King of Poop

Well Michael Jackson is found innocent of every charge levelled against him. I heard it on the radio just moments ago.
Not unexpected. Even casually noticing, rather than watching the news of the trial I kind of got the vibe that the single minded proposition (if I can borrow advertising parlance for a moment) was that it was Jackson himself who was the victim. The victim of avaricious people willing to exploit Jackson's weirdness, declining fame and the generally accepted meme that he is a child molester (on the grounds that there is no smoke without fire and funny looking people must be baddies - thanks to Hollywood and the Borthers Grimm ).

The problem with being The One & Only is that, by being iconoclastic and setting yourself apart from the norm, is that you are going to either find acceptance or not. And that acceptance can be fleeting. Jackson once stood astride the world of pop music. His fortune was collossal, his repertoire rightly feted as an important cultural contribution. And, while there are still a cadre of intensely loyal Jackson fans it is unlikely that his career will ever recover from the negative effects of this trial.

While I don't think the trial itself was a witch hunt it is hard not see the parrallels - Michael Jackson looks weird. He doesn't behave like us (at least I hope not). He has a talent that is mercurial - and artistic gifts are often viewed as 'supernatural' - given by the muses rather than earned through the application of skill and hard work.

What will be left for Jackson? Who knows, but I suspect the man/boy who was once the King of Pop is now left to rule over a pile of poop. I'm not a big fan - but I find that a shame.

Maybe he should be remembered for his music and the pleasure that gave kids all around the world and not his self inflicted pain.