When a part of your life fades away completely..

Born Micheal Joe Jackson, Died Wacko Jacko.

Micheal Jackson was is and always will be the only pop icon I would ever take my hat off to. As a 5 year old kid in kindergarden I once asked mum if i could keep my hair long like him, I found a fedora hat and covered my eyebrows with it, and stood for hours in front of the mirror powdering my face and pulling my fringe down to look like him. His phenomenal feet made dancing seem so easy and effortless. His loosely attached limbs made punctuation seem so natural and his spine chilling voice sent his emotions entwined in his lyrics down your cochlea as you stamped your feet each time you heard Billie Jean, Beat It, Smooth Criminal, Black or White.

Someone online today asked me if I had sold out on my metal agenda with my tribute to the legend, and I told him, music back then was different. If all of hiphop was like Run DMC i'd be a fan. If all of pop could emulate Micheal Jackson, I'd be a fan, if screamo rockers like Linkin Park could tone down and sound more like Iron Maiden I'd be a fan. Sadly music these days no longer share a similarity. He argued that I was practising double standards and I showed him my favourite MJ song ever, Give in to me - MJ feat Slash. It was during this video that a pyrotechnics malfunction causing 3rd degree burns on various parts of his body, explaining his infatutation with plastic surgery




MJ wrote this song in response to many that were calling him a Homo. Yes he was straight. He may have not lived with his wives, but he explains everything in his song.


He collaborated with Steve Stevens (Billy Idol guitarist) and Eddie Van Halen on Dirty Diana and Beat It respectively.

As I hit puberty I started understanding the pain and anguish behind most of his songs. Billie Jean was as we know today solely released as many women were claiming he had fathered their children. One particular woman alleged to have threatened to commit suicide if MJ didn't marry her inspired him to write this particular song. Thriller of course propelled him to stardom, but also brought more inner conflict as he was a Jehovah's Witness. And the depiction of ghouls and zombies was somewhat prohibited by the church he once attended. It was after this that Bad was released. Bad was the turning point of his career in my humble opinion. Thriller may have been his best selling album, but Bad was possibly the most personal one he wrote.

It was also around this time that his vitiligo had started acting up on his complexion and the sheer pressure from the media had ensured he underwent skin bleaching to match the tone of his hypopigmented skin patches. Rumours about his uncharacteristic behaviour shot to an all time great after the production of Thriller and it inspired a song called "leave me alone".

The video further vindicates his frustrations against the media and the general group of 'haters' as Katt Williams the comedian once called them. Allegations went as far as MJ wanting to buy the elephant man's skeletal remains. His hyperbaric chamber myth was another hot topic to reek further blemishes on his already tainted persona. It somehow didn't occur to them that he had 3rd degree burns and hyperbaric oxygen therapy does actually help recovery. I personally felt MJ's dad's domineering presence and abusive ways made him the timid boy who tried to relieve his childhood days again. Liz Taylor and Jane Fonda both provided testomonies to his childhood fantasies as he frequently loved buying toys-nope not those toys but real toys like hot wheels and shit- and he was so excited about a part he was once offered in Peter Pan the movie produced by Jane Fonda that never materialized.

I also vaguely remember the use of many stars that acted in Micheal Jacksons elaborate videos, such as Eddie Murphy, Paula Abdul, Dan Aykroyd, Vanessa Williams, David Copperfield, Danny Glover, Whoopi Goldberg, Sherman Helmsley- lol that dude from jeffersons- Quincy Jones, Don King, Olivia Newton John, Lou Diamond Phillips, Bridgette Nielson, Spielberg, Travolta, Jordan, Iman, Magic Johnson, that Home alone kid, Tyra Banks and many more. It was when i was about 14 that started convincing my friends about his songwriting abilities after further reading up his lyrics and amazingly 2 years later he was indicted into the hall of fame for songwriting.

Looking back at MJ, i can say his greatest contribution to music would probably be his meticulous and 3 pronged approach , setting a style and keeping to it, making an elaborate video that people will remember for life, writing songs with catchy tunes but hidden meanings that i felt really caught my attention. His daring attempts at spending millions on music videos did pay off as I've personally yet to see someone perfect the Moonwalk - nope Usher is a wanker -

Which reminds me I once had a game on my Sega Genesis back in 95 called Moonwalker based on themes from his dance videos. Round 1 was based on Smooth criminal, Round 2 on Beat it, Round 3 on Thriller and i never made it after that:) - you may download the game from here

http://www.games4win.com/games/michael-jacksons-moonwalker/

I guess a lot of us owe some part of our childhood to the great MJ for all he has contributed to music. To me his greatest feat was to be a renegade and try something no one else had attempted before. And in many ways he had succeeded. It is a sad tale though. A man who was made by the Media was later destroyed by the same medium. Scandals and treacherous cancer patients that never seem to die:) plagued him. He was estimated to be worth a few hundred million in 2003. Which is ironic seeing that Thriller alone sold almost 200 million copies - ensuring at least a billion dollars would be in his bank book. A series of payoffs to unscrupulous 'victims' who unceremoniously accepted 20 million dollar payouts after claiming molestation left me wondering what would've been if he had dragged some of them to court as he did with his final 2 that would later be ridiculed by Tom Mesereau (or something - cant spell his name for nuts man).

Sarah told me today, that at least he is at peace, and I do hope that at some point he does find tranquility amidst the chaotic life he lived. I for one, would never want to live his life today, although I once envied it. Looking back, MJ's death is a great loss to the music industy. Not since John Lennon has there been a talent so capable of invigorating so many emotions thru music. His contributions shall live on, and as Elton John addressed Diana, his candle may have blown out long before his legend ever will.

I overheard Napster on Traxx FM stating that there was once a rumour stating Justin Timberlake was the NEW King of Pop. First and foremost, JT is a wanker. He can cry a god damn ocean for all I care. The footsteps of MJ shall follow that of Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan and John Lennon, as the greatest minds of the past century in terms of music, that the world shall ever know.

To Micheal Jackson, I bid you adieu and I hope you find a world that has already been healed.