How I dumped Michael Jackson and snubbed Prince
I have often wondered what life would be without music and must admit that it is unfathomable and inexplicable. Amidst the joy, comfort, succour and consciousness (and unconsciousness, in some instances) that she conveys, one is compelled to face squarely the deviousness which embodies music’s political economy and proprietorship. While writing this piece, one vividly recollects the words of Chaka Khan after the demise of Whitney Houston, where she described the music industry as “demonic”.
As we gradually shift towards tha Age of Aquarius, the evil machinations embedded and surrounding music as we have come to know and love her, are being exposed before our very eyes. Earlier this year, one was privy to the interview granted by comedian Katt Williams at Club ShayShay, where he categorically noted that 2024 is the year of truth, wherein all the devilish antics perpetrated in Hollywood would be exposed.
Truly speaking, that has been the case ever since. But, how does this concern Michael Jackson? According to the grapevine, the authentic Michael Jackson allegedly died in 1979 of a drug overdose, while attending a party in the company of Elizabeth Taylor. Thereafter, a plan was hatched to replace him with a clone, of course, with the agreement of his parents. Otherwise, they were bound to return to Gary, Indiana impoverished. It is claimed that the real Michael Jackson’s corpse was conserved in Neverland Ranch, where the clone resided.
This information was hard to process as it engenders multifarious questions and conjectures. According to the media, Michael Jackson’s hair caught fire during the filming of a Pepsi commercial in January 1984. Clips of that incident have been widely circulated. Thereafter, a newly transformed Michael Jackson was presented to the public with a marked departure from the melanated entity previously known. His skin became whiter, his nose thinner and his hair straighter. While some who cared to explain said that his new skin was the after-effect of a skin condition called vitiligo, others argued that he had been bullied and called “ugly” by his tyrannical father. As such, the shocking change was a trauma response.
While he enchanted and put the world under his musical spell, thrilled with his mesmerizing dance steps , magical voice and flamboyant personality, the new Michael Jackson a.k.a “The King of Pop” became the subject of paparazzi trolls, and unending media and academic discourses. He became the biggest and most powerful entertainer in the world, was seen flanked by a plethora of soldiers like some General in the Infantry. He received high calibre receptions from heads of states, kings and queens and had the power to pull the heart-string of emotional fans, often causing massive fainting spells and emotional upheaval. That man was DANGEROUS!
Before pondering on the latest revelation about this enigmatic figure, I wish to reflect on his meaning and significance to the heart of a child, ME! It must have been ‘83 or ‘84 , when I first came across the album Thriller in Cassette format at the time. It belonged to my father and as such I could obsess over it for as long as I cared to. That tape instantly became my new “toy”, as I had ripped off the head of my Barbie doll. I did not care for it, actually! Wherever I went, the tape came along. I placed it under my pillow when I slept at night. It was my first conscious contact to the world of contemporary American music. My favourite song was/is “Human Nature”, a subject I was unaware of, but which would later direct me towards an understanding of human behavioural patterns. In dealing with human nature, I learnt to never underestimate or suppress my native intelligence and gut instincts.
I was always enraptured by the image of Michael in his white suit, sitted in a reclined position on the cassette liner. I was smitten and hoped to marry him, someday. Little girl did not understand the concept of distance (US and Nigeria) or probability (the likelihood was 0.00 %). To my utmost consternation, I would later discover that nearly every girl and their mother wanted my man. What gave them the effrontery to want what I want? Didn’t they know that the boy is mine? Didn’t they know that I was the subject of the song “Pretty Young Thing”? And that there was a love duel between him and Paul McCartney for moi in the “Girl is mine”? Chile……talk about childish imaginations, or was it fantasy or delusion, whatever!
By the time Bad was released in 1989, I was maturing and headed towards adolescence. The man was undergoing a constant aesthetical transformation and so were my feelings. But the album was impeccable with outstanding favourite songs like “Liberian Girl”, “Man in the Mirror”, “Dirty Diana” and the most under-rated song ever, “Just Good Friends” with Stevie Wonder. Bad was closely followed by Dangerous (1991) during the New Jack Swing era conceived by Teddy Riley, who coincidentally co-produced the album. Again, the songs were iconic while MJ became whiter. My favourite songs were not the most popular. I loved “In the Closet”, “She Drives Me Wild”, “Remember the Time”, “Who is it?”, and “Keep the Faith”.
MJ had developed a penchant for social consciousness as corroborated by songs like “Black or White”, “Heal the World” and “Will You Be There?”. By this time, I had come to the knowing that I loved love. In the presence of interpersonal and collective love, socially conscious songs, though well-intended and valuable were unnecessary. In the presence of love, humanity would value everyone, truth and integrity, share mutual respect and mutual admiration, all for one, one for all. So, I became a lover-girl! It was at this juncture that I terminated my musical romance with the man, Michael Jackson and committed to two love men, namely Kenneth “babyface” Edmonds and Luther Vandross. They sang the kind of songs that I loved to hear, period !
In case, you are wondering where Prince was in my thinking the whole time, I must admit to my shame that I ignored him. I found him conflictive and scary, perhaps, due to his public imagery. He was the personification of subversion which was startling and hard to digest as a child. Kindly listen to the album Controversy (1981) and pay attention to songs like “Controversy”, “Sexuality”, “Annie Christian” and “Ronnie, Talk to Russia”. The “sexy mothafucka” broached contentious subjects, at that point in history, when it was fashionable to toe the normative path.
I hardly grasped the concept of androgyny and could not deal with a man who wore female shoes and make-up. Interestingly, Michael Jackson also had an androgynous persona which was enwrapped in a child-like aura of innocence, whereas Prince’s was frontally brutal. It cut you like a knife. David Bowie and Boy George of Culture Club were the other androgynous personalities in the 1980s.
Androgyny is not a phenomenon to fear or demonize as it is simply an integration of the masculine and feminine principles placed side-by-side. As humans, we embody both, but unfortunately social conditioning programmes men to suppress their feminine side which includes kindness, compassion, creativity, warmth, empathy, gentleness, sensitivity, humility, generosity, vulnerability, etc. While women are conditioned to erase traits of masculinuty like assertiveness, strength, courage, leadership, focus, confidence, logicality, etc. Artistically, music artists externalize androgyny through aesthetical accessorization.
Prince was a highly cerebral maverick, musical genius and master alchemist, who understood the natural laws of the universe and disseminated same through his songs and delivery, one of them being the falsetto - a high vocal register often attributed to female singers. It would take his passage in 2016 to draw my attention to his massive body of brilliantly engaging work.
My time and devotion had been accorded Michael, the “clone” son of Joseph Jackson. While both men were often pitted against each other in the trouble-formenting and energetically- vampiric mass media, it has been noted that they were good friends who shared a bond of mutual respect unbeknownst to the general public. I guess it is true what they say, that bad news sells!
The next post returns to the cloned Michael Jackson allegation and attempts a deduction of the implications.
