Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was born in Gary, Indiana on August 29, 1958. Having lived with a Jehovah's Witness as a mother and an abusive father, Michael never really got to experience the childhood some of us get to experience. In 1963 he joined the family musical group that his father had started, the Jackson 5, who signed with Motown Records. The love he had for James Brown showed in his stage performing, awing everyone that saw him with his impressive dance moves. The Jackson 5 went on to produce hits like "I'll Be There", "ABC", and "I Want You Back". In 1978 he recorded his first solo album as an adult called "Off The Wall", which has my favorite song, "Rock With You". It went off to sell more than 7 million copies. But no one expected what was going to come next. In 1982 Michael released the monster album, "Thriller" which became the biggest selling record in history. Songs such as "Thriller", "Billie Jean", "Beat It", "Wanna Be Starting Somethin", "P.Y.T". Thriller became to be known as one of the best music videos, or "short films", of all time. After that, his other albums, "Dangerous", "Bad", "Blood On The Dance Floor", and "Invincible", followed by other greatest hits albums and mixes, never really came close to what "Thriller" accomplished. But all those albums further secured his title as the "King Of Pop". Those his life may seem good at first, it has been full of speculation. The public seems fixed on that accusation that MJ is a child molester and a freak. In 1993 a 13 year old boy told his psychiatrist that Michael had "touched" him. Jackson denied it. Also because Michael has a soft spoken voice, the media said that Michael had undergone hormone treatments to keep his teenage voice, and stories have been told about Michael sleeping in a chamber to slow his aging process. But to come think about it.. who wouldn't want to sleep in something that could possibly slow there aging? When he bought his ranch here in California and named it Neverland, and filled it with animals and rides, that further pushed the public to think he was a psycho. Why? Because the man wants to enjoy the fun of being a child that he never had? We only have one life people, let the man have as much fun as he wants. Probably the most publicized rumor was that Michael went through surgery to make himself whiter. After that rumor came about, Michael told the public that he has a disease called vitiligo, its when pigment disappears from the skin, leaving large white spots and making direct sunlight dangerous.
Michael Jackson is my favorite artist and an icon to me. I too, admit that in the past I accused Jackson of being a weirdo, and I detested him, all because of what the media was telling me. Not until I finally took the time to listen to his music, I started to like him, and found him much like myself, actually caring about the world and animals. So take the time and listen to his music like I did, and maybe you will find you have a taste for it too.