resulting adulation from true fans. The Grammy Museum tribute and
chronological airing of Michael Jackson's videos on a theater sized
screen was truly special. Watching a racially and age diverse cast of
visitors to the museum pay their respects, marvel at the achievements
of the King of Pop, and dance with wild abandon to his videos helped
me attain closure.
Through death, passion for our generation's biggest star's life has
been rekindled. Michael Jackson was a mega star in an age of
celebrity. His battles for supremacy with Prince, Madonna, U2 and
other giants of his era are the stuff of legend. MJ has prevailed over
all of them in terms of sheer celebrity, but it took death to make
that happen for him.
My LA trip has been a surreal sensory overload. Seeing a prism of
America reflecting on his death by celebrating his life's music has
been therapeutic. I have heard his music pumping in the shops on
Melrose, listened to tributes on every genre of radio stations, seen
cars driving on roads all over the city booming soundtracks of MJ,
heard his music dominate the soundscape in trendy clubs, and randomly
witnessed hotel guests as young as 5 sing his lyrics in swimming pools
with their families. This has demonstrated how profound his life and
death have been on our culture. It also illustrates how his legend
will only continue to grow. Perhaps, most ironically and tragically,
it took death for him to achieve the love he yearned for his entire
life.
The highlight of my trip thus far has been the impromptu memorial,
shrine, and vigil fans have set up on the Hollywood walk. Seems
fitting that in the middle of the insanity of realistic character
actors depicting Chucky, Michael Myers, Freddie, Batman, Bumble Bee
from Transformers, and more, an organic tribute has emerged around MJs
star. A sort of ghetto memorial replete with candles, letters, photos,
and song lyrics. Michael Jackson's impact has been amplified through
death. His life was a circus so it's only natural that his death would
mirror and magnify it. We will never witness a celebrity so big,
tortured, imperfect, philanthropic, eccentric, and genius. RIP Michael
Jackson. The world loves you.
