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Liner Notes: Too much Jackson adoration was a bad thing
A weekly column by Tribune pop music critic Curtis Ross
Associated Press file photo (1996)
Somewhere along the line, it seems, Michael Jackson went from believing he had a gift from God to believing he was God's gift.
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Published: October 29, 2009
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The Michael Jackson documentary "This Is It" opens with clips of dancers who were auditioning to be part of his comeback shows. The hopefuls look into the camera and speak to Jackson, telling him how much they love him, what a great talent he is, how much he influenced and inspired them, and so on.
That theme of adoration is something Jackson pushed in his videos and promotional material, down to the demand that he be called the King of Pop, as if it were divine right.
What a disconnect it must have been for Jackson if and when he encountered the world outside his bubble, where he was ridiculed for his strange behavior and vilified for the child abuse charges against him.
The best part of watching "This Is It" is that for most of its 111 minutes we can, like Jackson, ignore the disturbing realities of his life for the most part, and concentrate on Jackson's amazing performances.
But then the song will end and director Kenny Ortega or one of the dancers or musicians or costume designers will offer up some fawning praise of Jackson.
It's the kind of unquestioning devotion that's unhealthy for the devotee and near deadly for its object. Somewhere along the line, it seems, Jackson went from believing he had a gift from God to believing he was God's gift. And that's when the rot set in.
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