I never liked Michael Jackson.I don't mean that in a vicious way, it's not "I'm glad that little SOB's looking at time in the slammer and now he's dead even better". It's just that I never got into his music. As much music as I download, I've never had a copy of a single Michael Jackson song - by himself, with his siblings, with Paul McCartney, whatever.
By the time I came into the world, Michael had already hit his peak - my earliest memories of him are as a former star, somebody who was big. That, combined with the above indifference to his music, is probably why I don't have the reaction to his death that some people do. There is definitely an age gap - it *seems* like everybody is mourning this death because people from different age groups are - but really, the majority of people in their mid-twenties or younger don't care in the slightest.
My first reaction when I heard the news? "Michael Jackson, there's somebody who hasn't entered into my cognitive thinking for quite a while." It's a little hard for me to believe that somebody who could cause such a stunning lack of emotional outpouring from me is quite clearly missed by so many - eight new tributes on newsstands tihs week, folks - yet that is clearly the case.
Michael Jackson, to me, was somebody who used to be famous for good reasons and was now famous for being eccentric. Like a bigger-than-life version of Bobby Fischer. Or Anna Nicole Smith, only minus the "no good reason for the fame" bit. He was less a musician than a generic pop culture celebrity.
Not quite sure where I'm going with this - and I feel like I'm repeating myself a bit - so I'll move to another train of thought. I've heard quite a few people express the opinion that Michael Jackson is the new Kurt Cobain - somebody we at best tolerated in life, but loved in death.
Others have argued fairly effectively on both sides of this issue, and I'll let them due so rather than interject myself into the debate - although I will point out that I view the tribute show, with its appearances by Magic Johnson, Brooke Shields and the like, as more of a 1980s reunion than anything - but I do have one question. When did it become common knowledge that Kurt Cobain fits into this category? Most of the people I'm hearing this from are too young - as am I - to know what public opinion was of Cobain before his death from firsthand experience, and it's not an opinion I'd ever seen in the mainstream before this hit.
One last note - I don't know what Joe Jackson was like in the past, but I have trouble believing that anybody could be as shamelessly exploitative as he has been in the past few weeks. Using a media interview to promote his record label, and suggesting that Michael's kids should tour as the 'Jackson 3'? As much as I couldn't care less who ends up 'winning' most public relations battles in the realm of pop culture, Joe Jackson is one person who should not be allowed to have legal possession of children.
--Ryan
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