Ok. I sense some of you have sympathy and the others are already calling me names. But I dont give a flying f***k because this is in the end, my point of view and you are free to debate me (but do so with some integrity) MJ isnt a very normal kind of guy. He was different mentally, physically(dont mind the pun), and talent-wise too. He was gifted and exceptional. You metalheads and purists might argue, "What the f**k. This is a forum for guitar and rock culture. MJ doesnt belong here and he's had enough publicity done for himself already." Perhaps its true. But it doesnt matter. Because without him, black musicians wouldn't have come out so boldly on the music scene. There would have been no entertaining music videos, which despite being disapproved of by bands like Pearl Jam and Led Zeppelin, proves to be an essential part of representing a band's thoughts, ideas, philosophies and a lot of other things (which causes general resentment among rock fans.) He came as a skinny, gaudily dressed teenager and won everyone's heart with his vocal gymnastics and killer moves. I don't need to explain the moonwalk, it speaks for itself. There weren't many as famous black musicians before he arrived, perhaps except Hendrix, BB King and Stevie Wonder and Ray. And he would go on to surpass any of these people in the future. You have to listen to "Beat It" to know this guy is infectious. The song is simply great, with superb beats, engaging visuals and the best part of it all, is Eddie Van Halen. I so wish he made a cameo in the video. Cha'mone. Woohoo. These two words are perhaps the most mimed words done by any impersonator in the world. And nobody did it but Michael. His music is direct, from the heart, no nonsense no bullshit.(atleast till Dangerous came out) It doesn't have half the pretense that the currently famous black singers (are they even singers anymore? everyone is goddamn rapping killing the purity of the genre. Hip-hop was always better when underground read NWA and Public Enemy) He is, in the end, one of the most entertaining acts ever. But it is talent that made him stand out as the King Of Pop. Many no-good no talent people have made great name and fame from their antics (eg: The *** Pistols. Hope no punk fans are out there to kill me. ). Call him a plastic freak, "Wacko Jacko", child abuser and molester, whatever. Half of the stuff is sensatonalized and pulled to great lengths before we get the news in the media. A kid once met him in his Neverland ranch. He took all the kids to a place, held their hands and said, "Close your eyes, and wish hard. You'll be flying." (with reference to the Peter Pan-Tinkerbell story if you're wondering wtf.) The kid closed his eyes, wished hard, visualized himself, and got tired within five minutes. But Michael was still doing it. He wished on for a whole ten minutes. He was so very much a child he actually believed in that moment. That shows how different that man was from others. His only weakness was the fame he had built for himself. He destroyed his own childhood with all the over-involvement in the music business. He was always in the media's glare. Perhaps that's why he longed for loneliness, being left alone and exiled himself in Bahrain (I guess.) Perhaps the commercialization of his talent became too much. It overwhelmed him in the end. But the record sales speak for themselves. The only man to challenge him is our very own A.R. Rahman who comes a not-so-close second in terms of single record sales. And that is the proof of the musical genius he was. He preferred something new, something rad, and that caught the media, the public and the youngsters' attention. I seriously hoped he'd make his big comeback and then retire. Death was nowhere in my ideas of MJ in the present. I really counted on his comeback. And since he's no more, my hopes are gone and I feel a little unsettled deep inside. All in all, he is one of the greats and you gotta acknowledge his achievement. It was but natural that a man living in such hyped craze was to one day die from the pressure he lived under. This is my tribute to you MJ. We will miss you, but will never forget you. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hey man so glad to see a hard rock worshiper to pay tribute to such a pop great ..... Yes he was damn talented and steered cleared of lot of shit dat even rock world is infected with
MJ was for sure a major talent in many ways but his timing in his singing and dancing was impeccable :nw:
