-Jacko moniker that many have used to describe him for more than a decade. Indeed, in recent years, Jackson news was too often punctuated by the odd, the weird, and/or the absurd, rather than focusing on his enormous talent, achievements, and contributions to society.

In contemplating penning a piece about Michael Jackson, who would have been 51 this summer, I have decided to start by stipulating the things upon which I will not dwell. This will not be:

• A story about other peoples’ prepubescent children
• A discussion of Bubbles (neither the Monkey nor hyperbaric chambers)
• A treatise on military attire or ensembles
• A retrospective on burning hair
• An in-depth explanation of vitiligo
• A shout out to Emmanuel Lewis
• An insightful look at Brook Shields, Lisa Marie Presley,
or Debbie Rowe
• An explanation of the effects of Demerol
• A definition of OxyContin
• An e-beat down of Joseph Jackson

By pressing the delete key on those topics and others, I am neither attempting to protect Michael, nor denying that his personal history includes, or at least was rumored to insinuate those elements into the fabric of his life. Many of them were, and the others may have been. However, judging from what I have seen, heard, and read in various media, you will have no difficulty following any or all of those lines of inquiry through other means.

Instead, I am using this space to reminisce, briefly, about a force of nature that I had all but forgotten. One entertainment analyst proclaimed on CNN that Michael Jackson, at his best, combined James Brown, The Beatles, and Elvis…no last name necessary. One could easily argue that is a neatly packaged dose of hyperbole. Yet, looked at on balance, when considering Michael credited Brown with being one of his most influential mentors, and considering further still that he outbid Sir Paul McCartney for publishing rights to The Beatles’ Song Catalogue, and considering even further, that he married Elvis’ baby girl…maybe the guy had a point!

The evolution of Michael Jackson from The Jackson 5, to a member of The Jacksons, to solo act extraordinaire, included an array of versatile shape-shifting elements. He was a superbly gifted entertainer, but he was also always so much more. Viewed in a technical light, his voice was neither exceptionally strong, nor overly rich in tenor, tone, or texture, but it was a facile instrument; one that he commanded in a uniquely satisfying fashion. His irrepressible style launched Bubble Gum Soul, mastered Disco Funk, soared to the top of the Pop Charts, and transitioned seamlessly into the domination of R&B.

In the early days, MJ (before Jordan assumed that nom de plume) led The Jackson 5 to four consecutive Chart Toppers ("I Want You Back", "ABC", "The Love You Save" and "I'll Be There"), on the Billboard 100; a first. The Group had signed with Motown in 1968, where they stayed until 1975. After numerous differences over creative control, the Group abandoned the name Jackson 5, and moved to CBS Records (eventually Epic) in 1975.

During The Jacksons era, Michael was the lead singer-songwriter, and produced several hits, including, "Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)", "This Place Hotel" and "Can You Feel It". In 1978, Michael starred as the Scarecrow in the musical The Wiz, in which Quincy Jones produced the musical score. This collaboration led to an agreement for Jones to produce MJ’s next solo album.

Off The Wall, released in 1979, became the portal for entry into the Michael Jackson era. Jones assembled a talented stable of writers including Heatwave's Rod Temperton, Stevie Wonder and Paul McCartney. The project was the first to generate four U.S. Top Ten hits, including two chart-toppers, "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" and "Rock with You".

If Off The Wall established Michael as a capable stand-alone artist, the next major step in his development would forever change the music world as we knew it. In 1982, Jackson won a Grammy for “Someone in the Dark,” part of the ”E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial” Soundtrack.

However, this was merely a prelude to his quintessential moment in the sun. Later in the year, he would release Thriller. The album remained in the Billboard Top Ten for 80 consecutive weeks, 37 of those in the top spot. Seven singles concurrently resided in Billboard’s Top Ten.

Suddenly Jackson was re-writing all the rules. Before Thriller, MTV, a relatively new phenomenon, was effectively the sole purview of white Pop artists. With the musical success of his album, and the accompanying epic Video Short Films, Jackson revolutionized the fledgling MTV Generation, and its expectation for the music video genre. Thriller went on to become the top selling album of all-time, cresting 109 million copies in sales, worldwide. In fact, the album was so popular; it experienced a renaissance in sales when re-released to commemorate its 25th Anniversary.

Jackson died last Thursday. I spent a large portion of the weekend traveling by car. In doing so, I had an opportunity to hear several of the many on-air musical tributes to the King of Pop. In spending time with Michael and his music, I rediscovered something that had nearly evaporated from my consciousness: the musical genius of Michael Joseph Jackson.

Of course there are numerous facets to Michael. In addition to those that I referenced in passing, but will not focus on, he was a giant philanthropist. He not only spearheaded the “We Are The World,” Project, but he started the “Heal The World Foundation,” which focuses on bringing attention to the fight against AIDS, and he founded over 30 other Charities, as well.

Jackson’s speaking voice was meek and timid-sounding. In song, it was perhaps his most effective instrument, though his master stagecraft was a noted calling card as well. He captivated the imagination of a massive television audience during Motown 25th Anniversary Special with his dazzling Moon Walk. Long before Johnny Cochrane, he demonstrated the effectiveness of the artful use and display of one glove. Yet, when distilled to its essence, we could find Michael’s message most often, where we expected it. The message was in the music!

Early in the game, he insisted, along with his brethren, “Never Can Say Good-bye.” As he stepped out on his own, he confided he was, “Off The Wall.” In his true declaration of independence, he boasted that he was a “Thriller.” In a rare moment of shared reflection, he conceded he was “The Man In The Mirror.” He told us in unmistakable terms, that not only was he “Bad,” he was also “Dangerous.” Then, just when we were set for the next installation of History: Past; Present; and Future,” instead of completing his 50-Concert series in London, he opted to exchange mortal bonds for immortality, and suddenly we were left with a sober reality, “The King of Pop: Gone Too Soon!” In lieu of Good-bye; R.I.P. Michael.

I’m done; holla back!

Read my blog anytime by clicking the link: http://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com/. A new post is published each Wednesday.

For more detailed information on a variety of aspects relating to this post, consult the links below:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Jackson

http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/michaeljackson/gonetoosoon.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H0mcxmCGetI&NR=1

http://music.spreadit.org/man-in-the-mirror-lyrics-michael-jackson-man-in-the-mirror/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPSkurGQj-M

http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/Never-Can-Say-Goodbye-lyrics-The-Jackson-5/8F59154734462B6948256BF300107639

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xbv-5h_oXZw

http://www.mjcafe.net/the%20legend%20speeches%20&%20faq/b4.htm

http://www.time.com/time/video/?bcpid=1485842900&bctid=27610055001

http://www.ukhairdressers.com/Celeb%20Wedding/Michael%20Jackson%20and%20Lisa%20Marie%20Presley.asp

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-513206/My-life-mother-Michael-Jacksons-children-Debbie-Rowe.html

http://theenvelope.latimes.com/la-me-jackson-style26-2009jun26,0,2652330.story

http://www.maximum-jackson.com/discussion/showthread.php?t=5062

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-et-jackson-rehearsal27-2009jun27,0,4699249.story

http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/update-michael-jackson-up-to-50-london-shows-1003951183.story

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-511702/Unveiled-Michael-Jackson-finally-shows-children-world.html

http://www.radaronline.com/exclusives/2009/06/exclusive-strangest-photo-ever-michael-jackson

http://www.vh1.com/news/articles/1614763/20090626/jackson_michael.jhtml