Opinion The audacity of pop

Soon enough,Michael had cast his magical spell all over the world,just like Obama’s victory was celebrated from New York to New Delhi. As an Indian child growing up in conservative Saudi Arabia in the 1980s — I still remember Michael’s legendary numbers like Billy Jean and Beat It beaming out of racing sedans on the streets of Jeddah. Blasphemous it may sound,such was my craze for Jackson —as was that of any other kid in the 1980s — I would play the number in our car when we would drive back to Jeddah after our pilgrimage in Mecca. Not to forget,we would play a videogame whose theme was based on his song,Smooth Criminal. And oh yes,who can forget the Bad poster that adorned many a wall of my friends there.

Like Obama,Michael had a troubled childhood (though in different ways altogether) and both emerged icons,through talent and hard work. The only difference is that Michael began singing public when he was only 5. And also that Michael had a much more tumultuous childhood. He was physically abused by his father Joe Jackson,a steel worker who wanted to be a successful musician but couldn’t. To realise his dreams through Michael,he made him rehearse incessantly. In his autobiography Moonwalk,the singer revealed episodes where he was beaten and whipped by his father. Critics say that his desire to be a child in adulthood was perhaps a consequence of his painful childhood.

Michael had another similarity with Obama. Both used technology to their advantage. If Obama used social networking sites such as Facebook to raise funds for his election campaign,Jacko used the music video technology,which was a newbie in the 80s,to his benefit. Michael’s music videos were theme-based and long,almost mini-movies. His spooky 13-minute Thriller video of 1982 in which corpses break into a dance,is cited by the Guinness Book of World Records as the most successful video of all time— selling over 9 million units. He followed that up with the 10-minute Smooth Criminal video in 1987,which has him dancing through a 1930s night-club. In the 1990s,he walked and danced like an ancient Egyptian in the video Do you remember the time. And of course,he even did a Bharatnatyam move in the video of Black or White.

Following his meteoric rise to glory,was a fall from grace — sex scandals,financial troubles and messy divorces,thus putting on the backburner what made originally him an icon — his music. But in death,it is his good — the music — which people are remembering as they dance on the streets to his songs in a tribute to him. The tickets to the 50 shows (as part of his comeback tour) he was planning in London were reportedly sold at 11 tickets a second! Now,that’s a thriller!

irena.akbar@expressindia.com