MJ: Wacko to many, God to some

Eccentric, recluse, quirky; yet God to some. There`s no single word that can sum up the‘King of Pop’.

Tanu Talwar

Eccentric, recluse, quirky, oddball, freak, yet considered to be God by some. The names given and the parallels used to express this artist run in extremes but there are three words that can alone at once spur an image that truly describes and sums up his being-‘King of Pop’. No guesses then, we are talking about Michael Jackson. Seventh of nine siblings, Michael Jackson was by far controversy’s favourite child, who has a story that has both success and ignominy going hand in hand. He has proved to one and all that legends may be mere mortals who make mistakes and even commit blunders, but nevertheless they create a legacy and set a benchmark that becomes the goal for generations to come. He has been called ‘Wacko Jacko’, a freak of nature, who brought humiliation upon himself and on those who believed in him with the infamous allegations of child abuse and unexplainable bizarre behaviour. But Michael continues to be an idol to some of the greatest musicians in the world today, who are not ashamed of admitting their undying adoration for his musical genius. The peak was the sky and the valley was death and no celebrity ever has experienced such highs and lows in one life more than Michael. From poverty, hardships, traumatic childhood, inherent unmatched talent to pinnacle of success to nose diving into ignominy and loss- the Jackson story has all the elements that go into the making of a blockbuster biopic. It’s a story that not only inspires but also cautions that success comes at a price and in this case it’s said that the price was the legend’s sanity. A star is born "You enter this world knowing that you are loved and you leave this world knowing the same then everything that happens in between can be dealt with” It was unimaginable till it happened. Born in the industrial state Gary, Indiana to a steel mill employee- Joseph Jackson and a housewife Katherine Esther, Michael Joseph Jackson became the first Afro American entertainer to rule the music world for over four decades. But all this fame had a fee attached to it and it cost the entertainer his precious childhood. Michael’s early days were far from normalcy. Though it has been widely believed that Michael’s stint with show biz started when he was 11, it was at the tender age of 5 yrs that he started preparing for it. Story goes that Michael’s father was an aspiring singer and had even formed a group of R & B members but all his attempts to make it big went in vain. Failing to recognize his own ambitions he began taking out his frustration on his children and ensured that they formed a band. Michael at 5 was the youngest member of the band called ‘Jackson 5’. By the time Michael turned 11 he was the lead vocalist of the band that was already flying high on the success of their singles, ‘I want you back’, ‘ABC’, ‘I’ll be there’, ‘The love you save’, climbing up to the No 1 spot on the charts creating a record in pop history. But behind all the success and the cheesy happy Jackson family show, it was a very ghastly story- Joseph Jackson’s physical and mental abuse of his children. Traumatic Childhood "Well, you don`t get to do things that other children get to do, having friends and slumber parties and buddies. There were none of that for me. I didn`t have friends when I was little." Michael’s earliest childhood memories were nothing but nightmares that went onto haunt him for years. His over critical and cynical father who was bent upon turning his young children into icons for the coming generations ensured that they spent every single moment performing. What was lost was the much-cherished moments and what was gained was nothing but pain that went on to become the dark force behind Michael’s troubled life. In fact it’s even said that what’s became of the man can be traced back to his traumatized childhood and upbringing. Till the year 1988, the talk of Michael Jackson being physically abused as a child at the hands of his father was considered to be a rumour and loose talk. But Michael’s autobiography, ‘Moonwalk’, the same year revealed such startling instances about the torture that the singer faced as a child that it left mouths open and throats dry. The book revealed several episodes where the singer and his siblings were beaten and whipped badly by their father. With gossip mills using the legends’ travesty as fodder to feed their ever curious readers, Michael decided to become a recluse and gave no interviews till 1993. In the year ‘93, Michael Jackson gave a 90 minute interview to the ‘Queen of Talk Shows’- Oprah Winfrey. The singer talked about the abusive relationship with his unyielding father. He spoke of enduring relentless rehearsals, whippings, name calling and loneliness. The singer recalled how his father would sit with a belt in his hand as he rehearsed and his father would threaten him saying “If you don’t do it the right way, I would tear you up, really get you.” Moonwalk on earth “My goal in life is to give the world what I was lucky to receive: The ecstasy of divine music through my music and my dance.” Despite living through hell, Michael made his way to success and touched heights no single entertainer could ever achieve. He was not a singer or dancer; he was an entertainer, a package. Be it his groovy dance numbers slashing their way to conquer the top slot into music charts worldwide or his signature moonwalk, Jackson was a phenomenon. Going back in time it was in the year 1971 that Michael released his first solo album ‘Off the Wall’. The album went platinum. Ever since, there was no looking back for him as what came next was something much bigger and better. It was Jackson’s epic album ‘Thriller’. The album broke all records there were to break; it was named as the best selling album ever at the time of its release. The album earned an umpteen number of accolades with the NY times saying, “In the world of music there is Michael Jackson and there is everybody else”. Jackson was soon hailed as ‘a songwriter who set the beat for a decade and a dancer with the fanciest feet on the street.’ Though ‘Thriller’ is often cited as the best selling album of all time, his four other albums ‘Off the wall’, ‘Bad’, ‘HIStory’ and ‘Dangerous’ have a record to boast of their own. From being platinum to double diamond, they won the performer numerous awards. To sum it all up Jackson is the only singer to have walked away with 8 Guinness’s world records, 13 Grammy awards, 13 number one singles as well as being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice. Dark phenomenon “I will say again that I have never, and would never, harm a child. It sickens me that people have written untrue things about me" While Michael went on to claim the throne for the most entertaining performer ever, the crown failed to cover up for his beyond explanation acts. Being considered an idol by millions across the globe, Michael became an easy target of envy for many of his counterparts. As a result the tabloids were overflowing with numerous rumours about him, but the singer’s bizarre behaviour did little to curb these allegations. On the contrary, he became estranged with media by the day. From grapevine to have paid millions of dollars for the bones of John Merrick, hormone injections, sleeping in a hyperbaric chamber to maintain his youthful look, getting his skin colour changed to the utter obscene sexual child abuse allegations, it was the latter that spelled doom for him. Michael’s fame and glory came down like a pack of cards. Within a few years, there were such radical changes in his looks that the British media dubbed his ‘Wacko Jacko’ and Jackson soon began to look the part. Besides his skin turning absolute pale, Michael had undergone drastic facial changes. His jaw line had completely changed and his nose vanished into the whiteness of his skin. He looked like a ghost, at least of his former self. The pedophile charges against Jackson were made by a 13 year old boy, Jordan Chandler and his father Evan Chandler. The matter went through a lengthy trial whereby Jordan stated as to how Jackson had physically abused him by acts of kissing, masturbation and oral sex. Michael strongly opposed all these allegations by addressing a press meet whereby he stated, “I will say again that I have never, and would never, harm a child. It sickens me that people have written untrue things about me". But his reputation was trashed as he went for an out of court settlement with the family shelling out $ 20 million. If this was not enough, his two failed marriages and baby sitting techniques caused further ruckus about his unstable mental health. Post a short lived marriage to Elvis Presley’s daughter, Lisa Marie Presley, he went to marry his dermatologist’s nurse Deborah Rowe. After fathering two children with Rowe- a son, Michael Jackson Jnr, and daughter Paris Michael Katherine Jackson- the couple divorced in 1999. In the year 2002, Michael once again ruled tabloid headlines for yet another screwball act as he extended his new born son Prince Michael Jackson II over the railing of a hotel balcony inviting widespread criticism. But looks like there was much more humiliation in store for the singer. In the year 2006, tabloids started buzzing with reports of Jackson going bank corrupt. The reports were soon validated after the closure of the main house Neverland Ranch as a cost cutting measure. Seeing his dream house shut down Michael underwent a series of therapies to overcome the depression. Soon his name once again hit headlines in a $270 million loan case that he had secured against his music publishing holdings. After delayed repayments on the loan, a refinancing package shifted the loans from Bank Of America to debt specialists Fortess Investments. A new package proposed by Sony would have had Jackson borrow an additional $ 300 million and reduce the interest rate payable on the loan, while giving Sony the future option to buy half of Jackson’s stake in their jointly owned publishing company (leaving Jackson with 25% stake). Jackson agreed to the Sony deal although the details were not public. Despite these loans, Forbes stated that Jackson was still making as much as $75 million a year from publishing partnership with Sony. Sudden death sends shockwaves across the world On June 26 ’09 Michael Jackson breathed his last breath as he was pronounced dead in a Los Angeles hospital. A sad day for music lovers as Jackson, the sensationally gifted child star who rose to become the ‘King of Pop’ and the biggest celebrity in the world only to fall from his throne in a freakish series of scandals, died at 50. The news shook the world and led to shock and disbelief as the world was eagerly waiting for his biggest comeback tour to be held UK in July 2009. A 50 tour gig had been announced a couple of months back by the singer in one of the most-eyed press conferences. But months later, reports of the singer’s deteriorating health raised many doubts about his anticipated tour. And though the reports were refuted as baseless, the music legends sudden demise reportedly due to heart failure left fans and family grieving. Just minutes after his death the entertainment industry came forward to pay tribute to the one of the world’s greatest entertainer ever and they prayed by saying ‘May he rest in peace".