Huck Finn, the first great American hero, knew a King when he saw one - and after his escapades with the King and the Duke in Twain’s novel said “I didn’t want no trouble with their kind. I’d seen all I wanted to of them, and wanted to get entirely shut of them.”
Today will see a huge spectacular event, as Michael Jackson is laid out in state for mourners to pay their respects. The King of Pop is no more, long live the king.
It’s ironic, how this idea of monarchy and music has taken hold in the world’s greatest democracy. You’re born a King - you don’t really have to do anything to merit it (let’s leave aside for a moment arguments posed by Shakespeare regarding the duties of a king, and the right of subjects to revolt). America’s two great Kings, Elvis Presley and Michael Jackson had to work their hands (and hearts) to the bone to become ‘King’, but once the title was obtained both set back into a regal lifestyle of excess totally divorced from their merits - their artistic legacy decided in both cases at least ten years before their deaths.
Twain was quick to portray the moral bankruptcy of monarchy as a model for Huck Finn, his vision of America.
Leave aside judgements on Jackson as a man. As an artist his legacy is one of bankruptcy - both financial and moral.
Don’t get me wrong - the morality on question here has nothing to do with his much-reported private life. Whether the man was good or bad behind the mask of celebrity interests me little. No, the morality on question here is the artistic model that Jackson more than any other performer was responsible for initiating.
The one thing that is certain about Jackson is that he had talent. A truly distinctive voice that touched millions (including myself - many of my important memories are indexed mentally to songs of his), coupled with a rare sense of rhythm. He stood out in the Jackson five not just because of his youth, but also because he was - without a shadow of a doubt - the main man talentwise.
With Thriller he created a brilliant record, filled with hits and emotion - coupled with a clever marketing sense (the oft-cited inclusion of Eddie Van Halen on beat it). But he also created a model. Thriller was big-budget, no expense spared, and every record - and above all else, video - after it had to be the same. The one thing that Jackson, as an artist, was consistent on was that shedloads of money needed to be spent on any project. After Thriller it’s debatable whether he ever produced another ‘classic’ album - so much of his material afterwards was rehashing his past, just with a bigger budget.
He became the king of pop with thriller - but, while the generally accepted meaning of that term is ‘the best’, in reality it’s meaning was far more clear and traditional. Jackson’s work was given credit simply because of his name, a birthright. Each new project unveiling a ‘most expensive ever made’ accolade as if that was some kind of indicator of its worth. Jackson’s music established a dollar-song conversion rate, and one that was highly inflated.
An obviously troubled man, may he rest in peace. Let’s hope, though, like Huck Finn, that we’re shut of this model, where what’s important artistically is your brand name and budget. Where success is guaranteed not by merit, but by past glories.
