Loss of Mandela Significant Even if You Don’t Know Why

CLEVELAND - I was in middle school in early 1990 when I first heard of Nelson Mandela. At the time, his release from a South African prison after 27 long years was making international headlines.

I was forced to take notice.

Upon finding out that Mandela died yesterday at age 95, I didn’t cry or reflect on the man. I did, however pause and track down the details online. I never knew exactly what Mandela did for the world, but I do know that it was significant.

Yes, he was controversial. Yes, many people are labeling him a communist, terrorist and a racist in their appraisal of his legacy. But I still marvel at the substantial nature of the man, based on the incredible outpouring of grief in the U.S. for an African politician.

I know that this may sound irrelevant, but Mandela’s friendship with the Great Michael Jackson is another element that made him matter to me. MJ was a huge admirer of his, and was inspired by the enormous strength that he held his entire life.

A life that was full of adversity.

Back in ’90, I began hearing the word “apartheid” as a result of Mandela’s mission against it. As it turns out, he made a quest for racial equality one of the more pre-eminent themes of his life. That will always be something worth respecting.

Mandela was the first Black president of South Africa and was a staunch advocate of human rights. Having been bestowed with numerous high honors (Nobel Peace Prize, Presidential Medal of Freedom), it is no wonder that the man is as revered as he is globally. His accomplishments place him on par with MLK as well as President Obama given the exclusivity of the honors he received.

He was a true icon.

For those people who are not fully aware of Mandela’s impact, I will simply say that his life is very much worth celebrating, whether you felt touched by his efforts or not.

We should all aspire to leave a legacy as great as his.

30 Years Later: Jackson’s Thriller Film Mirrored His Reality

CLEVELAND - Sleek, glamorous and full of childish enthusiasm, a young man (played by 25-year old Michael Jackson) runs out of a movie theater in pursuit of his date, (played by 23-year old Ola Ray). The gorgeous young woman had just seen a frightening film while out with the guy and was so spooked that she charged out in fear and frustration just moments after it started. After a little “flirtatious teasing,” Jackson gets back in her good graces by singing to her as they stroll down a dark and desolate street. This represents the calmest time in the entire evening for Ola, because soon after, her smiles would once again turn into screams.

It went that way for many of us watching too.

Today marks the 30^th anniversary of the release of the seminal short film (though labeled a music video), Michael Jackson’s Thriller. The groundbreaking flick premiered on MTV that night and immediately became a cultural touchstone for both its star and the entertainment industry at large.

In retrospect, it is both fascinating and quite sad that this grand time in Jackson’s life represented the very peak of his enormous powers, popularity and public reputation. Sure, he went on to have a historically successful 1984. But the Thriller film forever remains a transcendent artifact of the man at his most creative, innocent and accomplished mind and overall being.

The bookends of MJ’s charming serenade in the 13-minute masterpiece happened to involve his character turning, first into a ‘werecat’ then into a wild-eyed, dancing zombie. The harrowing nature of both scenes sadly mirror his own real life. Between the release of his 1979 solo smash LP Off the Wall but prior to the dawn of the “Thriller” era in late 1982, the path of his life changed for the worst in an instant. During a live performance, Jackson suffered a broken nose after falling on stage. This led to the first of an obsessive number of nose jobs, and thus the downward spiral of his own self-consciousness took flight.

This seemed to take a back seat to his rapidly ascending popularity in early ’83 when the newly released “Thriller” album began dominating the music charts. But after the Cinderella-type adulation and achievement that MJ enjoyed for two years suddenly ended in 1985, his public profile began taking subtle hits, then massive attacks in the media and the court of public opinion.

And it lasted for the rest of his life.

This reversal of fortune was illustrated time and time again for MJ’s co-star in the film. First Michael was a nice and charming guy, then he suddenly turned into a monster. That turned out to be “only a movie,” but then the “real” him comforted her by singing that he could “thrill [her] more than any ghost would ever dare to try.”

Then, the “real” him became a possessed zombie hell bent on scaring her into oblivion. THIS turned out to be just a dream, but secretly Michael still had “cat eyes” that he was hiding.

I shudder when I think about how his life played out in the same roller coaster fashion as this film’s storyline did. The man changed the course of history and raised the standards of imagination and creativity with this short film. Those facts alone made it grossly unfair that he was ultimately fated to live the remainder of his life being chased by the proverbial demon that would never just let him be.

On such a special anniversary of such a special artistic work, I am grateful for the genius of Michael Joseph Jackson and how he masterfully delivered the Thriller film to the world.

Forever love.