Sunday, July 12, 2009

Sentiments on Michael Jackson

It has been almost two weeks since the passing of Michael Jackson and not one day has gone by that without the mentioning of his name in public or private. Just this week alone in warmer than usual Bay Area weather, at any given time a car passes along the streets with blaring sounds of Michael Jackson’s hits. It’s strikes me a funny to see even a hard-core brother who looks like he’s be banging out rap beats is playing MJ’s tunes instead, rather I am touched.

It was 1969, while I sat on the floor in the den in the house we live on Buckingham Road in Los Angeles, watching the Jackson 5 for the first time one Saturday morning. It was the first time my eyes locked on the television screen focused on Michael, my heart froze. Barbee dolls fell from my hands while my little girl heart skipped a beat then fluttered for the first time. Wow, what a feeling. Who is that little boy who could dance and sing like that? I was smitten henceforth for the rest of my pubertal years.

Sometime later during the pre-thriller years, my musical taste matured to a new infatuated passion for other artist like Prince and Marvin Gaye until MJ’s come back with the talented producing of Q that not only reawakened my love for MJ, but appreciation of him as an artistically talent who had masterfully overcame the labeling of a childhood star to come into his own identity and his own voice which so few are able to achieve.

My fondest and cherished memory is when my mom Margie, my aunts Dot and Verna decided to treat my beloved grandma Chandler or Ma’Dear for a special night on the town for her birthday to see the musical Dream Girls at the Schubert Theatre in Century City. This was so special for Ma’Dear who was from DeKalb, Mississippi although she was living in Los Angeles she never left the house nor was it customary for her to dress up in fine clothes, pearls and heels for an evening outting. But on this night, we surprised her and took her out to see the play which brought her and all of us true joy. That evening while at the Shubert, I went to the lobby during the first act to go to the ladies lounge when while walking through the lobby I turned my head to speak to Dot who was just steps behind me. Suddenly I bumped into someone, practically stepping onto his foot. I paused and looked up. Inches from my face was the face of the incredibly sweet and handsome Michael Jackson looking down at me with a hospitable smile. He simply said, “hello.”

I was too startled to speak or move. I smiled back nervously. Once I snapped out of the trance, suddenly I realized that there was a trail of fans in the lobby that began to push and shove as the reality of the situation registered in my brain. Once I could move my legs,I was finally able to step aside for him to pass. I shall never forget as this was the highlight of the evening.

We love Michael because he continued to forge his identity while redefining the superstardom that the world had never seen before his existence. There are few world figures like Princes Diana, Mother Theresa, the Pope; Nelson Mandela that came at a time that many countries on the globe would embrace a global figure. Michael Jackson would be the only superstar musical performer that would supersede all others. You have to wonder, could it be that he was simply persecuted in the media and by those because he loved too much? Could it be that he was Christ-like, pure in heart and wrongly persecuted and died because of that? In MJ’s case, I think that there are several to blame. I cannot help but feel sad and sorry for this pure loving and passionate man.

Perhaps my thoughts and comments are redundant and echo many other comments. But just like everyone and anyone who has been touched my MJ, I too have my sentiments and feel the need to express my grief and sorrow as well as the need to reminences the sweet sentiments and joys of the past that his music was much like the score of a movie that played throughout many scenes.

All that matters is that he loved his children, his fans and his music. No matter what anyone says, his music was honest, pure. ”No legacy is so rich as honesty.” William Shakespeare. We love you Michael, rest in peace.

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