"Some f-----g bulls--t that sucks so bad that it took them three years after he died to make it listenable."
Such was the synopsis offered by Black Keys drummer Patrick Carney regarding Michael Jackson's posthumous release Xscape when it debuted in May. The percussionist's opinion may have been biased, considering that his band's Turn Blue had to compete with Jackson's album for that week's Billboard 200 spot (Turn Blue edged Xscape by 7,000 copies). More telling, however, was Carney's afterthought: "L.A. Reid needed a new boat."
Carney got some backing on this point from music figures more mellow than he. Quincy Jones, the producer behind legendary Jackson albums such as Thriller, also frowned on the new release, concurring that it was a profit-maker first and a work of art second.
Abusing The King of Pop's image for income continues a trend that started long before he died. We stand at the fifth anniversary of Jackson's death from a lethal cocktail of sleep aids and painkillers. His legacy is shinier than it was upon his death, now that we've had time to polish his statue and forget about his financial issues, his struggles with substance abuse, and his questionable behaviors that led to criminal charges.
Xscape reminds us, regardless of your opinion on the content within, that the most steady theme throughout his career was how eager the industry was to make a dollar in his name.
The most salacious accusations that emerged from his 2009 death was whether the Jackson family could bring murder charges against Conrad Murray, the physician who applied the fatal treatment. Murray settled for involuntary manslaughter. The jury had to decide whether Murray behaved irresponsibly, or if Jackson had signed his own life away for his chemical needs. Both, truly, but the Jackson family may have fingered the correct defendant when it sued AEG Entertainment for allegedly pushing Jackson to his limits, resulting in his death.
AEG had invested more than $20 million into producing the "This Is It" concert series and the 50 scheduled shows had all sold out. The company had incentive to drive its headliner, incentive that included turning a blind eye to the coterie of chemicals being fed to Jackson. A Harvard expert concluded that the performer went nearly two months without rapid-eye movement (REM) sleep, a bar previously believed to kill human beings. Jackson couldn't dance, couldn't remember his own lyrics. But he had 50 shows to perform.
Flashback to the lawsuit. The Jacksons suggested damages up to $2 billion for lost revenue and, of course, for loss of a loved one. A line of Jackson brethren appeared at the trial, gathering sympathy. Awfully polite, considering that they wouldn't receive any of the payout and had fought plaintiffs Katherine Jackson (Michael's mother) and his three children for the $500 million inheritance promised in his will. His siblings alleged Hollywood lawyers had forged the document. Also awfully supportive for individuals who Jackson had instructed security to keep out of his house.
Perhaps The King had learned his lesson, that cash was thicker than blood. Father Joe Jackson remains unrepentant for physically and verbally "disciplining" his children. Before his death Michael would lament his lack of childhood friends that came as a result of the business regime his father ran. Do you think Beyoncé Knowles would be the strong woman we know if her father, a managerial-minded man himself, had treated her like dirt? No. She'd probably hide away in a big home somewhere in California, struggling with her self-esteem.
Again, back to the lawsuit. Two-billion dollars seems like an absurd amount for any cause, but Jackson needed the money badly, to pay off debts accrued over a lifetime of irresponsible spending. It's tough to spread that blame elsewhere, but he had been the main breadwinner in his family from the time he was 11. When people pressure an 11-year-old for money, he'll give it. When the same people keep pressuring him for money, he'll keep giving.
That led to huge debts later. It'd be easy to frown upon former guards Javon Beard and Bill Whitfield for publishing the book Remember The Time: Protecting Michael Jackson in His Final Days. They're scraping money off of his casket to be sure, but it's tough to blame them. They frequently went months without paychecks from their employer.
Xscape, the slew of Cirque de Soleil shows, and the Michael Jackson: The Experience video game are all making some money to help his children. All are making a lot more money for the production companies and labels behind them. The next time someone launches a tribute in honor of Michael Jackson's legacy, it might be appropriate to step back and ask, literally: "What is it worth to you?"
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