By Nick Blunt
The BIG Bang, electricity, sliced bread and Michael Jackson… that’s how great The King of Pop was. There are but a few phenomena that changes life as we know it, has the ability to stop the world and alter its course at the same time, and MJ is one of them. He was a shining child star that shone brighter than he could’ve imagined - so bright that he blinded almost everyone around him, finally blinding himself with the ill-effects of a story gone horribly wrong.
The how’s, why’s and what if’s still exist and will continue to be asked for generations to come. But the answers to all these questions are irrelevant. On Michael Jackson’s 55th birth anniversary, MensXP takes a look at the enigma of this man who seemed indestructible at the height of his fame, ended his life in cinders, and now, four years after he breathed his last, his legacy is as strong as it was, maybe stronger than it was when he first burst into the world of entertainment.
The Moves
Photo © Daily Mirror
No one can do the crotch-grab like Michael did. No one. Not only did he create a wave of hysteria and a cult move, he made it look classy. Suddenly grabbing your crotch was not just okay but was a very, very hot dance move. Every time he grabbed his crotch, the crowds went hysterical to the point to being euphoric. And why not! This was a man who claimed that he never wanted to grow up; this was a move that proved his point, in a way, telling the world that he was all grown-up, after all. It really doesn’t matter what Michael was trying to prove, if he was trying to prove anything at all. All that matters is that it was, is and forever will be a cult-move that will live on far beyond all our lives.
The moonwalk is a move will forever be Michael’s trademark. This technique was a mere technique before Michael performed it during a television special - “Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever”. Dressed in black trousers, a silver shirt, black sequinned jacket, a single silver glove, silver socks and a black Fedora, Michael brought the moonwalk alive! After this, the moonwalk became Michael’s trademark move, and of course, the world followed. This was a man who took a technique, breathed such life into it that it was and will always be associated with MJ. Such was his ability to own the audience.
The Videos
Photo © Daily Mirror
Before Michael’s music videos brought our television sets alive, music videos were just music videos. Enter, Michael; enter, Broadway-style musicals, choreographed performances, the drama associated with the song, the story - all through a music video. And then, music videos were not just music videos, they were mini-musicals that had all the trappings of a song come alive with settings, moves, performances and a whole lot more. This was a man for whom the drama, the spotlight and the story came together to make his song. He didn’t give the world just music, he gave the world performances that rendered screaming crowds speechless, and speechless crowds hysterical.
He changed the way music videos were made. He made music videos so big that sometimes the videos overshadowed the songs. Now, if you were a singer worth your salt, you had to have a video. And this gave birth to a generation that grew up on music videos. This was good for the business of music, too, and music channels became a staple for teenagers and grown-ups as well. Michael gave music videos new life, and in essence, the music video industry and a few music channels have this man to thank for its revival.
THE MAN
Michael Jackson above all was a humanitarian, a father, brother, son and an icon to so many in this world.
Thank you, Michael.
Source: Nick Blunt /mensxp / MJ-Upbeat.com
Yes, thank you Michael for all you inspired just by being the Man that you were and for being the loving son and father. We miss you but we will never ever forget you!
Nice work, Nick! You described Michael Jackson the way all his fans see and think of him. We’re so very lucky. Like Berry Gordy said, Michael Jackson comes along, once. And we were here to welcome him!