"Thrilled" by the King of Pop

I have to admit, I have mixed emotions about the death (and life) of Michael Jackson. I have put off blogging about him, because I found myself falling into the “I’m so sick of hearing about it” fan club.

But, today, as I watch the coverage of his memorial service in LA, I can’t help but to reflect on his musical career. No matter what your feelings about the King of Pop might be, I think we can all say without any doubt at all, that he was an extremely talented individual, who seemed to unfortunately succumb to a controversial life.

If I look at Michael Jackson, the artist, I am in complete awe of his raw talent. I will admit I am one of those who went onto ITunes and put together my own Michael Jackson playlist. His music is unbelievable, and his dancing is even more amazing. He was truly an icon of my generation. I can remember skating at Spinning Wheels to “Billy Jean” and “Thriller”. I thought I was so cool, because I could do the “Thriller” dance. I watched that damn video over and over again until I got it right. I’m also not scared one bit to admit that I could still but out freakishly demonic dance to this day.

When I look at the life of Michael Jackson, I try to remind myself that I am in no place to judge him. In fact, if I remember correctly he was found innocent of child molestation charges, by a 12-member jury of his peers. He was never found criminally guilty in a court of law. He was found guilty in the court of public opinion. I will admit, I thought he was a weird bird, and I would never let my own child attend a sleep-over at the Neverland Ranch. His physical appearance over the years did become quite disturbing, and sad, but it was his life, and his face. I certainly can’t say that he did what he was accused of doing. I wasn’t there, I only followed the media coverage….which we all know is always the truth *wink wink*.

What I’m trying to convey, is that no matter what your personal feelings about Michael Jackson are, the FACT is that he was a talented artist, who brought all of us music that in someway touched each of our lives. Whatever he did or didn’t do to children is now between him and God. The day he drew his last breath was the day that he faced the only person in this universe capable of judging any of us. He was very obviously a lost soul, who became even more lost as time went on. He was, reportedly, abusing a very strong medication called Diprovan (Propofol), which in the ER and ICU we refer to as Milk of Amnesia! Can you imagine?

So, for what it’s worth, I certainly will not “miss” Michael Jackson and you won’t find me weeping over my Thriller album asking God, “Why?” But, I will still dance, sing, and listen to his music. And, the next time I am at a wedding reception and they play “Thriller”, I will bust out the dance, and be crowd will be thankful for it!