Interesting intervention from Brad. I found particularly insightful the next few lines.
Fuzball said:
The fatherless boy was outgoing, but the other boy was leery and jaded because of the fame and fortune leeches. Most people wanted to like him for who they thought he had become but very seldom did anyone like or know him for who he actually was, which was an amazing, generous individual.
There are indeed plenty of people who have professed their love and understanding of Michael, but is that really true? Did they really get the man inside, before
or after June 25th 2009? And those questions may be valid, dare I say, even for his collaborators, some closer than others.
It is only natural and quite fair for people to speak from their own perspective and direct interaction. Obviously, he was a man most dedicated to his craft, cultivating not just in himself, but in those around him the search for near-perfection. He was also a wonderful and generous friend for many. Sadly, some people were so vicious, they turned that generosity against him in the most heinous of ways.
For the fans, he is not only one of the most brilliant artists the world has ever known, but also an absolute hero and a victim of dreadful lies and evil plots. Unfortunately, some take their affection for Michael in rather dangerous territories of adulation which don’t allow any room for quite human frailties and inconsistencies.
His children rightfully perceived him as the most amazing and wonderful dad ever. So many of his nephews and nieces know him as a great uncle. For his mother, he was a most loving son. And for his father, not just a son awaiting tenderness, approval and care, but also an adult man with a forgiving spirit.
And that is why I actually thought it wasn’t the wisest of issues (Michael’s relationship to his father) to be brought up by Brad, or anyone else for that matter, during this time of year, especially now that it’s been two years since Michael’s father passed away. If Michael found it in his heart to overcome the angst and trauma accumulated in the earlier part of his life when dealing with his father, if he forgave him and if they had reconciled, why do some people – from fans to collaborators – insist on bringing this issue up, as if they know better than the man himself?
One didn’t actually need to spend (tens of) thousands of hours with Michael, inside the studio or not, in order to see what
an amazing, generous individual he was. Anyone with an open mind, heart and eyes could easily sense that we were witnessing not just a creative genius at work and a once in a lifetime live performer, but also a brilliant mind with a most generous spirit, full of love and appreciation for the simple, yet great wonders of God’s creation. And just about anyone in tune enough could do that without being affected either by the horrid caricature the media purposefully created around him or by the absurdly unrealistic prism some fans used when ‘seeing’ him.
Many people across the world have been missing Michael for eleven years now. Do I get bragging rights if I say my longing predates that? It's been almost a dozen years since I reached out to him. One could say I miss him so much that it’s written not only in the stars, but in the scars as well. But that may be,,,,or not, another story for yet another very special point in time.......