Rest In Peace Michael Jackson

Here is a copy of this week's editorial I wrote for The Weekly Riff. An in depth look at Michael Jackson from my perspective. This has not been posted at TWR yet and should be up in a few hours. You're getting a sneak peak here.

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IN MEMORIAM: Michael Jackson 1958 – 2009

I am compelled to write something in regard of Michael Jackson. I'm sitting at home as I write this. It's actually 12:39 am, July 8, in Hong Kong, as I am watching the LIVE stream on CNN.com.

First, I want to acknowledge Michael Jackson as an artist. He did naturally what many people work hard to do over a lifetime. He worked very hard to do what looked natural. He was talented, but did not rely solely on his talent.

He wrote and performed music that inspired at least 4 generations of people. He performed music that others had written. He sang, he danced, he entertained us. What he did in the arts, no one can ever take away from him.

As a man he was a father, a brother, and a son. My thoughts are with his family. This must be incredibly tough for you. Having lost very dear people in my life, I can only imagine the great hole this loss will bring to your family and I can only offer my deepest condolences to you. It's obvious that this hole will never be filled and I wish you strength to carry on.

Michael Jackson inspired. He inspired us to dream bigger because he lived big. He inspired us to try because he achieved.

When speaking of Michael Jackson, one can hardly avoid the controversies he faced. While I have always said that his image should be treated completely separately from his music, most never got that idea.

I saw friends turn their back on him and denying ever liking his music when Jackson was accused of being a child molester. I saw adults act childishly just to fit in with a mainstream view.

I pitied Jackson because of the burden of stardom. I saw a man with a lot and yet, a man so troubled. The news in the last few days has shown sides to his life that we [the public] were not previously privy to. But it is now that I pity him the most. Why? Because even in death, he is still not permitted privacy.

Every day, children die of hunger. Michael Jackson's memorial service is hardly news worthy. Yet, the media has latched on and we are all tuned in. Would CNN get these kinds of ratings numbers if they were doing a LIVE special from a refugee camp in Africa?

I think we need to take a close look at what we value. This is a lesson to us all. The material things in life are immaterial at the end of the day. Jackson can't take his millions with him. They are of no use to him now. Neverland Ranch will still be there tomorrow. It is of no use to him now.

As much as this is a time of mourning, it is also a time of reflection.

Jackson may have been eccentric, but he also tried to spread a message of love. He wanted to help those less fortunate than himself. He was human. I'm sure he worried of the same things that the average person worries about. It's easy for the workingman to dismiss Jackson because he was rich. However, this idea of being rich solving all problems in life is just another illusion.

When will we be rich enough? When will we be happy enough? When will we be pretty enough? When will we be slim enough? When will we be loved enough? When will we own enough? When will we have enough? When do we know when we have enough?

[Smokey Robinson is reading messages on the stage at the Staples Center]

If anything, let's take the following lesson from all this: let's be content that we are alive. To be here and have this experience called life. Most of us live a normal life where cameras don't follow us. Where our every act is not scrutinized by the world. Let's not take our privacy for granted. Let's not take our lives for granted. Let's be content with that what we have.

Most importantly, take the time to tell those that mean the most to you that you love them. You never know when they will disappear from your life. Don't let the last thing you think of someone or say to someone be negative. You may never get a chance to remedy it.

Lastly, on a personal note. What did Michael Jackson mean to me? He was the first big idol I had. I remember clearly being glued to the TV for the premier of Michael Jackson's BAD video and every subsequent video released. I wish I were old enough to remember the premier of Thriller. I was only 3 when Thriller was released and only remember listening to my father's vinyl copy of it as a toddler. I loved his videos. They were so different from the other music videos. I was growing up at a time when MTV still played music videos primarily and had just a handful of other shows.

His music touched me. His music was very dear to me and is still dear to me. I didn't love all of his music, but those tunes that I love will always be important to me. I know three Michael Jackson albums very well and will be writing reviews of them in honor of MJ. I don't have to re-listen to any of them as I know them all very well. They are the albums that I link directly to my childhood.

I got to see Michael Jackson live in Singapore on October 25, 1996. It was my first big concert. I was so far away from the stage that I had to watch the show through binoculars! It was electrifying. I was one of the lucky ones to see him perform on that last concert tour.

I want to thank Michael Jackson for all the amazing music he has given us. That gift will be here forever. He may not have written the following words, but he sung them. In testament to him I would like to end this article by quoting them:

“Like a sunset, dying, with the rising of the moon, Gone Too Soon”

In thought,

Jose Bernardo
Head Editor

July 8, 2009
1:20 am
Hong Kong