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Michael Jackson
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Friday, 26 June 2009
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I met Michael Jackson a few years ago. It was at Uri Geller's house on the day that my spoonbending friend renewed his marriage vows to his wife, Hannah. Michael had flown over specially to be Uri's best man. Our meeting was brief. I remember trying to 'read' him; to see if I could pick up something about who he was... or where he was really 'at'.
In that moment, I felt his intense shyness. If I picked up anything else, I couldn't identify it. On reflection, I suspect that he, himself, didn't have much else to project. It was almost as if he was out of touch with himself. afraid, perhaps that he had somehow become a 'spent force'.
Yet Michael, for all the controversy that surrounded him, was a magnificent musician, an exceptional performer and a genius in the recording studio.
He was properly tried in a court of law for the crimes he was accused of. I stuck my neck out, during that hearing and predicted that he would be found not guilty on all counts. This was not because I felt sure of his innocence. I didn't know then, what I felt about that. I still don't know. If there was a reliable way to see complicity in a horoscope we could get rid of the legal system. And while that legal system may be flawed, it is certainly not as flawed as trial by media.
Michael lived his life in the spotlight and spotlights provide selective lllumination. They also create a lot of shadow, in which much can hide. There is no doubt that his terrible upbringing contributed to his own 'childlike demeanour' and his urge to recreate the childhood he never had.
Maybe his flame burned too bright, too early. Maybe, as he grew older, he ran out of fuel. Maybe too, he became hypnotised by his own success, much deserved though it was.
And maybe, we'll never really know the full story. At Glastonbury Festival where the main stages had yet to start up, news of his death spread the old fashioned way. It took less than ten minutes for nearly 200,000 people to tell each other. Not one was left unmoved.
His songs touched all our lives. His persona captivated all our imaginations. In death, this mysterious man will inspire even more rumours than he did in his mysterious life. The legend no longer lives... but he will long remain a legend.
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