A farewell with fanfare to the King of Pop
An area resident sees all kinds on a journey of a lifetime
By Claire Palermo 07/09/2009
There was no parking available within a one-mile radius of the Staples Center. Merchants lined the streets, hawking everything from T-shirts to sequined gloves and flower bouquets. “Show Michael you care!” one vendor shouted weakly. In the sky overhead, the letters “MJ” were written in wisps of cloud. Such unbridled capitalism is bold during a recession, but it isn’t that surprising at a memorial for one of the top-selling recording artists of all time: Michael Jackson.
Inside, a black and gold casket piled high with roses waited under a spotlight, lying in state. More than 20,000 fans filed into their seats and waited with cameras ready. Some started chants to break a long silence, chants such as “We miss you!” and “Long live the King!” Each chant gradually rose to fill the stadium, and each, in due time, faded back into scattered whispers.
Controversy aside, one thing can be said for certain about Michael Jackson: he was a remarkably talented and multifaceted man. Fittingly, his public memorial was a mixed bag of captivating speeches and awkward moments. There were enough familiar faces to fill anyone’s celebrity-sighting quota for a lifetime: Stevie Wonder, Mariah Carey, Kobe Bryant and John Mayer, to name a few. The singers performed his or her favorite Michael Jackson song, and others read written condolences sent by others, among them Diana Ross and Nelson Mandela.
Several shared personal anecdotes that offered a glimpse of Michael Jackson the human being, beyond his media-saturated pop persona. Motown founder Barry Gordy told the story of Jackson’s first audition in 1968: “He sang a Smokey Robinson song with the sadness and passion of a man who'd been living the blues his whole life. As great as Smokey sang it, I thought Michael was better." Former L.A. Lakers player Magic Johnson was shocked to find Jackson eating a bucket of Kentucky
Fried Chicken when they met. Brooke Shields described how MJ tried to teach her how to do the moonwalk, laughing at her less-than-perfect attempts.
There was some unavoidable artificiality to the event. After all, how can people truly mourn a person that they’ve never met, beyond seeing him on TV or hearing his music? The tears of Jackson’s 11-year-old daughter, Paris, are justified, but the same cannot be said for every stranger in the crowd.
Texas congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee encouraged fans to look beyond the child molestation charges against Jackson: "People are innocent until proven otherwise.” However, she couldn’t resist turning a personal forum into a political one. "I have introduced a resolution to be debated on the House floor that claims Michael Jackson as an American legend and a world humanitarian." One can’t help but think that there are some much more important tasks awaiting Congress.
Jackson’s cultural impact must not be underestimated either. This is the man who made Thriller, got generations of kids imitating his dance moves and broke down barriers between ethnic groups through the power of music. This is a man who managed to cling desperately to childhood innocence and also revolutionize the world of entertainment for a half-century. To see a stadium of fans leap to their feet at the sound of his 1983 hit “Billie Jean” is to witness something powerful.
However, parts of the memorial focused a bit too much on love, brotherhood, holding hands and singing, “Kumbaya.” Jackson did have a dark side; he once described an elaborate funeral for himself — complete with fireworks — in the style of a gang-banger with no fear of death. He spent more time defending his questionable actions than singing toward the end of his life, and his excessive spending and plastic surgery showed America just how far narcissism can go, unchecked.
Near the end of the memorial, Bernice King and Martin Luther King III translated Jackson’s star power into spiritual power. "He was such a thoughtful and selfless man full of the unconditional love of God,”Mr. King said. “He was a shining light; and in remembrance, may we all be inspired to go and let our lights shine. Rest in peace, our brother.”
Of all those who have chased the Peter Pan dream of immortality and eternal childhood, so far Michael Jackson has come closest. As his coffin was carried away, a gospel choir sang in front of a backdrop projection of church windows. Most people hurried for the exits, but one man yelled from high up in the stands: “See you in heaven!”
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