Michael Jackson - (1958 - 2009) The Legend and legacy of the man in the mirror

As an apple-cheeked pre-teen with a sunny smile, angelic voice and dream moves, Michael Jackson’s phenomenal rise from humble beginnings to pop mega-stardom was the realisation of the quintessential American Dream. His incredible musical artistry which spanned four decades has influenced a generation and spawned a sideshow of impersonators. But his tragic passing is sure to take his legacy as a cult figure to greater heights. SAM MATHE celebrates the past century’s greatest entertainer.

Peter Pan was the boy who never grew up. Harry Potter was the boy who would live. Michael Jackson was the boy whose lost childhood went on to defi ne his tortured career. But will subsequent generations remember the planet’s greatest entertainer for his eccentric and controversial life or for his compelling musical artistry? Time will tell. After everything has been said - the positive media tributes wrought in superlatives by those balanced commentators who cherished his genius as well as scornful remarks by hateful bloggers who revelled in the sensational tabloid barbs - methinks the bewitching trademark dance moves and chart-toppers will eventually prevail to defi ne a very incredible musical and artistic legacy. In other words, cultural historians and biographers will remember the King of Pop and not the boy prince. History might teach us something in support of this assertion. Past centuries have produced great composers and musicians including Beethoven, Handel, Mendelssohn and Verdi.. Most lovers of classical music will certainly rank Mozart (1756-1791) as arguably the greatest amongst these enduringly popular classical masters. And most music followers of contemporary pop idioms will also agree that Michael Jackson is the greatest artist of the past century.

Of course, Elvis Presley was great - so were Frank Sinatra and the Beatles. But Michael Jackson defi nes an era. After all he is the only artist with his kind of epochal achievements - selling an incredible 750 million copies worldwide and winning 12 Grammy’s. That is unprecedented. And such was his business savvy that he even owns the entire catalogue of the boys from Liverpool. There are astonishing parallels between the lives of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Michael Joseph Jackson. Mozart was a child prodigy who could pick out tunes on the harpsichord at three, play the violin at four and was composing his own music by the time he gave his fi rst public performance at five. Similarly, Michael’s energetic and magnetic stage charisma became evident when at the age of fi ve, he elicited a standing ovation from fellow pupils, teachers, his parents and grandfather after his rendition of ‘Climb Ev’ry Mountain’ at a
school concert.

His teacher was moved to tears by her precocious learner’s angelic vocals and vaudevillian footwork. That concert marked his rise to being the lead singer of the family band and eventual global superstardom as a solo act. Tours with the Jackson 5 started during his pre-teens at a time when he longed to be left behind to play child games with his peers. But he stood no chance against an ambitious and domineering father who realised the star potential of the band’s youngest member and the commercial spin-offs thereof. Joseph Jackson was a failed musician determined to realise his musical ambitions through his children - particularly the most talented one. On the other hand, Mozart’s father, Leopold, was an accomplished violinist and a resident performer at the Archbishop of Salzburg’s court. But whatever talents he had, they could not hold a candle to young Mozart’s extraordinary abilities. Like Joseph, Leopold saw the potential earning power of his son’s unusual musical gifts and started organising tours all over Europe. From the age of six he spent the next 11 years of his young life touring with his father and sister, Ann-Marie, performing in all the great cities and in royal palaces before infl uential crowned heads of Europe and England. A Mozart scholar could have been referring to Michael Jackson when he wrote: “This unnatural life of continuous travel took its toll on Mozart’s health and personality.

He was smaller and thinner than other boys of his age. His sunny disposition gained him popularity and he was instantly at ease with all the new people he met. But as he was always on the move, he had very little opportunity to form any close relationships and he had no real friends.” “Mozart has been described as ‘an adult throughout his childhood and a child throughout his adulthood’. He was unable to develop a personality capable of achieving a happy or fulfi lled life, but somehow the most beautiful music just fl owed from him. He was one of the greatest creative geniuses ever known.” Like Michael Jackson, Mozart earned very well by the standards of his days. He was paid handsomely by his wealthy royal patrons - particularly after his appointment as a court musician to Emperor Joseph II of Austria at the age of thirty-one - and became the first musician of his time to receive royalties for his compositions. But like most talented artists, he was poor at handling personal fi nances and was always short of money. He was also reputed to be a drunkard who frequented seedy establishments - a reckless and irresponsible lifestyle which sent him to an early grave.

But the world remembers Mozart for The Magic Flute and all those timeless symphonies he penned. Michael Jackson, on the other hand, was a shrewd businessman who built his business empire around capable lawyers and financial managers. But his exceptional generosity - which included buying expensive gifts for friends and numerous charitable works - and child molestation lawsuits eventually ruined him. Mozart was also described as a great humanitarian who gave freely when he could. Both died prematurely when they were about to receive a lifeline to resuscitate their careers and financial status. Mozart was virtually a pauper in the last year of his life and in heavy debt when he was appointed musical director by St Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna. It was a prestigious position which would have solved his financial woes. But he died four days later. Jackson died four weeks before the start of his historic 02 Arena comeback concerts in London. Tom Barrack Jr., a Michael Jackson associate and a man who was once described on the cover of Fortune magazine as “The world’s greatest real estate investor”, had started the ball rolling when he wrote a cheque of $22.5 million to rescue Neverland, his famous California ranch which reportedly cost approximately $5 million a year in maintenance.

Michael Jackson’s perennial star appeal came to the fore when all 800 000 tickets for the historic London concert were bought within hours. But of course his fi nancial legacy is entirely another story - a conundrum that will give estate lawyers endless headaches for decades to come. Suffice to say it is the kind of financial legacy - with all its attendant court disputes - that will dwarf the seemingly endless Jimi Hendrix and Bob Marley ones. But that will also pass. The real and enduring Michael Jackson legacy is neither financial nor personal; in other words, not about his private life or human fl aws – whatever they were. It is cultural. It is about his transcendental music, his trendsetting fashion sense and of course, his supernatural dance regimes. It is Thriller, moonwalk and fabulous stage attire – gloves, leather jackets and all. William Shakespeare’s famous phrases have become part of everyday speech in the English-speaking world. Likewise, Michael Jackson’s musicianship, stagecraft and pioneering dramatic videos like ‘Thriller’ have been copied and adapted into popular culture. Already a whole new generation of pop stars have already acknowledged its indebtedness to the magic of The Gloved One’s otherworldly artistry in all its versatility.

These include Justin Timberlake, Beyonce, Usher, Rihanna and Timbaland. And who has never heard of a Michael Jackson impersonator? It wouldn’t be stretching it a bit to say there are millions of men in the mirrors out there. And they cut across cultures, politics, races and sexes – a hallmark of Jackson’s musical and personal philosophy. Most have carved lucrative careers out of the Michael Jackson persona. For instance, Mikki Jay, a female MJ impersonator, is reported to be making 120 000 dollars a year, while a Peruvian, Alex Sotomayor, was recently cast in a Robert De Niro movie, Everybody is Fine, after a producer spotted him moon-walking in a New York subway. “Born with the perfect voice and the God-given gift to dance like a stranger from a wonderful planet, Michael Jackson was a singer, dancer, video pioneer and fashion icon”, writes Rupert Frost.

“Most importantly, though, he was the consummate performer, and unparalleled among his generation.” That, dear reader, is the real legend and legacy of Michael Jackson.

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