The Jacko tribute

It has been roughly two weeks since the whole world was stunned by the news that Michael Jackson, the undisputed King of Pop, had passed away. 

I have to admit that I was never really a die-hard MJ fan. Sure, I listened to his music and found a lot of them to be really good, but I never really bothered to go out of my way to purchase any of his albums (since I didn't really spend much money on music anyway, and I became a serious audiophile only recently). Come to think of it, maybe I was a bit of a fan, but I never really admitted it. :P Riding along with all the "MJ memories" that seemed to dominate the airwaves, I decided to listen to a playlist of pure MJ tracks as a way of paying my respects, because I DID grow up listening to his stuff in the background, and couldn't imagine how music those days could have been without him.

Now that I'm older (and wiser =P), I was able to appreciate his music a whole lot more. For the first time ever, the man struck me as a musical genius! I mean, the songs just really take you away, and he's got these really crazy-ass dancing skills to boot (as seen in his MTVs). He truly was a master entertainer... :D  Its such a pity that he had an unhappy childhood. The combination of being thrust into the pressures of the limelight at such a tender age, along with the stress of having such a harsh father, is a recipe for a psychiatric disaster later on in life..

I'm no Michael Jackson expert or die-hard fan, and thus am in no position to seriously critique or praise him for what he has done for the entirety of his stellar career. All I know is that he made beautiful music that defined and inspired a generation, but continuously struggled with his inner demons which may have indirectly led to his untimely demise at the relatively young age of 50..

I put this entry down with a slight tinge of regret, as I never truly appreciated what he has done for the world of music until it was too late..

Farewell Moonwalker, you will truly be missed..

*Got the cool animated graphic above from a forum paying tribute to the King of Pop. Sorry, forgot the site..