What's the truth about Michael Jackson? Unlike many of the so called talents that are manufactured today on shows like American Idol, Michael Jackson’s talent was in-born. Even from the age of seven, his father Joe knew there was something there and began to exploit it.
Let’s face facts, somethings can’t be taught or learned and Michael’s talent was certainly of that nature. With the ability to sing, dance and move with the expertise of person 20 years older, young Michael Jackson was destined to be a star - whether he wanted it or not. It was obvious that he loved to perform, however it also became obvious that he did not like interacting with people when he was off stage.
Only a few people were allowed into his inner circle including stars that shared a common ground with his childhood stardom. Stars like Elizabeth Taylor, Brook Shields, Macaulay Culkin, Emmanuel Lewis, and others who had a similar background were allowed into Michael Jackson’s world. It was if they were all part of a fraternity of childhood stars that were forced to grow up quickly and thus lose their chance to be children at all.
It was almost as if his artistic abilities were in direct contrast to his social abilities and the two struggled to coexist throughout his short life. You could see that when it came time to perform, Michael became a different person. Watch some of his videos and you’ll see evidence of this: the expressions on his face, the determination to perform and impress, vs. off stage, when being interviewed, he became rather shy and withdrawn.
In an interview several years ago, Michael Jackson confessed that his childhood was not a happy one. The pressures put on him by his father, including beatings and beratings, was just the start. Then, as he became the focal part of the Jackson 5,
Michael felt the pressure of having to carry the family from one hit to another. It was clear that he was the bread winner and the family was counting on him to out do himself with every consecutive success. Imagine having your family as well as the rest of the world expecting you to out perform yourself time and time again.
It was well known that Michael Jackson would follow the charts daily to see where his record sales were and how they were charting. First came Off The Wall, and then Thriller, and then Bad, and with each album, Michael was determined to out do himself, a feat that proved impossible.
Millions of fans around the world are mourning the loss of this incredible talent. How sad it is that we as humans forget what we have until it’s gone, however I guess that’s what makes us human. Instead of dwelling on how different he was, his strange behavior, his quirks, why not revel in his genius and art? After all, I’m sure if we all search deep within ourselves, we all have our own quirks and secrets. Michael was a true genius when it came to his art and his abilities and no speculation or undermining of his character now that he is gone can ever take that away. In fact, as time goes by, the only thing that will remain about this man is his music. And that’s all Michael Jackson wanted anyway:
to share his gift with the world.
