Do we remember Michael Jackson as the transcendent performer, who, as a former Sony music executive said, “fused R&B and pop to create what became a world culture?” Or do we remember the other side of Jackson’s legacy: the accusations of pedophilia and the radical plastic surgery that destroyed his face and seemed to deny his race?According to musicians he collaborated with, Jackson displayed the comportment and disposition of a sweet child. Former Beatle, Paul McCartney (who may be one of the few people alive who can relate the heights of fame Jackson reached) called Jackson, "the massively talented boy man with a gentle soul."There is a haunting corollary to that first question: Did our strange society, its expectations and the pressures of extreme fame “create” the other side of Jackson’s legacy? Is the Jackson duality a reflection of us? (“I am talking about the man in the mirror.”)That is, of course, a trite and obvious question. Yes, to some degree fame contributed to his eccentricities; he was a superstar since he was 10 years old. But he would never have been so popular if his product weren’t so appealing, so magnificent.
No comments:
Post a Comment