Never Can Say Goodbye
 

Last Thursday, 25th June, a NYT email newsflash popped up on my screen: Michael Jackson had been rushed to hospital with presumed heart failure. I rushed to the television and tuned in CNN; within minutes the news came through. On the eve of his sold out Comeback Tour, the King of Pop was dead. The news spread to quite likely every radio and television channel in the world.

I started high school in 1968. Rock Steady ruled the local pre-reggae music scene, the imported Motown Sound was wildly popular. Within a year, the radio stations were all playing "I Want You Back" by the Jackson 5.  Here was a new sound from Motown; this was Bubblegum. The Jackson 5 were not short-haired and suited like the Temptations, the Miracles and others but wore afros and fringed vests like the rock bands and they were not adults like our other idols, even Little Stevie Wonder was almost 20, they were our age! The lead singer and youngest, Michael was only 9 (in fact he was 11, but Berry Gordy and the Motown moguls "made" him two years younger). We fell in love with 15 year old Jermaine but it was young Michael's beautiful voice which captivated the world, breaking national, language and colour barriers.

Several years went by, my tastes changed; I forgot the Jackson 5 and collected dozens of albums by Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Jimi Hendrix and other hard rock bands.

Then came the '80s. Jamaica had thrown off it's flirtation with Socialism, Reaganomics ruled the US. This was the age of big hair and big spending. I went on a visit to my best friend in Miami. She had just had  brand new cable TV installed and now had not 3 but 28 channels! New channels came on almost every week and among these was MTV which showed nothing but "music videos."

An incredible synergy ensued. The now solo artist, Michael Jackson, instead of just filming his performances produced incredible mini movies, some costing US$250,000 and later even millions! Both MTV and the "new" Michael Jackson gained unbelievable popularity. Even now, after 27 years, Thriller is still the best-selling album in history and there have been very few music videos produced which can rival Billie Jean, Thriller or Beat It.

With enormous popularity and the wealth that it brought the newly proclaimed King of Pop strove to create the childhood, which touring and an extremely overbearing father had robbed him of. He created the Neverland Ranch with room after room of toys on grounds where exotic animals roamed. He became more and more eccentric, countless plastic surgeries and bizarre purchases leading to a meltdown and near bankruptcy.

In 1993 came the last straw, a 13 year old boy accused MJ of sexual abuse. A similar accusation came ten years later, that one going much further. In my book there is no worse creature than a pedophile but I am firmly convinced that Michael Jackson was no pedophile but instead a lonely and unhappy man who wanted to be a child surrounded by other children: a Peter Pan who would never grow up. Weird maybe but not perverted. Paul McCartney called him a gentle child-man with an incredible talent and I believe that is what he was. And if he was indeed a child molester he is now past our judgment and before a Higher Court which has all the evidence and which does not make mistakes.

If, as I believe, he was an unhappy and misunderstood soul he is now in the perfect Neverland, protected from the paparazzi, producers and even family who always wanted a bigger and bigger piece of him.

Michael Joseph Jackson 29th August, 1958 - 25th July 2009

 The Music