So it's been just over a week since the saddest day that my musical memory can recall (don't get me wrong, losing people like Luther Vandross hasn't exactly been easy to forget), it's amazing that those with the most talent and influence seem to suffer premature deaths. Irrespective of genre, whilst there are some exceptions such as Stevie Wonder, we - the fans - lose our beloved musical genius idols way in advance of when they 'should' go.
All you need to do is take a second to ponder the artists who's names are synonymous with their genre and there seems to be some sort of self destructive pattern or indeed personal-life issue that ends up playing a dramatic role in their demise.
Some examples of recent times most influential figures and how old they were when they passed on:
Marvin Gaye - depression lead him to move back home (regardless of his massive success to date) which culminated in his father shooting him (with a gun Marvin bought him!) during a family argument. Aged 45
Freddie Mercury - died of Aids contracted through a crazy lifestyle of sex, drugs and rock'n'roll. Aged 45
Elvis Pressley - being such a figure of change and controversy, his career changed the way youth consumed music and the 'sex sells' mantra was truly cemented as being a pop music marketing staple. His image conscious, wealthy and drug fuelled self created all sorts of problems and Elis dies whilst sitting on the toilet (so they say). Aged 46
Jimi Hendrix - nobody knows the truth, but his music is enough evidence i personally need to assume it was drug related, there are mixed reports, we know that the Police statement read that he was fully clothes in his apartment and had been there for days. Aged 27
Kurt Cobain - reportedly troubled with depression and drug abuse before Nirvana, he committed suicide. Aged 27
John Lennon - his high profile life with wife Ono made him the target of a crazed killer who's fatal attraction ranged from asking for Lennon's autograph one moment, to shooting him the next. Aged 40
Tupac Shakur and Notorious BIG - the two men who created the famed East/West coast feud. Two friends turned enemies - allegedly Tupac was involved in the shooting of BIG. Tupac's death is a lot less clear, whether it be someone in his own camp and manager Suge Knight or a revenge killing from BIG's side. Tupac's death is shrouded with mystery and conspiracy (see Machiavelli). Aged 25 and 24 respectively.
However (and perhaps I'm biased), all of the above artists who's music I've listened to, been influenced by and grown up on all seem pale in comparison to the self proclaimed 'King of Pop'... Michael Jackson.
I was awoken on Thursday 25th June by missed phone calls and Text messages, I switched on the TV and there it was - news pictures showing and telling of MJ's possible death. Out of denial, disbelief and suspicion (I'm one of those who thinks Tupac is still alive), I didn't believe it and went back to bed. After all, given MJ's past history on a personal life level, the possibility of this news being a publicity stunt did not seem beyond the realms of MJ. His ability to put himself in the public eye, no matter the consequence had to date been unparalleled by any other artist - ever the glutton for punishment, MJ put himself as the sacrificial lamb to the slaughter and believed his own media hype, time and time again. I always though that he was so wrapped up in his own secluded world that he was sure that even the worst publicity was good as it allowed him to further detach from the reality of life and sink further in to his regressive child like environment that had financially crippled him for so long.
Next morning, Jermaine Jackson's public statement the next day turned my opinion and belief around - his emotion was clear, the news was real and it dawned upon me that MJ of all people, who was most himself when on stage in front of his adoring fans, would not go so far as to fake death for PR's sake.
And so the tribute poured in from all angles - tribute songs at concerts from other artists like Sy Smith, Yahzarah etc - social network servers going down with sudden influx of updates etc etc etc...the world was in mourning. No other artist has been able to strike such global reaction - his fan base: global, multi cultural and spanning all ages.
No other artist to date has been mourned in such a way, perhaps due to the fact that the invention of Blogs, Facebook, Youtube et al have allowed every individual to voice their opinions and emotions on a global scale. Which leads to the obvious question 'would the other artists who suffered untimely deaths (as listed) have evoked such reactions if communication technology was what it is today?'
Yes. Simply.
But it's incomparable, the technologies were not there.
All i know is that watching the 'Another Part of Me' video from album 'Bad' on two occasions following MJ's death were both interrupted by tears as I was taken back to memories and good times. I haven't tried to watch the video since and have yet to manage the entire video, end to end.
Everyone claims to be a bigger MJ fan than the next and that they are more devastated than the next. No, we just all react differently.
Record sales aside (of which, MJ cannot be touched by any other artist), his performances, dedication to perfection and belief in his own 'sound' all set MJ apart from the crowd. He moved from Motown quintet lead vocals to a solo artist who strived to pioneer every aspect of his work, be it music, video, dancing, you name it. He even dressed differently, to describe him as a non conformist would be an understatement. But he did all of this because it was his vision, not to shock - no Elvis-esq 'sex sells', no drug fuelled escapades/influenced song writing.
A tormented soul craving love and affection, victim of his own success and talent, committed father, adult sized child and a gift to the world of music.
Michael Jackson, thank you.
1 comments:
Great post Realm! Long live the king!
3 July 2009 at 12:47WB
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