If you haven't yet, rush out and see "This is It," the documentary about the preparations and rehearsals for Michael Jackson's last concert tour. My husband and I had the privilege of attending a free screening last night, and we were both knocked out by it. I confess I would never have referred to myself as a Michael Jackson fan, and was somewhat mystified by the reaction to his death. But this film made me realize what people had responded to in him, and I came away very moved. It's a rare peek into the creative process and a phenomenal experience that goes way beyond what you expect from a film. It's hard not to be sad that he was unable to perform his last show, what he thought of as his "gift to the world." But at the same time you'll be filled with the joy and love he exuded in everything he did. Seeing him perform "The Man in the Mirror," I really got that song for the first time.
The world lost an angel when he died.
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- On January 1st, 2009, I joined The Compact and pledged to Buy Nothing New for one year. It sounded like the perfect way to converge my desire to live on less money with my interest in living a simpler life and trying to lessen my carbon footprint. The experiment was so rewarding that I'm continuing with it indefinitely. This blog documents my journey in non-consumerism.
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10 comments:
I was never a Michael Jackson fan either but when I saw an interview with him a while ago, I really got him and his innocence.
He was a beautiful, sweet and gentle soul. I agree that the world lost an angel when he died. I think he had exuded too much love for most people.
An Angel and a Pedaphile.
Nabomb- The pedophile part is what I had always thought (the past 15 years, anyway). But it's hard to explain how when you see how childlike he was, that it's possible that he was sleeping with little boys and that even though that is completely inappropriate, it might not have been sexual at all. It's hard to explain- my husband and I talked about it a lot after the movie. How innocent things can look bad to society at large if you frame them a certain way. Quick example: when our 8-year-old niece wanted to sleep with us in our bed. If my husband were a celebrity, and I was left out of the equation- could that be turned into "so-and-so sleeps with 8-year-old niece?"
It's a very complex thing- but I really saw another side watching the film.
I don't know what to make of his personal life either. One never knows what goes on behind closed doors. What's scary is that doctors, teachers and other trusted figures can be capable of such things (think 'To Catch a Predator').
I'll see the film when it hits DVD at the library. I dance hustle as a hobby, and can attest to the timelessness and spirit of his music.
I thought Madonna's speech at the VMA's was very touching.
She said, "When Michael Jackson was six, he became a superstar, and was perhaps the world's most beloved child. When I was six, my mother died. I think he got the shorter end of the stick. I never had a mother, but he never had a childhood. And when you never get to have something, you become obsessed by it.
I spent my childhood searching for my mother figures. Sometimes I was successful, but how do you recreate your childhood when you are under the magnifying glass of the world?"
http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2009/09/13/read-madonnas-vmas-speech-dedicated-to-michael-jackson/
Catherine
Catherine- Thanks for that. Yes, it's true. The main fact of his life is that he didn't have a childhood.
Michael Jackson was found innocent in a court of law. Do your research, easily enough to do these days. He would never touch or harm a child and anyone who thinks so, is just plain ignorant and close-minded.
PattyGoody- I don't believe it is that easy to do the research, even with all the information out there. Because there's always tons of misinformation to sort through. For example, my husband has seen two Michael Jackson documentaries, one of them takes his words and makes him seem a freak and the other lets him finish a thought. They give you two completely different impressions of him. And just because someone is found innocent or not guilty in a court of law doesn't necessarily get at the pure truth. Like the OJ Simpson trial. I think in Michael Jackson's case, because of his unusual life and celebrity, he was doing things society considers inappropriate like having little boys spend the night. But that it's their dirty minds that add in the other stuff, which probably never happened.
In any case, aside from all that, "This is It" is a wonderful film and I'm so glad so many people around the world are seeing it.
There are books written on the trial by people who were doubters also, that you can find by googling or searching Amazon...all credible and worth reading if you have any doubt on Michael Jackson's innocence. I loved This Is It, watched it 3 times in the theater and have the DVD on pre-order. Michael Jackson probably had arrested development, but I do not believe he ever touched or harmed any child. If anyone did their research, as I said, they would come away with the same conclusion. The media totally went after him in a disgusting manner. All I am saying is investigate before accusing anyone as there is NO evidence of his guilt whatsoever...as for O.J., he was as guilty as they come.
Michael Jackson Conspiracy by Aphrodite Jones, for starters.
PattyGoody- Thanks for the suggestions- a friend of mine also worked on the documentary (before This is It) and came away with the same conclusion.
I hope you don't think I was accusing him- I just meant that it's hard not to have doubts about him if you don't have all the facts, because not everyone is going to read these books you mention. That's the trouble with the way our media works- we get bits and pieces and make conclusions based on that.
I was really sad when I saw the movie that his tour wouldn't take place, and at the same time happy that the film was made, and that's what I wanted to communicate here.
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