Michael Jackson’s This Is It…
Michael Jackson 1958-2009: He will forever live in my heart.
Well, I actually did it. I went to see This Is It. If you know anything about the grieving process, you will understand that this was a crucial part of my grief over the death of Michael Jackson. My initial apprehension about going to see the film was filled with thoughts of not being able to watch without bringing back the flood of emotion and tears that became a part of my daily life for weeks after his death. Wow, even while writing this I am emotional and listening to his music, which constantly plays in my house.
Going to see the movie was challenging also because I went alone. It is amazing how difficult it was to find a friend willing to go with me. Some people indicated they were not interested in seeing this death film. Others gave ridiculous excuses alluding to all the tabloid fodder over the years.
I’ve know Michael Jackson from afar all of his public life. It was during my own pubescent period when I first heard that powerful voice pour through the radio singing I Want You Back. I was hooked, and from that point on Michael, his music and his message have lived in my psyche. I cried with him when he sang She’s Out of My Life, chanted “Ma Ma Se,Ma Ma Sa, Ma Ma Coo Sa” from Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’, and understood his deepest emotions when he sang Earth Song. I was with him one hundred percent through all of his agonizing tribulations.
My latest book Amani na Mapenzi: Love & Peace Volume Two contains a tribute to Michael with two poems In The Music and He Had to Die as well as two essays Prejudice is Ignorance and Dance, Dance, Dance. Michael is a psychological study in the damaging affects of man’s inhumanity. He didn’t fit the mold of the publicity hungry, media seeking, jet-set Hollywood type, he was about creativity… his work, his spiritual beliefs and his humanity. Therefore, instead of embracing his genius, some saw fit to create at will and feed a tabloid image giving no regard for the human being who was just plying his God given talent.
Let me tell you, there is nothing but life giving energy throughout the film. For all the naysayers, we must remember that this is rehearsal footage, which under normal circumstances would never be seen by the public. We see a 50 year old Michael Jackson will a special light in his eyes, and a level of energy that belies his chronological age.
Some of his dance moves are not as powerful as they were twenty years ago, but they are still there. His James Brown swishing -which he perfected like no one else other than James himself, his signature Moonwalk, the signature Billie Jean dance, the Beat It and Thriller movements, and head snap is all there. In fact, they become more powerful as the beat of the music fuels his energy. Occasionally the sparkle in his eyes fades, but it returns in a split second throughout the various rehearsal sequences. There were times during the film that I found myself moving with Michael, I guess because I am so familiar with his choreography and anticipate every muscle movement.
There is absolutely no hint of any health issues and drug or substance use. For the trained eye one might notice a hint of arthritis in his knees, and think that he is too thin; but he is a dancer and able to compensate for those minor nuances. We see a humble Michael Jackson who is all about perfecting what would have been his last overseas concert venture. His passion is for the audience to receive and enjoy the best entertainment possible. That was (is) Michael Jackson.
This Is It would have been one hell of a concert. Not only are the song-sets -which were chosen by the fans, a reflection of his musical genius, the staging, scenery, and technology are something to remember. No one was going to walk away without a feeling of euphoria and amazement. Michael Jackson is (was) a one-of-a-kind phenomenon. There will never, ever be another like him.
© 30 October 2009 – Sharon Moore Stenhouse – All Rights Reserved.
