MICHAEL JACKSON NOT SOLD HERE

On June 25, at 2:26 pm Michael Jackson, “The King of Pop” died apparently of cardiac arrest. Perhaps the strain on his heart was caused as much by the personal conflicts in his life which he had suffered since birth at the hands of an abusive father, as it was by the drugs he had used to try to forget the unhappiness of a childhood of abuse. The man who had struggled with his personal life all of his life, had given in to his tortured childhood, and had brought the final curtain down. His Father should feel ashamed for what he did to a young boy and for how it affected his entire life. Probably it was not intentional, but in his attempt to cope with what he had suffered at the hands of his father and how it had affected him throughout his life had caused his life to come to an early end. Anyone who has in even the most minor of ways been negatively affected by a parent must have some inkling of what Michael’s torment must have been like.

Michael Jackson was without doubt one of the greatest entertainers who ever lived; Michael Jackson is best known for the groundbreaking Thriller, which remains the bestselling album of all time. From his young stardom as the lead voice of the Jackson 5 to his portrayal of the Scarecrow in The Wiz, Jackson demonstrated an incomparable talent that sparked early, burned brightly, and leaves an incalculable musical legacy behind. One of the few artists to have been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice, his other achievements include multiple Guinness World Records, including one for "Most Successful Entertainer of All Time." He has won 13 Grammy Awards, charted 13 number one singles in his solo career more than any other male artist in the Hot 100 era and posted sales of over 750 million records worldwide, making him, according to the World Music Awards, the best selling solo artist of all time.

 I have been a fan since he was five and still marvel at the incredible agility and grace of the Moon Walk. As has been mentioned, his dancing was Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers all rolled into one, and I would throw in a bit of Charlie Chaplin and Gene Kelly. His singing was second to none, with a God given voice of sweetness, purity and thunder all blended perfectly together. It seemed that when Michael Jackson took the stage he became a different person brave and confident, he went into himself and came out not the damaged man of an abusive childhood but a man who could and did conquer the world with his performance. Maybe he danced and sang to forget the hurt inside and as he did, he helped us forget some hurt as well.

The reason that I called this piece “Michael Jackson, Not Sold Here,” is because I have been sickened by the circus that some are guilty of turning his death into. I was on EBay a couple of days ago and someone was trying to sell the Vinyl Album of Thriller for a minimum bid of Fifteen Thousand  dollars, or you  could buy it straight away for Seventeen Thousand dollars and while I find those figures outrageous, there are worse atrocities that have been committed. The vultures like OK Magazine which reportedly paid Five hundred thousand dollars for the picture of Michael Jackson being carried on a stretcher and probably already dead. There are at least two vultures there, the scum bag that took the picture and the magazine that paid for and printed it. A recent poll was taken, asking people if they wanted to view Michael Jackson’s autopsy photo. Seventy Five percent said yes. What kind of deranged mentality is that? And it is just that mentality that encourages a magazine to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars for a picture; because they know it will sell and make the rag of a magazine which printed it multiple times more than the price they paid for it.

There will no doubt be more magazines and TV Networks that will find ways to capitalize on Michael Jackson’s death. Reporting in good taste is one thing. Rag magazines and sensationalistic reporting is to be abhorred.
There are other issues that concern about the exposure that the death of Michael Jackson brings to mind, like the cost of the memorial to the financially strapped city of LA. I suggest that the very wealthy family of Michael Jackson pay that expense.  It was their idea to have it in the fashion they did and if you or I lose a loved one, we pay for the funeral, not whatever city we live in.  There will be much more profiteering from Michael Jackson’s death. If you’re interested, I just saw on EBay that the domain name TheTwoKings.com, which is Michael Jackson and Elvis Presley, is for sale for US $1,000,000.00. I think my only problem with that really is that I didn’t think of it. Here is another one for you  
New Michael Jackson's Moonwalker Arcade Game
     $6,500.

And though I find it a shame that the death of a human being has generated such interest in making money, there are many other issues I want to deal with concerning these phenomena. For example, Michael Jackson was not the only star to die recently and they were just as important to those who loved them as Michael was. The cost to the city of L.A. and many other issues you will not find in your local or national media. And in the near future I will address those.

So I will miss Michael Jackson. His death left a hole in music and entertainment that will never be filled. But I think we should let him go with dignity and at the bottom of this page are two pictures of album covers that I own. The vinyl is in mint condition, as are the jackets, but as I said: “Michael Jackson Not Sold Here.” Someday when it is possible to do so in good taste and the feeding frenzy is over, and should I need the money, then there is a remote possibility I may part with them, I’ll at least leave that door open. But I suspect that is a remote possibility and many years away. But for now Michael Jackson, Rest in Peace.