Wacko is Backo

Yesterday saw the self-proclaimed King of Pop flounder onto the exposition stage at the O2 arena, after an uncomfortable embrace with Dermot O’leary, to announce he is to make a farewell collection of gigs in London this coming July. He may have been 90 minutes late, he may still have half his face obscured by shades…. but for some reason I can’t help but think there is something different about him. Jackson seems to have a slight spark which has been almost non-existent in his appearances since being acquitted of charges of sexual assault on juveniles back in 2005. What may be driving such a spark, is still open to debate. Could Jackson finally be coming out of the wilderness in one last Hurrah to improve his stature among the public before he officially retires from performing? After all, in the 1980s and early 1990s, Jackson was the most famous man on the planet for all the right reasons – a monumental following of fans feeding off a remarkable success story.

Then came the baby dangling, the all too revealing Bashir documentary and the claims of child molestation. He was still probably the most famous and recognisable (albeit ever changing) face on the planet… but for all the wrong reasons. This final set of gigs in London, set to be followed by ones in New York, Paris, Mumbai and Tokyo could be his final chance as he sees it to go out with a bang. Or, a chance to settle some rather crippling debts.

When I was fifteen I bizarrely found myself stood outside the gates of Neverland ranch. This is a true story. I was on a family holiday, travelling down the coast of California from San Francisco to Los Angeles. One of our American friends had a sister in Santa Barbara, when we stopped by and asked to see the sights, there was a slight pause and then she said “well, we could always check out Michael Jackson’s place. He lives a few miles from here”. Needless to say, we didn’t get past the gates. One of our more adventurous members of our party buzzed the intercom and asked ‘is Michael there?’ but to no reply. Anyway this rather mundane anecdote leads me to Jackson’s financial problems. Neverland ranch recently went up for auction, along with hundreds of items of priceless memorabilia. The once impressive theme-park and zoo has been left to fall into disrepair as Michael has refused to ever set foot in the place again after the trail against him was over. Even with those assets sold, Jackson still has debts of $200 million dollars to settle. Theoretically, if all nights sell out, the farewell tour could earn over $480 million with Jackson pocketing something like $1.5 million a performance. Not a bad way to settle your losses.

In any case, I personally believe the jury is still out on Jackson. I have full appreciation for his musical work and class much of it as nothing less than genius. I still think there is an underlying feeling of innocence about a man who has, for better or worse, seen his life monumentally changed by his celebrity status and talents.

~ by nicksmiffy on March 7, 2009.