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Why I won't be watching the Michael Jackson memorial
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Any conversation about Michael Jackson has to start with a couple of givens. Yes, he was a musical genius. Yes, he broke barriers and paved the way for a lot of other artists. Yes, he was an often shrewd businessman.
But he was also crippled by personal demons, shut off from much of the world and apparently struggling with prescription drug problems and an impending financial collapse. He was surrounded by multiple groups of "advisors" and hangers-on who took advantage of his paranoia and fear in order to suck as much money from him as they could.
In the end, none of that matters when it comes to paying some sort of public tribute to the guy. The bottom line to me is whether or not the public ceremony is truly being done to recognize his accomplishments. Or is it all just another way to suck more money out of his estate and line the pockets of advisors and lawyers for the next couple of decades?
That's why I'm not going to be watching Tuesday's Michael Jackson memorial service. He certainly deserves the recognition, but as I watch the details of the service unfold, I can't help but feel that this is all being done for everyone but Michael Jackson.
From the choice of the Staple Center (the site where those soon-to-be for sale rehearsal films were recorded) to the choice of performers and guests, it all seems to be about building other people's reputations and lining their pocketbooks.
A few commentators have drawn comparisons between the deaths of Elvis Presley and Jackson and the biggest thing they both have in common is that it seems likely their memories will be milked for every cent possible.
Promoters of Jackson's aborted U.K. concerts are already planning to sell recordings of his rehearsals and other memorabilia of the event. Jackson's label is reportedly planning a new "Best Of" set, including several new tracks. In fact, if comments from Jackson's musical collaborators are to be believed, an entirely new CD will be cobbled together and quickly released. Even though it's no doubt the last thing the notorious perfectionist Jackson would have wanted.
Everyone seems to be lining up to suck on the Jackson estate revenue stream. The current owners of Neverland--despite having stripped the ranch of much of the singer's odder fixtures--are apparently negotiating with his family to launch some sort of official memorial site on the grounds of the ranch Jackson lost.
What bothers me most about Tuesday's memorial is that the networks are covering it not because they really believe it's news, but because they know there is a morbid curioisity about the singer and his death. The same news judgement that led the networks to air nonstop coverage of the various Anna Nicole Smith legal proceedings sees the Jackson memorial as some ratings holy grail.
It's bad enough that everyone from Katie Couric to TMZ is going to be there. What I can't stomach os the idea that I would have to listen to the hypocritical comments from all the people who a week ago were calling Jackson a probable pedophile. Suddenly, everyone is a fan and wants to bleat on and on about their admiration for the guy. Sure, I don't think it's appropriate to bring up some of the bad parts of his life during the lead-up to the memorial service. But I don't believe you should pretend that you've always been a fan just because you don't want to tick off any viewers.
Instead of watching the memorial on Tuesday, I'm going to be giving Michael Jackson the remembrance that he deserves. I'm going to open a bottle of wine, sit back in my chair and crank his music for an hour or two.
That's the way to remember Michael Jackson. Not with a circus but with one last listen to his genius.
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