I don't get people. Michael Jackson couldn't get positive press to save his life two weeks ago. But now...
Why is it that he has somehow become something in death that he wasn't in life? It reminds me of the movie Heathers when the shoplifter's character is talking about how death has given meaning to the people she and low-rent Jack Nicholson boyfriend have killed. How the dad loved his "dead gay son."
I sold almost as many albums as MJ two weeks ago, now he is selling like hotcakes. Did his music become better or more relevant because he died? The need to stock people's ipods with an alleged kid toucher's music escalated in reverse allignment to his core body temp.
There is a saying in religion, Love the sinner, hate the sin. I think the exact opposite should apply here. Love the music, not musician. Michael Jackson was incredibly talented, and whether you liked his music or not, you can't deny that he did some amazing things. That being said, let's be honest. He was a fucked up guy. What is telling is not who attended his latest show, but who didn't. Oprah, Diana Ross, Justin Timberlake, and even Michael Jackson himself found it a little distasteful to be there (he was not in the coffin).
Kind of like Roman Polanski, OJ, Woody Allen, Jerry Lee Lewis, Rob Lowe, these are all talented people at their chosen craft, but that doesn't negate the terrible things they have done. Fame is an absolver of sins, but doesn't have nearly the cleaning power of death.
Lastly, a lot has been made of race in the whole hoopla surrounding his death, but not in the way I feel it should have. If you watched the circus that was his memorial (pause for a moment because I did get choked up when I saw "his" daughter speak about him) he was being hailed as this great example for black people. I don't get this. He did everything he could to distance his appearance from being black. Al Sharpton wouldn't have touched him three weeks ago, but couldn't have been more front and center this week.
Nearly 100 million people can't be wrong, right? It's just me.
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