For a while.... it seemed, at least on a subconscious level, that Michael Jackson's continued existence was as inevitable as death & taxes: for whatever reason... many of us felt like the dude will be around for a long, long time. It's a strange thought, but he was THERE on TV as early as many of us in the 20 age range can imagine. I remember the cool looking music video for Thriller where he turns into a Werewolf.

I was actually moving around a lot in the 80's while growing up. I wasn't in the U.S., yet no one outside this country was immune to Jackson fever. The guy was a global phenomenon.

Flash forward to more than a decade later, and we have the image of a tortured genius, with a controversial private (well, not so private) life. He fits the archetype of the sensitive artist to a T: someone who is so great at his art, yet somehow manages to be a complete goof in practical aspects of his life. Whether or not he molested young boys or has innocently (and naivly) slept in the same bed with them in order to live out the childhood he never had is open to debate (but a quick wikipedia search will reveal that the kid & his family were trying to scheme Michael financially, which supports Michael's claim for innocence).

Some might argue if he wasn't the way he was, he wouldn't have been able to be the revolutionary pop artist he became. As far as crossover appeal is concerned, Michael had it in spades: he collaborated with everyone from Nsync (ew) to Eddie Van Halen & Slash (awesome) to Paul McCartney, his sister Janet, & too many others to name. He was like the Wal-Mart of music stars: chances are, he's got something to offer.

More than anything, he's a perfect example of society's need to have a hero to worship, only to drag said hero through the mud until a new one arose. But the fact that he is, was, & will always be considered to be the biggest icon ever (seriously... I challenge anyone reading this to come up with a bigger pop cultural icon than Michael freakin' Jackson) means he at least did something right.

And even at my most glib, I have to admit: I still remember being that kid who tried to dance to Michael Jackson's Beat it. And guess what: that was one of the first guitar parts I tried to learn... and I'm not just talking about Eddie Van Halen's guitar solo, but the actual whole thing. Before AC/DC, Led Zeppelin, The Clash, or ANY other artists who influenced me over the years, Michael Jackson was the very first one who got my attention and became my gateway drug into the wonderful world of music.

One thing I feel compelled to point out: while too many of the artists I was into were singing about sex, lust, and love's trivialities, Michael actually wrote songs with positive messages about making the world a better place. While many of us outgrew that positive theme, opting to become as cynical as our other musical heroes (Motley Crue, Metallica, Tupac, etc...) Michael continued doing his thing: Beat It was an anti-gang song, while Black & White promoted racial equality, unabashedly.

Michael didn't accept war, corruption, greed, famine, loveless sex, divorce, and the notion of kids growing up too fast as normal things in life. If growing up meant accepting that life sucks, then Michael wasn't going to have it. And sure enough, he left at the young age of 50.