Sort of surprised at the degree to which Michael Jackson’s death continues to dominate the national media this morning. Intell played it about right, I think - lead story for sure, but surf over to Yahoo News and it’s hard to find much else.
Certainly Michael Jackson’s music defined or help define a generation, as did Elvis Presley’s, as did John Lennon’s. But Elvis and Lennon, it’s easier to put a finger on exactly what they defined. Elvis the beginning of the rock era, the rebellious spirit, the joy - the sexuality. Lennon the Sixties, and all that came with it.
Michael Jackson then defined my era, the ’80s. But what exactly did he define? What exactly did he mean, other than providing some great dance music?
The era in which Jackson peaked as a musician/entertainer coincided exactly with the early Reagan era. So if Jackson helped set the tone culturally, that culture was one of - making money. Conformity, really. Which isn’t to say Jackson was a conformist, far from it; but he wasn’t a rebellious figure like Elvis or Lennon; in social terms, his music wasn’t as revelatory. It was just music - excellent music, inspired music, profitable music. And while some people picked up on the fashions - the glove, the jacket - I don’t recall anyone I knew going out to buy a chimp. Jackson’s behavior wasn’t really copied - as Lennon’s had been.
He was a superstar, then, in an age where superstardom was more channeled than it had been; boosted immensely by the inception of the MTV age - and we forget that as new and different and important as video seemed then, in the end it was merely a marketing tool; a marketing tool that helped turn Jackson into a superstar.
None of this is to denigrate his music. Some rock critics would say that “it has a good beat and you can dance to it” remains the greatest praise possible for a performer. We look too hard for meaning, sometimes, in music and the people who make it.
But like I said, Michael Jackson defined a generation - the Pepsi Generation, the Reagan generation. My generation. It’s just that all these years later - I’m still not sure what that means.
