Long live the king

A few people have asked me what I thought about Michael Jackson's death, so I'm just going to pretend like everyone wants to know and tell all (3) of you. Well, for starters, regardless of his personal life, he was one of the best entertainers of our time, truly a musical icon. He was so talented and had such a major influence on so many musicians (not to mention dancers) after him that it would be a shame not to acknowledge that. Many of his songs are classics, and I can't think of a single one that I just don't like at all.

As for the child molestation rumors that came after the prime of his career, I'm not totally convinced (and it was never proven, anyway). I'm tempted to think that those people were actually preying on him instead, and because he was already so eccentric and vulnerable (and rich), he was an easy target. He started in the music business at age 5 and it essentially robbed him of his childhood. I saw an interview where he said he would spend all day recording in a studio as a child, and he would just cry when he saw the other kids playing on the playground outside the window because he could never join them. I think he was trying to make up for that by surrounding himself with kids as an adult and sharing the childhood he never had with them. Weird? Yes, but I don't think he knew any better, and I don't think he meant any harm. He was just a tortured, lonely soul, and the mystery surrounding him just fed the rumors. I always felt like I had to defend myself even for liking his music after that.

It always seemed like until his death, he was more often ridiculed than praised. I wish people would have said such nice things about him when he was alive, but I guess that's how it goes. Mean and critical things are easier and more entertaining to talk about than nice things, until it's too late. I admit, I am not good at giving compliments or verbalizing my positive feelings, but I am not intentionally mean. Life is often hard enough as it is; why must we contribute to someone else's pain?

R.I.P.