On August 29, Michael Jackson celebrated his 50th birthday. It was a low key affair, with the King of Pop hanging out with his three kids, eating candy, giggling, “watching cartoons” and “just relaxing.” No Macaulay Culkin, no Elizabeth Taylor, no Chris Tucker. Just Michael and his kids (Prince Michael, Paris, and Prince Michael II). Just like a normal family.
It’s crazy to think that Michael, the kid who not so many years ago blew our minds with the insane dancing of “Thriller” and “Beat It” and repeatedly set records with album sales, is now a half century old (joining Madonna and Prince, who also turned 50 this year), living in relative obscurity somewhere in Bahrain (and recently Las Vegas), supposedly working on a new album. Will he ever return to the glory days again?
Probably not; not in this day and age when the new royals of pop are Disney Channel stars (Jonas Brothers, Miley Cyrus, Zac Efron, Vanessa Hudgens, etc) or otherwise talentless prefab teen-pop confections. Being a superstar is not about talent anymore; it’s about being cross-marketable and cute. Michael Jackson was once adorable (back in the Jackson 5 days), but now he is a haunting, disturbingly post-human specter. I’ll be surprised if he ever has a hit record again.
It’s funny what happens to pop stars after they peak, after they grow up. We’ve already watched Britney loose her grip on reality after she left her teenybopper days behind; Lindsay Lohan is fast on her heals. These are the kids who were once the icons of sugar-pop, Disney kitsch. Now they are grown up and trying to remain relevant, often to little success (at least Britney seems to be on a semi-upswing… she’s readying a new single and staying out of the headlines).
Alas, it must be immensely disorienting for a person to reach such high levels of fame and fortune at such a young age. When you reach the top before you are 20, where do you go from there? Perhaps this is why aging popstars are always trying so hard to be edgy and new, to remain in the public consciousness. Did you see Christina Aguilera at the VMA’s? Her remix performance of “Genie in the Bottle” was kind of cool, but does anyone really care about her anymore, when there are new singers like Rihanna and Jordan Sparks to worry about? And can anyone really believe that the New Kids on the Block have reunited and attempted a comeback? Is there anything sadder than that?
Actually, I shouldn’t pity these people. I’m sure I’ll be like them one day, trying to remain cool and relevant even when I’m clearly out of touch. I already feel that way, actually. Neither I nor Michael Jackson will ever again be as cool as the Jonas Brothers are now…
4 responses so far ↓
Tim Coe // September 15, 2008 at 5:34 pm |
It’s interesting that you mention Madonna, because it seems to me that she’s maybe the one person who’s done it right, sans meltdown. She’s still making new music, at her concerts people actually want to hear the new stuff (can you imagine a Paul McCartney concert where that happened?), and no one ever says they miss the ‘old’ Madonna.
MeMa // September 20, 2008 at 8:53 pm |
Hate to break it to ya, Tim Coe, but I do miss the “old” Madonnna days. And even though the woman still looks great–despite some unflattering post-botox photos–she isn’t a big draw for me. Neither are the Jonas Brothers or that Miley whatever-her-face. Truly, the pop artists are just as they always were and we outgrew them. The new brethren is a reinvented pop marketing animal for the ones buying. Truthfully, I can’t remember the last CD I bought. And I’m not sophisticated enough to do all that MP3 uploading. So now, as adults, we gotta get our groove on the “old fashioned” way. Time to break out the tape decks or buy a ticket to the next venue where our favorite band is playing. At least now I know I can afford to buy what I like and there’s no risk of skipping, interrupted or corrupted files being loaded into my pc. Rock on!
niko // July 2, 2009 at 9:23 am |
Well you know the fact that u said that neither you nor Michael Jackson will ever again be as cool as the Jonas Brothers are now isn’t true you shouldn’t think like that for example the Jonas Brothers are famos yes and have milinos of fan but think of Michael Jackson when he was their age he was known all around the world and not only by teen agers by everyone if u said the name of Michael Jackson everybody would have said o my god Michael I love him and so on and not just that he still has milions of fans all over the world and not just the generation of the when he was young I for example love him and I’m only 17 years old and belive me I’m not the only one just saw a tv show with the greattes fan of Michael from my country and there was a girl only 8 years old who loved him and learned to dance just like him imagine that and there were milions of ather people enspired in their career by him so if he sing again or not he still is the star he still is present in our life .A nother thing you don’t really know how a person is so you can’t just come and writte that Madonna or Michael or Brittney’s days are over cuz you don’t really know how the weel turns take one of your examples Brittney and Lindsay were at the top everybody thought that they will be there for ever but look it wasn’t like that they had a problem but they passed over it ,who knows what will happen Brittney for example started singing again and it’s preatty cool she could be in the top in now time and I thing that getting to the top really needs talent not only good looks .Everybody has his own stile his own personality there isn’t a man on this planet that is the same with a nother one.Anyway Michael will allways be the king of pop because there isn’t a houman alive that could take his place he will live for ever in our hearts and his music will live for ever no matter what the press says and the mouth of evil people that don’t know him (I don’t know him personaly and that’s the reason why I don’t judge him and why I don’t belive the crap that says in the tabloids cuz if you don’t know a person you have no right to judge and talk crap about him) In my openion everybody has a second chance and a third one and so one it just matters if you take it or not .
jay bay // July 9, 2009 at 3:23 pm |
who ever is talking crap about michael jackson is stupid. you don’t and didn’t know him so don’t judge him! you only got to see the “press” part of him. you never got to see the loving and caring part of him. so stop saying stuff about him cause you don’t know him!!!!!