The First Book of Michael (10 page)

Michael was not a man to shy away from controversial socio-political matters. On the contrary, he considered it his duty, what with his being the most famous man in the world. As he stated at the
Bollywood Awards
in 2000,

“I’ve always believed that the real measure of celebrity success was not just how famous he becomes, but what he does with that fame and fortune”.

In an interview with UK television immediately prior to the first 1988 Wembley
Bad
concert, Michael’s then-manager Frank Dileo revealed that Michael said whatever he needed to say on the stage. Similarly, when his mother implored him to respond to tabloid criticism and conjecture, Michael simply responded that he communicated through his music – an ethos that would eventually bear the strange fruit that is the
HIStory
album.

Michael was lambasted for the repetitiveness of his themes (in itself supportive of the idea that Michael did indeed write his own songs). But - just as any other artist - he was simply inspired by what he knew, and what he was going through.

Michael said, "Music is the soundtrack to life. It plays the melody of our being." Therefore, hand-in-hand with the change in tune that was his treatment by the press, so did his muses mutate: from artistry inspired by the sweet naivety of nature, to craft generated by the infernal rage of injustice. As Michael explained,

"The more you hit something hard, the more hardened it becomes - the stronger it becomes. And that’s what’s happened."

This metamorphosis is illustrated rather poignantly by contrasting the carefree lyrics from the Temperton-penned ‘Off The Wall’
title-track, in which Michael joyously croons, “Gotta leave that nine-to-five upon the shelf / And just enjoy yourself” with the comparable lyrics from
Invincible
outtake, ‘Shout’ - in which he sings, “Eating each other alive just to survive the nine-to-five / Every single day is trouble while we struggle and strive”.

(Incidentally, the caustic, industrial-funk, political-polemic track ‘Shout’
was only cut from
Invincible
at the eleventh hour, in order to make room for the heartfelt ballad, ‘You Are My Life’. Only Michael could make two such polar-opposite tunes interchangeable on an album.)

***

After the unprecedented successes of
Thriller
and
Bad
, Michael understood absolutely that his follow-up would be a globally significant record. But he took the risk of changing direction and parting ways with Quincy Jones, becoming Executive Producer himself, and creating an experimental masterpiece that demonstrated his omnipotence over several different musical genres.

The relative subtlety involved in the rock-funk fusion that was ‘Beat It’ was flagrantly discarded: the
Dangerous
album campaign kicked off with the explicit genre-amalgam hit, ‘Black or White’ - a shameless attempt at unifying different cultures through song, using a mash-up of musical styles. You can call it a cynical ploy to appeal to a wider range of buyers, or you can call it a man using his leverage to bring about something positive, but I would say one need look no further than ‘Heal The World’ for the truth.

Michael produced the entirety of ‘Heal The World’ with the sole purpose of doing what he could to make the world a better place. The track is an incongruous curiosity on the
Dangerous
album - a jarring shift that marks the transition from the New Jack Swing first half of the record, to the ‘pot pourri’ (to borrow Michael’s expression) of genres that make up the second. It certainly wasn’t a song included to appease the critics. Its incorporation left him wide-open to ridicule. Ergo, it seems intellectually disingenuous to then claim it as part of a cynical ploy for sales. ‘Heal The World’
is a pacifier for the planet, sneaked past the Sony suits onto what was primarily - at the time -  a trendy New Jack Swing record. ’Heal The World’ is placed precisely where it is in order to be noticed. To make a point. Which other artist would, or could, do that?

In a similar vein, there’s also a further reason why ‘Come Together’ was oddly included on the
HIStory
album – situated directly after the song, ‘Money’.
The Beatles
track symbolised his acquisition of the band’s music catalogue. The quality and magnitude of Michael’s art has ensured it an infinite longevity, but the ingenious subtleties of it are often overlooked.

On the
Dangerous
track, ‘Why You Wanna Trip On Me’ - although not written by him - Michael waxes lyrical on the state of the world and the relative insignificance of his personal life, even inferring at one stage that AIDS is a man-made virus (although the way he expresses the interjection “ha” after singing about “strange diseases” begs the question as whether this is also a dual reference to Michael’s, at-the-time-unannounced, vitiligo).

The term ‘Punk’ is perhaps not the first adjective that springs to mind when it comes to describing Michael (‘Goth’ maybe – considering his predilection for the macabre). Yet, if we apply the prerequisites used to identify punk behaviour, in the true spirit of the term - a stubborn refusal to bow down to orthodoxy and authority - it could be argued that Michael suddenly becomes punk’s paragon.

The propensity for analysis in Michael’s songwriting is indefatigable. And Michael’s songwriting genius wasn’t limited to any particular heyday, either: the latterday track ‘We’ve Had Enough’, for example, containing the lyric, “What did these soldiers come here for? / If they’re for peace - why is there war?”

Michael was a martyr for innocence. He died engulfed by an inherent sadness that he could not realise his idealistic perception of the world; a romantic perception borne of a lifetime of being a sounding board for love. And, as the human being who’d experienced being loved more than anyone else in existence, who was better qualified to state that love is the answer? The song ‘Heal the World’ has its detractors, but who can deny the sincerity with which it is sung? That song is all the proof required to know who Michael was. Michael felt the pain of people’s suffering. We saw Michael as myriad characters, but they were always beneath the umbrella of him as humanitarian; a record-breaking philanthropist. He conveyed his beautiful ideal to anyone that would listen: that the innocence of childhood has an untouchable preciousness, and should be universally treated with unimpeachable honour. This is what Michael represents.

***

Michael described being on stage thusly,

“You are connected to a higher source… you just go with the moment and you become one with the spirit, and not to sound religious… but it is very spiritual, very much like religion… it’s a God-given gift… I’m honoured to have been given it… it’s fun to become one with the audience, it’s a oneness.”

It’s this repeated experience of “oneness” with so many people – a recurrent experience Michael had to a unique degree - that I believe drove Michael’s political leanings.

In the crowd-immersing short film that cranks up the anticipation prior to Michael’s explosive entrance onto the
HIStory
tour stage, the audience is taken on a ride through historic global events. Michael’s music and iconography is interspersed with video of the moon landings; images of Mother Teresa; and speeches from Martin Luther King Junior: events and people appropriate to the majesty of Michael and his achievements. The rollercoaster then takes us into the Sistine Chapel, which we float through in seraphim silence, taking time to admire the exquisite pulchritude of the surrounding art – before being plunged into a dark-but-fiery nightmare, a depiction of bleak emptiness inspired by God-knows-what. Then, before gracing and scintillating a stadium for the umpteenth time – to entertain yet another hundred-thousand people piqued to see him – Michael makes a quick detour to go and sort out that minor irritation: war.

The
HIStory
tour
is much-maligned. The audacity with which Michael utilised lip-syncing was lambasted by many critics at the time. Lung damage was described in his autopsy. It had been a longstanding issue – likely a symptom of his being a victim of lupus. Michael, being a very private man, tried to keep his medical problems a secret (sometimes to the detriment of his public relations – Michael had been becoming noticeably paler for years before he revealed his vitiligo), but the breathing problems became evermore evidenced by the fact that his reliance on playback increased with subsequent tours. With hindsight, it stands to reason that this was due to his lung damage being a degenerative condition exacerbated by being a professional singer.

It is unfortunate that the
HIStory
tour ushered in an age of pop star lip-syncing (after all, if the King of Pop can do it, surely anyone can? But then – Michael was forever the trendsetter), as there now exists a frightening ubiquity of post-
Disney
puppets that flagrantly employ auto-tune and playback with the cynical sole intent of selling capitalist standards of sexual imagery to children. At least when Michael’s illness forced him to lip-sync, he was selling a message of peace and goodwill. (And dancing a fair bit, too - a very special spectacle, itself worth the entrance fee). All of this being done whilst suffering with various extreme physical pains, acquired as a result of dedicating his life to entertaining and educating us through song and dance.

The fact that Michael toured at all is testament to his work ethic and dedication to his message. The reason Michael grew tired of touring was because of the Sword of Damocles that was the inevitable drug dependency that would resume in order to get through a gruelling two-year global schedule. With regards the intermittent screaming he began to utilise – it may well have been the subconscious, spontaneous vocal expression of a frustrated human being, universally renowned for his unique voice, having to contend with age-and-illness-related vocal deterioration. Let’s not forget that Michael had been touring the world and singing professionally for thirty years by this point. Or perhaps the reason for the screaming has a simpler solution. After all - why do people scream? To draw attention to their plight. The
HIStory
tour was the twilight of Michael’s career. And ultimately, attempting to live up to the unrealistic and selfish demands of an ungrateful public,
This Is It
- becoming the midnight of his career – concluded with his death.

The rare examples of Michael singing live in the latter years (‘Smile’ and ‘The Lost Children’ seen in candid footage and ‘I Just Can’t Stop Loving You’, ‘Don’t Stop Til You Get Enough’
,
Speechless’ and ‘Human Nature’
during
This Is It
) are just snippets – Michael could not sustain a vocal performance for any length of time. He certainly didn’t possess the physical capability to complete a fifty-night run at the
O2
. The Brunei Royal Concert gig of 1996 – just prior to the
HIStory
tour– was the last time Michael sang the majority of a show live. But this was a standalone performance, not part of a tour. The 3D gimmickry, pyrotechnics and the like, that became increasingly prevalent, were all distractions from the fact that Michael as a live vocal performer was becoming a spent force. But he still endeavoured to give his fans a good show. As Katharine Hepburn observes in
The Legend Continues
documentary
,
“I think what makes him a star is - he can do it, and you can’t help looking at him.”

And, sure enough, the
HIStory
tour as a dance showcase and vehicle for Michael’s humanitarian efforts, was indeed spectacular. As the stage got bigger and bigger, it gave Michael the necessary increased space to bring his vision of philanthropic theatre to life – an untouchable catalogue of unique and iconic choreography. However, the expanding stage also made Michael look more and more alone up there. This being the only shame in the
HIStory
tour. Anyway, show me a contemporary lip-syncing artist that can deliver a show even half as good. You can’t.

In the documentary
Michael Jackson’s Private Home Movies
, there is a much-loved segment in which Michael protests an interviewer who is determined to put a positive spin on a conversation about going on tour. Michael exclaims, “I go through hell touring!” After some persuading from the persistent interviewer, Michael sarcastically claims, “I love to tour!” It was Jermaine Jackson that spoke of Michael’s apprehension before tours; an anxiety stirred by the known inevitability of his having to resort to medication to fulfil its obligations. The artificial stimulation of artists to meet such demands is a practice as old as the industry: Judy Garland was fed amphetamines to ‘help’ her keep to
The Wizard of Oz
filming schedule.