MICHAEL JACKSON: HIS DEATH HAS BEEN THE GREATEST COMEBACK
By Nadine Sutherland
Friday, January 08, 2010
I am the coolest aunt in the world; I would even say the coolest adult around town. That, you see, is the perceptions of the kids I was dancing with recently. It was Ashleigh's birthday (my younger cousin /niece) and a posse of four to ten year olds and I were dancing to Michael Jackson's videos. I earned high marks that I was up on the moves. They thought it was pretty amazing that I was moving through Billy Jean, Beat It, Thriller, to name a few, and that all the dance moves that they just learnt, I have known now, for more than half my life. I've laughed to myself at their compliments, thinking I've been doing these moves since I was a teenager.
They are the new generation of Michael Jackson fans. One common thread united us in that room, we were fans, albeit from different generations.
A new generation of Michael fan has emerged since his passing. These kids are hip on technology, and, as we researched people and places when doing project back in the days, by reading books , they are youtubing and whatever other internet stuff, to get information. His videos are now the books; each song has its own unique little movie and the kids are loving it. I think the profound loss that was felt when he died and the media frenzy that followed, has served as the platform for his introduction to children and they are enjoying what they have discovered.
The zealousness of these young ladies as we danced and sang matched mine, the light and excitement in their eyes gave me an insight on how my eyes were at that moment. The kind of concentration on their faces as they tried to catch the zombie moves during Thriller reminded me of back in the days when me and my girls were adamant that we were going to learn it so we could use it in one of our dances.
In September, I was in New York, and it was my nephew Naseem's birthday. His mother told me since Michael has passed, both Naseem who is seven and Alanyah, who was then almost two were Michael Jackson's fans. So, for Naseem's birthday, I thought buying a CD for him, would be giving me some Aunty kudos. I bought a double disc that chronicled Michael's music from childhood to Off the Wall. I approached Naseem giving him a grand lecture, that looking back, I chuckle at my desperate attempt of trying too hard. With great ceremony, I announced that Michael was the same age as he is now, when he made some of these songs, and I went on and on. Naseem looked at it and he went straight to his computer and pressed something, and all of Michael Jackson's videos that were on youtube was right on the screen. He could access any one of them with one press on his computer.
His cousin Chance was there, and yes he is a Michael Jackson fan too, he is six. They took me from Michael Jackson as a child with the Jackson five, to everything else in his life that was captured on film, that could be shown on Youtube. It was an incredible experience to see this man through these children's eyes. We had a danceathon, when some of the videos were shown, I had to change in work out clothes as we sweated with each of the children's favorites. Things I failed to see in the videos were seen by these children seeing it with fresh eyes. I've been seeing Remember the time video for so long, and I didn't notice some of the stuff, until Naseem and Chance with enthusiasm pointed out some of the details.
I started seeing from then, the ads for This is it, and I knew no matter where I was, I would be seeing this. I wanted to see if I could figure out what was it about this man that was so compelling, and fascinating to so many different generations. I knew he was talented, but, my respect for his talent increased after his death, especially how the kids with fresher, and keener eyes are seeing him.
This generation is very visual, and I can say, Michael was way ahead of his time, as all his videos have captured the imagination of the children. His dancing, is timeless, his iconic moves for each video, excites these children to a level that no modern act today is doing.
The movie was the piece in the missing puzzle. I saw a master at work, a man in control with every aspect of his performance. He was a perfectionist, and his creativity was out of this realm. I saw that his man was influenced by so many different things artistically, and by life in general, and in him it converged, and merged, becoming one melting pot , that became his uniqueness. As a friend of mine said, who saw the movie, "Genius is hard work".
Michael was disciplined, and dedicated to his craft. He was committed to his purpose, and everyone that was in that production had that kind of commitment. Everyone chosen to do the This is it tour had that little something extra about them. He was mindful of these details, and that made everything I saw at a level of excellence. Everything that appeared effortless , to the audience, were thought out, and rehearsed until it was second nature.
It has reenforced to me, that putting everything in your chosen field, and making excellence, the standard you maintain, will ensure that all boundaries will surpass, even years, as quality speaks. It also reenforced to me, age is but a number, as Michael was up on his dancing, as smooth and agile as the twenty five year olds who were dancing with him
I left the theatre feeling happy, the group of women, that I went with all thought we would be sobbing by the end of the show. We all left pleased , sharing different moments that we enjoyed. I know, I've been very passionate publicly in what I thought were the abuses meted out to Michael. I felt angry at how he was treated. Today, I feel vindicated. His death has been the greatest comeback. Good is definitely stronger than evil.
So, yea distasteful and ignorant I would say!
