History.

When I was 8 years old, that Christmas - under the tree - were three vinyl records.
Culture Club - Color by Numbers, Madonna - Like a Virgin and Michael Jackson - Thriller.
I thought Michael Jackson was the coolest guy in the world, mainly because he had zombies and monsters in his video.
But, like many kids my age - I kind of wanted to be him too. I wanted to do the moonwalk, wear a glitter glove, buy a red leather jacket with zippers - and maybe even have that one perfectly placed dangly little curl resting just over my brow.
Yup. I was an M-J wannabe.
And the songs - I have to admit - hit me hard as well.
Thriller, Human Nature and PYT (Pretty Young Thing) - I thought at the time, were the coolest songs in the world. They were amazing. Unlike anything I had EVER heard.
Come on - you KNOW PYT is a sweet song...
The BAD album came out - and while I was no longer a wannabe, I couldn't deny how great the songs were. Man in the Mirror in particular, had a huge effect on me.
That song put him on a whole new level of song-writing in my opinion. I was touched - MOVED by the message that song gave.
I remember seeing concert footage of people, worked up in a frenzy, fainting, tears streaming down their faces, being carried out of his shows in a stretcher because they were so caught up in the...mania of his persona.
I'd never seen anything like it. I don't think anyone had ever seen anything like it.
Sure there was Beatlemania...but - Beatlemania was NEVER like this.
This was something unique. This was a pop music first.
This was something special.
I understood Michael Jackson...I did.
But I didn't get the mania.
I didn't get why people were crying and screaming.
His songs were good.
But hysteria-inducing?
Hmmm...
And I got older. High school rolled around.
The Dangerous record came out - and I had all but outgrown Michael Jackson.
The songs seemed a little too R&B-ish, but in a cheese way - and the "bad ass electric guitar" riffs...well...they seemed forced and unnatural.
And that was that. Michael Jackson was something I loved...as a child.
And only as a child.
And after that...? Well...the child molestation charges...the plastic surgery...the face masks...and the music...well, the music just wasn't there anymore.

Yesterday - I was shocked and sad - it's strange when not only the biggest star in the world passes away - but a childhood idol as well.
I was watching TV, listening to countless celebrities and fans and music critics talk about him.
"Genius".
"Song-writing super force."
"Insanely creative and inventive."
"Musical wonder who crafted songs unlike anything this world has ever seen."
Don't get me wrong - there's no doubt in mind that the industry took a hit when Michael Jackson passed away...but it made me think of that "hysteria", the masses of people reaching for him like he was some kind of a God.
So built up. A pedestal so high off the ground.
So far away from reality.
Hm. Reality.
That's a funny thing. What you hear and what you see...behind the scenes...it's often very, very different.
"A song-writing genius unlike ANYTHING the world has ever seen."
I thought back about all those songs - my favourites - that I used to love...I had to admit - he did write some of the most definitive hits of my childhood...
Or ...did he?
I looked it up:

Thriller - written by Rod Temperton.
PYT (Pretty Young Thing) - written by James Ingram and Quincey Jones.
Human Nature - written by John Bettis and Steve Porcaro.
Man in the Mirror - written by Glen Ballard and Siedah Garrett
You Are Not Alone - written by R.Kelly

A song-writing genius unlike ANYTHING the world has ever seen?
Above are some of my favourite Michael Jackson songs...and - he didn't have a single hand in writing them.
And album wise...while one can't deny he's been around for a looong time...Really, he only had two gigantic albums that made an impact.
One could argue that Thriller carried his entire career.
Thriller and Bad. It was downhill from there, musically.

"A song writing genius unlike anything the world has ever seen."

Scenario:
If a bar was to hold a tribute night - one for Michael Jackson...and one for Prince...
Which do you think would do better?
Think for a minute:
EVERY single song in Prince's catalogue - (at least from the late 70's, 80's and early 90's - his best decades) go by the credit:
"All songs written, arranged, produced, composed and performed by Prince."
Boom.The guy can play 30-something instruments - and penned songs that launched the careers of Sinead O'Connor, the Bangles, Sheila E., - and gave countless other hits to countless other musicians.
One man. Thousands of amazing, iconic songs.
I would place money on it - that songs like Purple Rain, Kiss, Little Red Corvette, Raspberry Beret, Cream, 1999, I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man, Controversy, DMSR...they can all stand up to tracks like Thriller and Beat It and Billie Jean.
Easily. Thriller...it's a great song to play on Halloween.
But ...really? Unlike anything the world has EVER seen?

I sometimes think Prince got under-rated or over-shadowed by Michael Jackson. Everything said about Michael Jackson, really should be said about Prince.
Michael Jackson was good - no doubt in my mind.
But "a song writing genius, unlike anything the world has ever seen before?"

I disagree.
I think this would be true about John Lennon. Prince. Bob Dylan.
But Michael Jackson's songs...well - he didn't write some of his BIGGEST hits...and the ones he did write? Yeah - Billie Jean is a great song...
But so is Material Girl by Madonna. So is She Bop by Cyndi Lauper.
They are fun, poppy 80's gems.
Fun, 80's fluff.
Bad and Smooth Criminal...while I can certainly shake my ass to them...they certainly aren't going to change my life either.

It's the mania, the hype, the mystery - the insane plastic surery, the freakish behaviour, the Neverland ranch, the bizarre interviews, the Lisa Marie Presley kiss, Bubbles the Chimp...that's the stuff that Michael Jackson was famous for since 1989.

Not his songs.

Well - he did have Scream. That was a big hit...
Speaking of which:
Scream - co-written with Janet Jackson, Terry Lewis, Jimmy Jam.

One can't even say he was a great business man.

I mean - the guy had the GREATEST SELLING album in the HISTORY of the United States...AND he OWNED half the Beatles catalogue of music.
Imagine OWNING the Beatles catalogue of music...?

And he went broke.

How does one eff something like that up?

You have the BIGGEST selling album of all time - legions of screaming fans...you own the Beatles music...and you go broke.

I don't mean to piss all over the guy - I really don't...but I'm hearing people get caught up again...
Caught up in the thing that...perhaps...was all Michael Jackson ever was:
Hype.

Lots and lots of well-planned, strategically placed ...hype.

A unique voice. Catchy tunes. A great look. Amazing choreography.
Good songs...many of which he did not write.

"Biggest and greatest superstar and entertainer in the world"?
YES.
I agree. (Although one could VERY easily say this is Madonna's title - and let's face it - she has more tours, more songs - more writing credits - and ...she can put on a HELL of a show that can compete with the best of them.)
People loved to watch him. People loved to immitate him. People loved pondering things like "does he wear a wig?", "Why are his kids white?", "Were either of his marriages legit?"...
He is a legend.
He will always be a legend. No question there.
But for me...there was always something that never QUITE lived up to the hype.

He was an icon, no doubt about it.
But...I don't know, maybe I'm just a music snob...the music - aside from a few hits in the 80's...was secondary to how GIGANTIC he became.
He was bigger than his music.

But really...what does any of it mean?
He was an idol and people loved him and it sucks when anyone passes away.

I have to get my mind back - back to when I was the little boy - the 8 year old, unwrapping the Thriller record with stars in his eyes...the kid who liked him "because he had monsters and zombies in his video".
That kid ...will miss him.
That kid was part of the hype.
That kid had posters on his wall, wore a white glitter glove and sweated his ass off in leather pants on the first day of grade 2. Because of Michael Jackson.

That kid...He'll miss him a whole lot.

And...I will too.