But this event was not for Michael Jackson.
Instead, MJ had just arrived at this church to honor the great James Brown, the man who most inspired Jackson as a child to become an entertainer. This event was Brown's funeral service; he died just five days earlier at age 73.
Today marks the fourth anniversary of the shocking death of Jackson, a man so publicly maligned at the time of his departure from Earth that he almost seemed to be an unwanted alien by many. I, for one never saw him that way and was absolutely crushed when I received that horrific news on that dark Thursday. But even as his public reputation nosedived in the final 20 years of his life, he never lost his magical aura, as evidenced by his appearance at Brown's funeral just 18 months after his acquittal of child molestation charges.
In understanding Michael's magic, I believe that it is essential for people to realize how we first came to know about him and care what he did. Beginning at age 11 in 1969, Michael exhibited substantial singing and showmanship qualities that made him seem almost fictional. No child of that age should've been able to sing with the majestic passion that he possessed, or the poised stage presence as evidenced by countless television appearances with his brothers as the Jackson 5. Thus, Michael entered our minds as a true prodigy filled with breathtaking talent and that memory never left anyone that saw him decades later.
When he re-invented himself as an adult solo artist in 1979, his superstar status was complete. He entered the 1980's as a 21-year old star who could sing his heart out and was blessed with killer dance moves. All of this sensationalism reached a fever pitch with the release of his seminal album Thriller.
The Thriller era spanned two years; 1983 and 1984. This is when Michael was at the apex of his power, appeal and universal resonance. His stylistic choices, both in his work as well as his visual appearance took elements of innovation from past artists and expanded on them to create his own unique presentation. So, as his career flew into the stratosphere of excellence, critical acclaim and achievement, his highly inventive and singular appearance became embedded in all of our collective minds. The fact that he created such iconic music, short films and commercials completed the package.
So, when Jackson took to the podium at that church in Augusta, Ga. 22 years after the end of the Thriller era to give a brief statement on the impact that James Brown had on his life, it was easy to understand why the assembled crowd screamed loud at his appearance. They cheered and applauded as if this event were for MJ, which was pretty amazing given the enormous stature in music that Brown himself held.
For decades, anytime Michael Jackson made a rare television appearance at a live event, it was almost like a coronation or a very special treat. He was always dressed in something cutting-edge and original, and his whisper of a voice (which had been internationally famous for many years) always fired up the crowd as he spoke into the microphone to accept an award or make any sort of comment. Simply put, he just ooozed a cultural mythology that no one else could match, even nowadays. I'm not saying that fans would think of all of his great accomplishments right then and there; but subconsciously, we all knew about the incredible art that he gave us over many years, and that always made him seem larger than life.
When he went on trial in early 2005, he showed up to court daily clad in a very elaborately designed suit that was unlike anything anyone else ever wore to a court proceeding. But it always felt like a huge "happening" when he would emerge from his SUV and walked towards the courthouse, flanked by bodyguards and family members. Fans would scream and shout and snap photos of the man, even though his greatest artistic works had been released many years in the past. Scandal and heavy media scrutiny had trashed his once pristine reputation, but in spite of the sordid headlines and accusations, he always carried the magic of being Michael Jackson, the former child megastar who sang the hell out of "Who's Lovin' You?" and "I Want You Back." The adult supernova that crafted three consecutive classic albums in eight years; Off the Wall, Thriller and Bad. He was still the man who mesmerized the world with his performance of "Billie Jean" on Motown 25 and in the process, claimed the moonwalk dance step as his own signature move. This was still the man that dominated awards shows, popularized the single sparkly glove and white socks and loafers and danced at night in a red leather jacket with a host of "zombies."
Michael Jackson was always far more than he seemed in any given moment. He was the sum of his overall greatness and lifetime of unforgettable, standard raising genius. And here we sit, four long years after his demise and we look around at constant replays of his legendary short films, timeless music and inventive style and we realize something pretty amazing.
Even now in death, he still has that magic.
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