"Future generations will never know what they missed"

[Elano]

Michael Jackson spent approximately 45 percent of his life as a cherubic, preternaturally gifted, exquisitely Afro-ed kid from Gary, Indiana, and the remaining 55 percent of it as the most famous man on the planet. This probably explains everything about him: his eccentricities (real or imagined), his music, his triumphs and tribulations and, ultimately, his death. Michael Jackson was never a normal person; he never had a normal childhood (his father put him to work in the family business — the Jackson 5 — at the age of 5), and he segued from that directly into an exceedingly abnormal adulthood, one spent directly beneath the megawatt glare of the spotlight. He lived — and died — smothered by fame.

I'm not writing this to eulogize Jackson, or to explain away the things he may or may not have done. I'm just pointing out the fact that he lived a fairly isolated, probably lonely life.

Which that brings me to the point of this column. Even if, for most of the past two decades, Jackson seemed to exist solely for the pleasure of the tabloids, at least he was alive. There was a sort of comfort in knowing that the guy who made Thriller (and Off the Wall and Bad) was still with us. It seemed like he would never die — that in some bizarre way he was immortal, a living bridge between pop music's past and present. He was a beacon of permanence in increasingly un-permanent times.

Of course, that all ended last week. Which means that, for the first time in nearly four decades, there will be kids who grow up without ever knowing what it's like to have Michael Jackson in their lives. This is amazing when you think about it, not to mention a little sad and frightening.

Because what happens now that the King of Pop is dead? Who will amaze, enthrall, and engage the next generation of music fans now that he's gone? Who will make the 18-minute music videos, or stage the mega-tours, or release the concert films that will melt these kids' minds? Who will write the pop tunes that will make them laugh and cry and fall in love? Who will have them aping dance moves on the linoleum floors of their kitchens, or putting on ridiculous sparkly gloves for Halloween? Sure, some people will — but they won't be like Michael Jackson.

Jackson's death has left a gaping, generation-sized hole in the entertainment world, one that — as I'm sure they'd agree — a hundred Justins or Britneys or Jiggas or Kanyes will never fill. That's the reality of the situation. We've witnessed the end of something here; something we probably won't be able to comprehend anytime soon.

One of my best friends and his wife just had a baby boy, seven pounds of awesome named Carlos Antonio Ortiz. So far, Little 'Los has had a pretty excellent life, except for the part where MJ died. He is only three weeks old, so I haven't had the heart to tell him this yet, but for the rest of his life, he will exist in a world without Michael Jackson, which is to say that it's basically all downhill from here. Sure, he will have heroes, people he will emulate and idolize, but none of them will be able to do the Moonwalk, not even his dad. No offense, Jason.

And the sad thing is, there are millions of Carloses out there now. More are born every minute. And sure, their mothers and fathers will probably play them Michael Jackson's music, will try to explain to them who this man was and what he meant to the world. But it won't be the same, not for any of them, because they won't have a reference point, they won't have the real thing. Jackson now will exist only in stories and videos and recorded music.

Sure, there will undoubtedly be more Michael Jackson albums in the future. Unreleased songs and demos, the recordings of rehearsals for his upcoming run of shows at London's O2 Arena, posthumous releases that won't have one one-hundredth of the heart and soul of "She's Out of My Life" or "Black or White." It's entirely possible that these "new" releases will introduce a whole new generation of fans to his music, and that, in death, Michael Jackson will become even more famous. Though I somehow doubt that. For starters, I don't think it's even possible to be more famous that MJ is/was. And, perhaps more importantly, because there's nothing like the genuine article. And there never will be again.

Of course, you'll have to take my word for it, Carlos, but trust me: Michael Jackson was unreal. You'll never know what you missed.

[Citizen-Y]

Would you let Carlos sleep over Michael's house?

[Jaydc555]

I'm sick of hearing about this singer.Get over it.Nobody gave a fuck about him two weeks ago.Let it go I think we've heard enough about mj for a life time in the last week

[Þŕiņçë]

The only sad part is that anna nicoles death was played on TV for literally a year straight...michaels is already fading away.

[Elano]

He was only 50. However they've been raised and by whom, he's got children. He's also got a big family-- we know the names of many of them-- and surely they're devastated. Millions of people all over the world have been moved by his music, and a lot of them are suffering right now, missing a piece of their lives, even if it's only one filled with a iconic pop figure. So this is a sad time. But man, and I feel guilty saying this, there's also just the slightest bit of relief: that a life that had always seemed like a lonely, twisted nightmare filled with suffering had finally come to end. What were the chances of him finding perspective after all this time? And, after chasing Thriller's sales records for so long, making that his artistic and creative aim, what were the chances of him making music he was happy with again? How does a guy who wants to remain a kid forever, who started an endless course of plastic surgeries while still in his twenties, find a way to be a reasonably happy old man? When those comeback shows at O2 were announced earlier this year, I can't be the only one who felt a twinge of something in his gut, a sense that something horrible was going to go down. It was like seeing a friend who is a recovering addict walking into a bar. People were braced for a train wreck, but not for this.

Take away the music, and Michael Jackson's life is just too sad to contemplate. Which is a very good argument for not taking away the music, ever. We're all going to die someday, too. So let's live. You start with "I Want You Back" and "ABC" and "I'll Be There". You go through the Jacksons years with "Dancing Machine" and "Can You Feel It", and then a long stop at the incomparable Off the Wall. Jackson sang a small handful of tunes with a legitimate claim as the best pop song of the past 40 years, and "Don't Stop Till You Get Enough" is one of them. Then it's on to "Billie Jean" and "Beat It" and "Thriller" and "Wanna Be Startin' Something", and on through later hits: "Bad", "The Way You Make Me Feel", "Man in the Mirror", "Black or White", "Will You Be There", and sure, why not, "Gone Too Soon". Michael Jackson-- superhero, cartoon, singer, dancer, supremely troubled dude-- made all this music, and it's amazing.

[weedhead]

Tell pac i said whats up mj

[midwestryder]

I'm sick of hearing about this singer.Get over it.Nobody gave a fuck about him two weeks ago.Let it go I think we've heard enough about mj for a life time in the last week

shut up ,hater . michael jackson is bigger then you & your whole life. michael jackson was the greatest artist of the 80's & 90's & no one can compare to him .  he deserves to be showed this much respect what he did for black people.  see that is just your lonley opinion compared to what the rest world thinks. . the rest world has not had enough of michael jackson .yet . michael jacxkson deserves to celebrated for years to come . so get over it yourself & stop being a hater of real musicall artist who did it better then artist in the 80's, 90's, & today.

[Muhfukka]

I'm sick of hearing about this singer.Get over it.Nobody gave a fuck about him two weeks ago.Let it go I think we've heard enough about mj for a life time in the last week

shut up ,hater . michael jackson is bigger then you & your whole life. michael jackson was the greatest artist of the 80's & 90's & no one can compare to him .  he deserves to be showed this much respect what he did for black people.  see that is just your lonley opinion compared to what the rest world thinks. . the rest world has not had enough of michael jackson .yet . michael jacxkson deserves to celebrated for years to come . so get over it oyuself 7 stop being a hater of real musically artist who did it better then artist in the 80's, 90's, & today.

what he did for black people? dying his skin white and claiming that some white kids are his?

[midwestryder]

I'm sick of hearing about this singer.Get over it.Nobody gave a fuck about him two weeks ago.Let it go I think we've heard enough about mj for a life time in the last week

shut up ,hater . michael jackson is bigger then you & your whole life. michael jackson was the greatest artist of the 80's & 90's & no one can compare to him .  he deserves to be showed this much respect what he did for black people.  see that is just your lonley opinion compared to what the rest world thinks. . the rest world has not had enough of michael jackson .yet . michael jacxkson deserves to celebrated for years to come . so get over it yourself & stop being a hater of real musically artist who did it better then artist in the 80's, 90's, & today.

what he did for black people? dying his skin white and claiming that some white kids are his?

their would have not been  black people on mtv ever if it was not for michael jackson . mtv was originally racist as hell but you are too young to know that .michael jackosn was the first black man to be palyed on mtv ever!  michael jackson is the reason we have B.e.t . today .Without michael jackosn their would have never been any R&B or hip hop video ever on mtv.michael jackson helped build mtv & B.e.t. so  keeping showing your ingnorance . go learm about the past because without know ing the past you don't know future or where you are going

[Shallow]

I'm sick of hearing about this singer.Get over it.Nobody gave a fuck about him two weeks ago.Let it go I think we've heard enough about mj for a life time in the last week

shut up ,hater . michael jackson is bigger then you & your whole life. michael jackson was the greatest artist of the 80's & 90's & no one can compare to him .  he deserves to be showed this much respect what he did for black people.  see that is just your lonley opinion compared to what the rest world thinks. . the rest world has not had enough of michael jackson .yet . michael jacxkson deserves to celebrated for years to come . so get over it yourself & stop being a hater of real musically artist who did it better then artist in the 80's, 90's, & today.

what he did for black people? dying his skin white and claiming that some white kids are his?

their would have not been  black people on mtv ever if it was not for michael jackson . mtv was originally racist as hell but you are too young to know that .michael jackosn was the first black man to be palyed on mtv ever!  michael jackson is the reason we have B.e.t . today .Without michael jackosn their would have never been any R&B or hip hop video ever on mtv.michael jackson helped build mtv & B.e.t. so  keeping showing your ingnorance . go learm about the past because without know ing the past you don't know future or where you are going

MJ was the first black artist to be shoved down the throats of the MTV viewers not the first to appear. Blacks were rare on MTV but they weren't completely dismissed. Get your facts straight.

MJ didn't do the first Moonwalk either, but his fans claim he invented more things than Little Richard claims to have invented.

[Jaydc555]

If you want to cry over a child rapist you have problems

[Elano]

If you want to cry over a child rapist you have problems

you are so fuckin stupid 

[herpes]

I'm sick of hearing about this singer.Get over it.Nobody gave a fuck about him two weeks ago.Let it go I think we've heard enough about mj for a life time in the last week

shut up ,hater . michael jackson is bigger then you & your whole life. michael jackson was the greatest artist of the 80's & 90's & no one can compare to him .  he deserves to be showed this much respect what he did for black people.  see that is just your lonley opinion compared to what the rest world thinks. . the rest world has not had enough of michael jackson .yet . michael jacxkson deserves to celebrated for years to come . so get over it yourself & stop being a hater of real musically artist who did it better then artist in the 80's, 90's, & today.

what he did for black people? dying his skin white and claiming that some white kids are his?

their would have not been  black people on mtv ever if it was not for michael jackson . mtv was originally racist as hell but you are too young to know that .michael jackosn was the first black man to be palyed on mtv ever!  michael jackson is the reason we have B.e.t . today .Without michael jackosn their would have never been any R&B or hip hop video ever on mtv.michael jackson helped build mtv & B.e.t. so  keeping showing your ingnorance . go learm about the past because without know ing the past you don't know future or where you are going

MJ was the first black artist to be shoved down the throats of the MTV viewers not the first to appear. Blacks were rare on MTV but they weren't completely dismissed. Get your facts straight.

MJ didn't do the first Moonwalk either, but his fans claim he invented more things than Little Richard claims to have invented.

Who invented the moonwalk, I'm not a jacko fan but I was always under the assumption he invented the moonwalk.  Was it a 10 year old boy slowly backing away from one of MJ's sexual advances ?

[QuietTruth]

MJ didn't do the first Moonwalk either, but his fans claim he invented more things than Little Richard claims to have invented.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA, LMFAO!!!!!



But, Michael said himself he got the moonwalk from the streets, he never claimed that.

[Shallow]

MJ didn't do the first Moonwalk either, but his fans claim he invented more things than Little Richard claims to have invented.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA, LMFAO!!!!!



But, Michael said himself he got the moonwalk from the streets, he never claimed that.

I never said he took claim for it. It was his fans that say most of the shit.


and for the record it goes further back that the streets MJ saw it on.


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