You' re not alone!

Friday morning. I woke up to few messages waiting for me in my mobile, most of them from old school friends whom I haven't contacted in a while. The contents of all those were the same. I don't know what I felt, it maybe shock, it maybe unmentionable sadness or simply, it may be a void. Whatever it was, I was sure another part of my 'growing up' memory is gonna change into ash in the next few days. The freeze framed tip toe stand in the 'Billie Jean' video has been freezed forever. The moonwalk has been stopped while it was on the last step of revival. Those familiar high pitched screams has died out, with only echoes left from the throats of the fans the world over and from the millions of albums sold. A life custom-made by God to entertain human beings has ended prematurely. Michael Joseph Jackson, the 'crowned' king of pop has bid adieu to the biggest stage of them all- Life.

My introduction to MJ happened somewhere around the time I joined 2nd standard. There was a college guy in the neighbouring house behind mine, in Trivandrum. I used to hear all kind of music from there. Its from there that I heard music as varied as Rahman's Roja and Khaled's Didi. And its where I discovered one of the biggest music legends of all time-MJ. I still remember it was the song 'Beat it' that I heard standing at the door of our kitchen. I could recall it because he was playing it in a loop, rewinding that single song non-stop. I went to him after sometime(he was still playing the song) and asked whose song is that. He pointed to the wall. There he was, with a menacing pose, clad in an all black in a white background with the word 'Bad' and the name 'Michael Jackson' written on it. I hadn't seen that poster before there. Maybe, that was the time he also discovered MJ. Anyway, the poster left me confused, "Why would anyone add 'Bad' to their own name?' It took me some more years to realise that its the name of one of his iconic albums.

Michael Jackson came on the world music scene as a kid singing such sweet melodies as 'I'll be there', alongwith his brothers. Even in those videos, you can see the developing shades of a legendary performer who can arrest the attention of his audience. It was the time when rock music was ruled by the 'glam rockers', who were musically inferior compared to their classic rock predecessors. The MTV was just starting to spread out. And when MJ came in with his pop outburst, he could grab the attention of all music lovers, notwithstanding genre. It was this single quality that made him a household name, whom even the Grandmother could identify (remember your grandma's dialogue- "why are you growing your hair like Michael Jackson?"). And its one status, no other musician in the world can ever dream of getting. Not even legends like Cobain, Hendrix or Mustaine can match that popularity. I have seen some autos in Trivandrum with MJ staring at you from the inside walls. Then there's the army of imitators. Every small town all over the world has a bunch of Jackson imitators, the die hard fans who dress like him, grow hair like him and try to dance like him. Its still a staple item in school and college festivals. And most of us have our history of trying out his steps secretly and failing badly at it. I caught hold of almost all his works and live shows thanks to a bunch of friends and the birth of the internet age. I remember how even my parents who were never fans of western music were completely blown away by the MJ Live videos I showed them.


In school, we had a bunch of Jackson maniacs who used to discuss every detail of him. Years later, after a journey through boy bands and many crappy pop hits, I dived full length into rock and heavy metal. But MJ's music stayed on just like Rahman's. Many posers who call themselves as die hard rockers dismiss MJ as uncool. But the truth is, every rock fan my age had a period in their life when they worshipped Jackson as music God. Some of these posers still do, but are scared to admit fearing a 'loss of image'. The later years of MJ were a pain to his fans with bad news constantly streaming in. But fans like me found it hard to believe. His was a complex life of unprecedented stardom, controversies, big money, fall from grace, big debts and more. Its as if he lived the life of many men in one single life. He was a child who refused to grow up, the finest example of it being his mammoth neverland mansion. He had a mini amusement park inside that and also housed pets like chimpanzee. Maybe, he was trying to recapture the childhood that he lost when his father terrorised him and his siblings to practice non-stop and perform on stage. At the same time, he was also a man who was concerned about social issues. Songs like 'Heal the world', 'Earth song' and projects like 'USA-Africa(We are the world) show the socially conscious side of him. He also donated heavily to charity, having the record of supporting more charities than any other artist.
Performing with the legendary Slash- He always hired the best guitarists

If the definition of a 'well-lived life' means to entertain people and making them happy, then there can be no better synonym for that than Michael Jackson. But, there were those big failings which are hard to ignore. Even so, there's hardly anyone who has given so much hope and so much joy to millions in every nook and corner of the world. There are those who live through their lives as unknowns. There are others who gain wide popularity all over the world. Then there's Michael Jackson, a man who was once voted as the most recognised human being on the planet. MJ, Thank you for the music and for the days of joy that you gifted to all of us. You're gone a little too soon. Then, as George Harrison told, 'All good things must pass'. You were not simply good. You were simply the best and the greatest.