I know...I know. I've been a horrible blogger. Didn't realize just how busy the school year would be and was also not prepared for working two jobs and finishing my research over the summer. Nevertheless, I feel the need to post this somewhere.
Because I am a product of the 80s. And those of you who lived it with me know that we have lost something great. The death of Michael Jackson feels like the death of a part of childhood, a part of our collective past. The entire world has their own memories of certain songs, what different songs remind them of, how his songs can transport you back to a time and a place, nostalgia for that day as a child that you saw his video on TV and your jaw dropped or when you tried to moonwalk to Billie Jean. (Emphasis: tried). Say what you want about his eccentricities or appearance, but when you put on some MJ you know you have a jam. And that's what it is all about is his music. What is amazing is that his music is just as relevant today as it was over 25 years ago. Is there a musical artist today with that same originality, raw talent, passion, and exuberance for the world of music and its fans? I'm struggling to think of a musician of our current era that can now carry that torch and I can't think of one...and that is what makes it so sad. I'm happy that we were left with so much of his music and we will always have it. But I still wonder if there could have been more? I just have to wonder if his comeback tour for which he was preparing would've blown us away...or would we have been left disappointed. I wonder the same thing about artists like John Lennon or Kurt Cobain...would they have become just mediocre in their old age? Or could we be possibly still enjoying more of their musical genius? It is selfish of me, I know, but truly gifted artists don't happen all the time. To sum it up, I'll leave with a quote that MJ offered when discussing the success of his albums (this one in reference to Dangerous):
"I wanted to do an album that was like Tehaikovsky's Nutcracker Suite. So that in a thousand years from now, people would still be listening to it. Something that would live forever. I would like to see children and teenagers and parents and all races all over the world, hundreds and hundreds of years from now, still pulling out songs from that album and dissecting it. I want it to live" (Ebony Magazine, 1992).
...And here I am, listening to his songs and I'm sure places all over the world are doing the same. His music will belong to the ages and will live forever.
