Michael Jackson: A Short Tribute

I chose this video because it's the earliest memory I have of a Michael Jackson song -- about that of an "unwanted" rat by the name of "Ben". Another reason I decided on this video is that it seems that Michael Jackson saw himself as "Ben".He knew that he missed his childhood, has no long lasting relationships, had no list of "best friends" except perhaps Liz Taylor whom he wanted to marry. The problem was that Liz Taylor knew that Michael Jackson wanted a "mother", not a wife. So it went that he married Lisa Presley which sounded like a PR/corporate coup but we all knew that marriage would not last.

Many wonder why and perhaps, it was for the obvious reason that Michael Jackson was obsessed in buying the childhood years he was never allowed to enjoy. Childhood, children, kids.... it was the Peter Pan syndrome even his "Neverland Ranch" (his heaven on earth) seemed to be nothing but a huge playground for kids.

He was not perfect - aha! we all know that.But do we REALLY KNOW or do we only think we know? Michael Jackson was a human being who was soft spoken (when not on stage) and who was, obviously, harassed all his life because he had BIG money. He has "problems" and thus had to pay-off a lot of people. He almost lost everything though and was planning his "great comeback" in the London stage this July when he passed away on the same day as another pop icon, Farrah Fawcett, got her real wings.

Except that Farrah was loved. She had her parents, family and the man who loved her by her side when she slipped to heaven. Michael Jackson was alone when he died with no one, living in a rented hundred thousand dollar a month apartment.

We wish him forever peace. At last, he may be in that better place where he NOW has learned to love himself at last. Today, he knows that he was loved, even if he thought that he was so "unattractive" that he "needed" to change his face and skin color. It is reported that he had more than a dozen facial surgeries.

His music however forever lives on as we remember that there was once a poor boy who sang and never grew up and was called "The King of Pop". That king is dead but what moves me about this man/boy is the whole tragedy of his life. Even in death, he remains an "enigma". Sometimes it makes me wonder if geniuses like him and Vincent Van Gogh for instant are pretty much doomed to be unhappy in this planet because "they don't belong". Again, I quote Don Mclean : "But I could have told you Vincent, this world was never meant for one as beautiful as you".

Twitter is alive with Michael Jackson tributes, google almost collapsed today and there are other people dying as I write this. It's sad that Michael Jackson's whole life was a lingering performance, much like the life of Ben, the rat in the video, except that Ben found one loyal friend. I doubt if Michael had one though he had millions of fans.

Sad.. really.