Michael Jackson’s life was a tragedy, but not a particularly edifying one, S. T. Karnick writes.
Troubled rock singer Michael Jackson has died at the age of fifty. He was reported a few months ago to be suffering from a serious and possibly life-threatening staph infection.
A highly talented singer with an impressive range from high-tenor crooning to Little Richard-style shouts, Jackson made an impressive start with his family’s rock group The Jackson 5, singing lead at the age of eleven. His vocals on hits such as "ABC," "I Want You Back," "The Love You Save," and "I’ll Be There," were classic performances–passionate, skillful, enthusiastic, and polished.
Unfortunately, family problems, the show business lifestyle, and a stream of ready exploiters served to turn the talented singer into a very troubled person, and in adulthood Jackson became an increasingly bizarre figure. Rumors of pedophilia dogged him until his death, even resulting in criminal charges, of which he was acquitted.
Jackson’s work since the early 1980s was largely uninspired, and even his better solo work, such as the albums Off the Wall and the megahit Thriller (more than 40 million copies sold), really just jammed a large amount of talent into routine musical genres. Jackson’s best solo songs, such as "Off the Wall," "Rock with You," and "Billie Jean," were brilliant slices of pop music wonder, but other equally popular songs, such as "Beat It," "Thriller," and "Say, Say, Say," were just silly.
"Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough," from Off the Wall, was both brilliant and silly, exemplifying what was best and worst about Jackson’s life’s work: smartly arranged by Quincy Jones, the song just manages to survive Jackson’s excessively manic vocal performance.
Jackson clearly needed strong guidance in both his musical work and his personal life. Unfortunately, he all too seldom got it.
There’s really not much to learn from the tragic aspects of Jackson’s life, other than what all sensible people already know: children desperately need protection from those who would exploit them, both inside and outside the family. Michael Jackson did not receive that protection, and the results were terribly sad.
—S. T. Karnick
Also Quincy Jones is nothing without Michael Jackson. At least Michael Jackson could adapt with the times. I mean Quincy Jones idea of making MJ a rapper back in the late 80s was a horrific and idiotic idea.
Billie Jean was the masterpiece of thriller, yet I would not call Thriller or Beat it silly. Both songs are great as well, and were revolutionary for there time. I mean who else would get Vincent Price to aid in Thriller? Overall, What about the bad album? Smooth Criminal is magnificent and the music video for Smooth Criminal is also a highly sophisticated masterpiece. Then you get to Dangerous era Michael. Another big album, Dangerous had the beat of the 90s. It was the epitomy of New Jack Swing and had several ballads (Give in to me and Will you be there) which are equally as great to Bad’s man in the mirror. History wasn’t as good, yet that’s understandable with the charges brought against him by hollywood dentist Evan Chandler. Yet, this album still has good songs. Tabloid Junkie and Stranger in Moscow are great songs which show the personal trials that MJ had to go through. Overall, Invincible Michael’s last album is great as well, yet because of Michael’s past most radio stations refused to play any songs off it. Michael had a hard life, yet was true definition of success and an Emerson style “Genius”. He gave 350 million dollars to charity and spent money to pay several childrens medical and funeral bills throughout the years. He saved a eastern europeans boy life, by spending 6 months in search of a liver for him and defended Ryan White from the cruel insults that people threw at him because of his AIDS condition. He also saved, according to Bill Clinton, the democratic party by giving an undisclosed amount to pay it’s funds crisis.
Also have you seen the music video “Ghosts” which Michael Jackson self funded… how can that be uninspired?
P.S. God bless his children!
Thanks for your comment, Carrie.
I think my article was quite sympathetic to Jackson, and my characterization of him as talented but musically uneducated and immensely overrated accords perfectly with the abundant evidence of his musical catalog, and I gave examples from his most popular and critically acclaimed albums.
I would welcome a musicological analysis of any Jackson compositions you consider to be truly great, with evidence documenting his actual contributions to the song(s) so as to establish the alleged genius was truly his.
Awww, you guys are too “cultured” and stuck on yourselves for your own good. Just because you can put together a couple of sentences, use big words, and list a few music references does not make you better than anybody else. All this article amounts to is pure, unadulterated opinion.
Instead of offering worthwhile commentary that indicates any degree of genuine insight backed by solid facts, the author and people who have commented thus far just sound like self-righteous pricks. Whether you like Michael Jackson and his body of work or not, trying to denigrate his clear and obvious legacy with such put-downs about his supposedly unenlightened fans and his alleged mediocrity is futile.
I also just love how these types of non-articles always prominently mention such overworked topics as Jackson’s appearance, “lacking” musicianship, assumed weirdness, perceived immaturity, and struggles with unproven pedophilia charges, but never his uncommon generosity to fans or the $300 million-plus he donated to charity during his lifetime, largely to benefit children.
That’s the tragedy off Michael Jackson right there, dudes. It’s a shame snobs like you are so consumed with your “superior” opinions that you can’t even recognize what’s truly important. And the decline of American civilization continues…
Thanks for the reference to Goldberg’s article, Jim. I think it was quite good, and I agree with Goldberg that the use of the term icon to describe people who are at best famous and more often merely notorious is asinine.
I also note that Goldberg used the word I used to describe Jackson’s life: tragic.
Jonah Goldberg at The Corner has a take on Jackson’s death that should not be missed.
http://corner.nationalreview.com/post/?q=MzkwYTNiMmI1Mzg0ZTNjMDNjNGQ0MWQ0MTgzMzAyZTg=
Thanks, R. J.
I certainly agree with Jarvis Cocker’s opinion of Jackson as a public figure, and I would gladly be the skunk at the picnic that is already taking place with the deification of this very bizarre and flawed person and musician. It just shows how low many people’s cultural standards are. Gah.
And I agree with you, Jim. I’m sure it’ll be a huge hit. I’m just sad that the media is so easily distracted by these things and not more focused on Iran, something that could very well change our world.
Maybe if someone could get Al Gore to do a PowerPoint about it, the news would keep cover it.
Careful Sam, you keep challenging the view that Jackson was the messiah of pop and you could get thrown in jail along with Jarvis Cocker. 😉
Great article. It’s almost a shame that your single sentence introduction is pretty much all that needs to be said.
One thing that really annoys me is when people refer to Jackson as having been an artist. I suppose liking Michael Jackson can be excused. Considering him an artist, let alone an important one other than in his baneful cultural influence, cannot.
Doesn’t matter of the press covers Transformers 2. They’ve already set box office records, opening with $60-plus million (which I’m sure Sam will talk about soon).
That piece of crap would gross $300 million even if MJ, Elton John, Al Gore and Justin Timberlake all jointly committed suicide together in Times Square by setting themselves on fire for global warming and world peace.
If it wasn’t this, tomorrow would be all about Transformers 2.
Thanks, Jim. I’m glad you brought up Eddie Van Halen, because musically Michael Jackson shared something with him: immense virtuosity, passion, and gobs of personality, but little to no songwriting originality. Both were extremely dependent on others to give them a sensible context in which to place their mad skills.
I believe your account of the likelihood of Jackson having exploited children is correct, and I agree that it’s a pity his death will probably overshadow the serious events happening today. Your observation that it “consumes every bit of oxygen in the room” is brilliantly pithy and will probably prove true, unfortunately.
Excellent post, Sam. I especially perked up at this insight:
That’s probably the best one-sentence summation of Michael Jackson’s glory years I’ll read. As celebrated as Jackson was, there’s a reason why he stopped being a hit-maker in the United States two decades ago — yet remained a superstar overseas (where musical tastes are generally lousy). And by “overseas,” I of course don’t mean Britain, but most of Continental Europe, Asia and the Middle East. Sorry, but if you’re screaming your head off and crying over Jacko in 1995, your pop-music sophistication is lacking.
Even now, do we hear much of Jackson on the radio? Not really. That’s because with few exceptions, his music is largely pedestrian. Only his amazing energy and unique (if not classic) vocals gave the songs punch and made them memorable. Getting Eddie Van Halen to contribute to “Beat It” (without credit by request of the guitar god, if I remember right … though the licks are instantly identifiable as EVH) was a bit of a coup at the time. Hard rockers didn’t do such things — lower themselves to participate in “pop” music. Such was the power of Michael Jackson back then.
Now we must prepare ourselves for the Princess Diana/JFK Jr./Anna Nicole Smith barrage of sickening, wall-to-wall, over-the-top media coverage. It’s at times like this that I dread living in Los Angeles. I think I’ll keep the TV off for a few days, poke my head up around Monday and see if it’s safe to come out.
This death is a shock, certainly. And though, as Sam notes, Jackson was cleared of any pedophilia charges, my court of public opinion (and common sense) says Jackson harmed some of the children whose parents were dumb enough to hand them over.
All the glowing tributes he’ll receive the world over — itself an immense accomplishment — will still not rub that horrible stain from his memory.
(As a side note … what a news cycle we’ve had over the last week or so! Thugs for Iran’s ruling mullahs are shooting protesters in the streets. A South Carolina governor and rising GOP star is ruined by a bizarre affair. Ed McMahon dies. Farrah Fawcett dies. And now Michael Jackson dies to consume every bit of oxygen in the room. All this at a time when Obama and Congressional Democrats are moving at lightning speed to nationalize health care and impose a massive “energy tax” to fight the myth of global warming — issues that require great attention from the public to push back … and all will be distracted by the bread-and-circuses coverage of the death of a global celebrity. Obama is nothing if not fortunate in his timing, as he has been his whole political career. I weep for the protesters yearning to overthrow their despotic regime in Iran. This potentially world-changing event will probably now lose the momentum vital to its success. That’s a very, very bad and tragic break.)