I believe it was P.T. Barnum that says something along the lines of: “You can say whatever you want about me in the paper as long as you spell my name right.” The adaptation of that is that any press is good press… I have read books where people say that you should do things to keep you in the spotlight – even if it is controversial. Nowhere is this more evident than in the NFL. “Broadway” Joe Willie Namath, Terrell Owens, Chad “Ocho Cinco” Johnson, and Brett Favre are classic examples.
But I often wonder if Mr. Barnum could even spin something as horrific and damaging as the accusations of child molestation.
And, of course, I bring this up because of the proclaimed “King of Pop” and the death of Michael Jackson. I was born in 1974. As a kid, at the time of the release of the Thriller album (yes, I had the old vinyl 33 rpm record), there was no bigger star in the world. Michael Jackson. Man, everyone had that record. Everyone did the dance moves (or tried to). He was the biggest thing in the world.
And back when he was normal, everyone loved him… then he seemed to go a little… well… Okay, I’ll say it. No need to tap dance on a grave. The guy went crazy. With that much fame and wealth, maybe we all go crazy. There was a reason the tabloids called him “Wacko Jacko.”
But you have to go back. Remember the times when he was normal and black and putting out great music. But then the sales started to dip, interest waned… There was all the plastic surgery, the baby dangling incident… and then the allegations of child molestation. I know he was acquitted in a court of law but if you are paying $15 Million of hush money to a family (according to ABC News), there was something pretty bad…
So all of this begs the question? How will this artist be remembered? Will anyone remember him for great songs like Man in the Mirror, Billie Jean, or Black & White?
I guess only time will tell. I got my first text joke at about 10 o’clock the night of his death, which was about six hours after his death. The media frenzy and how fast information travels is amazing these days.
There is an adage that the second a person dies they immediately become a saint. This is because you forget about all the bad things they did or the arguments that you had because there is no way to ever make amends with them. But there are some wrongs that cannot be righted. How will he be remembered? Will the stigma of that child molestation mar a once brilliant career? Did it really happen? Who knows? There was a time where Jackson was one of the most famous people in the world and now I am curious to see how the world will remember.
But I often wonder if Mr. Barnum could even spin something as horrific and damaging as the accusations of child molestation.
And, of course, I bring this up because of the proclaimed “King of Pop” and the death of Michael Jackson. I was born in 1974. As a kid, at the time of the release of the Thriller album (yes, I had the old vinyl 33 rpm record), there was no bigger star in the world. Michael Jackson. Man, everyone had that record. Everyone did the dance moves (or tried to). He was the biggest thing in the world.
And back when he was normal, everyone loved him… then he seemed to go a little… well… Okay, I’ll say it. No need to tap dance on a grave. The guy went crazy. With that much fame and wealth, maybe we all go crazy. There was a reason the tabloids called him “Wacko Jacko.”
But you have to go back. Remember the times when he was normal and black and putting out great music. But then the sales started to dip, interest waned… There was all the plastic surgery, the baby dangling incident… and then the allegations of child molestation. I know he was acquitted in a court of law but if you are paying $15 Million of hush money to a family (according to ABC News), there was something pretty bad…
So all of this begs the question? How will this artist be remembered? Will anyone remember him for great songs like Man in the Mirror, Billie Jean, or Black & White?
I guess only time will tell. I got my first text joke at about 10 o’clock the night of his death, which was about six hours after his death. The media frenzy and how fast information travels is amazing these days.
There is an adage that the second a person dies they immediately become a saint. This is because you forget about all the bad things they did or the arguments that you had because there is no way to ever make amends with them. But there are some wrongs that cannot be righted. How will he be remembered? Will the stigma of that child molestation mar a once brilliant career? Did it really happen? Who knows? There was a time where Jackson was one of the most famous people in the world and now I am curious to see how the world will remember.
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