But actually, this evening I feel slightly gutted. It is not the media-driven frenzy as some commentators suggested, nor the fake emotion, it's just a realisation that an important part of the recent past (indeed my own past) has come to an end. Not the incredible (in the literal sense) grief, but nostalgia. What for?
Perhaps it's nostalgia and incredulity over the fact that many memories and experiences have been shaped by a Frankensteinian, consumerist experiment that built up and destroyed in equal measure. Consumerism has even influenced our memories, and indeed I feel nostalgic hearing some of his songs.
Some of the cynical comments on the web are made by people who do not understand the cultural impact and importance this twisted figure has had on our time (see above). With Michael Jackson has come - for me at least - the realisation that a particular period is over; a sense of nostalgia and finality, and (as above) the realisation of impact pop-culture consumerism has had on us.
It doesn't take to be a Jackson fan (and I'm not) to understand the cultural significance of his life and death. He was probably the cultural icon of our time, precisely because of course he embodied the ever-growing insanity of media-driven celeb culture, the self-aggrandisement, whcih has defined the Americanisation of culture and americanised culture and which in turn led to both his unreal, meteoric rise and his long drawn-out and demise. He was also a symbol of abuse: As an abuse victim, perhaps perpetrator, and a media-dictated life.
In any case, some songs were great, some songs were shoddy, a lot of his private life was embarrassing, but - for better or for worse - he wrote a soundtrack of our time. It's over.
No comments:
Post a Comment