Arnotts said:

I understand how you feel, and you don't sound crazy. You sound like you loved a man and his amazing music that touched you.

The Culture: Long Before 'Thriller,' Jackson Shattered Racial Barriers

By Wil Haygood
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, June 26, 2009

In 1972, when the movie "Ben" premiered and sent that falsetto voice of little Michael Jackson soaring across movie screens, the joy inside black America was palpable. It wasn't just that the song raced to No. 1 on the charts, it was that it flowed from the magic of film. And black America, long kept away from mainstream movies, kept a close eye on -- and a keen interest in -- the world of Tinseltown.

Little Michael had come upon this particular movie only 18 years after the collapse of legal segregation in the United States. And many of the movie houses that showed "Ben" had once been theaters where blacks could not gain admittance. In urban America, the reality of the times had hardly gone unnoticed. The '60s may have been over, but the battles it took to shape them still hung in the air.

In the '70s, groups of middle-aged black Americans could still reminisce about the chitlin circuit and the world of vaudeville, two popular venues for gifted black performers. Maybe they had seen Moms Mabley out there on the circuit; maybe they had seen Redd Foxx in some pungent-smelling juke joint in Atlantic City; maybe they had even seen the high-stepping Nicholas brothers -- Fayard and Harold -- soaring over chairs on a stage over in Baltimore.

Before politics took a more defiant tone, and before the arrival of wonderful-sounding black ministers (Gardner Taylor, Adam Clayton Powell Jr., Martin Luther King Jr.), it was music that black America offered to mainstream society as a kind of plea for acceptance. There were Scott Joplin and Louis Armstrong; Duke Ellington and Lena Horne. Of course, Billie Holiday and Charlie Parker.

Still, the only black musicians to have made a mark on the soundtracks of mainstream movies in the 1960s were Quincy Jones and Duke Ellington.

Little Michael landed upon the mindset of film-hungry black America when its citizenry was starved for identity on the big screen.

He was but a 14-year-old child in 1972, and black mothers and aunts and big sisters in the ghettos of the nation seemed to pull that child to their bosoms. He was a little brother; he was a precious boy; he was like the prodigy in your own church. There he was on "American Bandstand" and on "Soul Train." The early '70s actually represented some beautiful times in America -- freedom rising, integration building and little Michael singing on the hand-held radio. Little Michael with the prettiest and fluffiest Afro in the land.


Throughout the years, he claimed covers of Ebony and Jet magazines. And even when his life had begun to take on tawdry dimensions, black America refused to abandon him. It was as if they knew the pain that had greeted so many child performers, black or white.

The famed pianist and singer Bobby Short had been a child performer. "One day when you're in show business and are a child, something clicks and you realize what you do is important to a lot of adults around you," Short once said. "You are emboldened, and your childhood is over. It's not a happy circumstance. If you don't go on, you're going to hurt a lot of people."

There were those in America, especially in black America, who imagined linkages between Sammy Davis Jr. -- himself a onetime vaudeville performer -- and Michael Jackson. Both had seemed eternally childlike. Both had a love affair with "The Wizard of Oz." There's no place like home, there's no place like home.

How many black hepcats in barbershops talked of Michael's private jetting around the globe? That was economic power! How many women in hair salons in South Central L.A. wondered: Who does his hair?

It seemed as if he could snap his finger and make something happen, make animals appear in his back yard. The Wizard of Odd, yes, but in black America, Michael was a pioneer. Michael was a kid, and allowances must be made for kids.

And, of course, there was that skin dynamic. His complexion went from a beautiful and sweet nutmeg brown to an alabaster white. The tabloids might have gone into a spasm, but that wasn't quite the reaction in black America. To be sure, there were cackles, but more often than not, sympathy. Leave Michael alone became a popular refrain in the black community. Just leave him alone.

And, of course, he was pretty much left alone.

Black America always considered Michael Jackson, his voice shooting out over them, to be at home among them. He'd be at one of those NAACP Image Awards shows, and he'd be standing among folk who had watched him grow up. He accepted the joyful tears of the old and young and moved into their hearts.

Alright it's time to cheer y'all's asses up in here and I can't think of a better way than with some damn good ass shakin' music and some ass shakin' to go along with it.

This is the Michael Jackson era that I love best and I chose these two clips to demonstrate the effect of the energy and good times that Michael Jackson and his brothers' music had on other people.

Alright it's time to cheer y'all's asses up in here and I can't think of a better way than with some damn good ass shakin' music and some ass shakin' to go along with it.

This is the Michael Jackson era that I love best and I chose these two clips to demonstrate the effect of the energy and good times that Michael Jackson and his brothers' music had on other people.

I'm here at my desk on my laptop. There has been a print-out picture of MJ on top of my desktop PC's monitor for months now, which sits behind my laptop. I don't have my posters in the room I am currently in, so this is the only photo of him near me right now. The picture just fell, and slowly landed faced-up on my leg, in my lap. I froze. I did not move or bump into my desk to cause this. No wind. Just sitting still here. And now, I suddenly don't feel like crying anymore.

The heart can only take so much. He had a broken heart and it never repaired...

Damn, I still can't believe he is gone. R.I.P. Michael. This man's music has been a part of my life since I was a little kid. He will always be a legend!!

I'm in tears...I just lost my idol

You are the very first person I thought of when I heard the news of Michael's passing because you have been one of the biggest defenders of Michael Jackson and have taken on many people with different opinions but you stood your ground and didn't back down. I remember you and I having a very long and serious discussion one time and we were both extremely courteous and respectful of each other while both trying to get our points across. I have a lot of respect for you and send you much love during this tragic time.
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[Edited 6/25/09 23:42pm]

I'm watching Anderson Cooper and they are stating that Marlon Jackson found out because his daughter came in to the room saying Dad the news is saying uncle Mike is dead and he said he jumped up and called someone who told him it was true and that Mike wasn't feeling well last night and a doctor was called to the home to check him out

Essence.com Exclusive! Marlon Jackson speaks to Roland S. Martin about the death of his brother, Michael Jackson

Essence.com blogger Roland S. Martin talks with Marlon Jackson, brother of Michael Jackson and a member of the Jackson 5, about the death of his younger brother, the King of Pop.

Marlon, how did you find out about Michael’s death?

“I Talked to Frank Dileo, Michael’s manager. Frank told me that Michael last night was complaining about not feeling well. He called to tell him he wasn’t feeling well.

“Michael’s doctor went over to see him, and Frank said, ‘Marlon, from last night to this morning, I don’t know what happened.’ When they got to him this morning, he wasn’t breathing. They rushed him to the hospital and couldn’t bring him around. That’s what happened. They don’t know what happened.”

When was the last time you saw Michael?

“It was May 14 at a family gathering. I had just gotten back from Africa. Michael looked great. He was looking well. He was getting ready to go into rehearsals for his tour. I don’t know what happened.”

There were some reports he wasn’t feeling well and was in a wheelchair.

“He wasn’t in a wheelchair. He was walking around with his kids. When we saw him he wasn’t in a wheelchair. We all talked. He was doing great.”



Was that the last time you spoke with him?



“May 14 was the last time I spoke with him. The last time I saw him.”

Have you talked to any of your other family members about his death?

“I’ve been trying to get a hold of my mom. I talked to Jackie. I talked to Tito. They feel the same way. A piece of our heart, a piece of us went with him. It was a shock to them, too. I talked to my brother, Jackie, and he said, ‘Marlon, is it true?’ I said, ‘I’m calling them right now to see if its true. That when I called Frank Dileo and I couldn’t get to my mom. I talked to him the first tiem and he was at the house and my mom was in the background crying, and was just upset.”

Was Michael still at the house?

“Michael had passed. Frank told me, ‘We lost him.’

And you said a doctor saw him last night, but he didn’t see a need to take him to the hospital?

“He didn’t take him to the hospital. This morning he wasn’t breathing and they rushed him to the hospital. He was going to be 51 in August. Gone too soon.”

Marlon, it’s amazing to look at the reaction from all over the world. People are at the hospital, at the Jackson family home in Gary, Indiana, at his star on the Wall of Fame.

“I never knew the effect the Jackson 5 had on people until I began traveling with (Major Broadcasting) network, and people would say our songs were the reason for them getting married. Me and my brothers did what we did because we loved it. That’s the way we thought. I’m happy that we did get a chance to just bring happiness to everybody, and Michael took it to another level to bring people happiness. He cared about people a lot.

“Michael was known all over the world, and that’s why people care, and it’s nice to see that people care. Not only did they grow up with my brother, but they grew up with the Jackson 5. They care, they care. He’s going to be missed. He’s definitely going to be missed. We are always going to remember him. We cannot forget him.”

I hear the comparisons to Elvis Presley and people looking to him a generation later. I know it’s very soon after the death of Michael, but should something like Graceland be established so the next generation is aware of Michael’s impact?

“He’s going to live on. He has left a legacy and it’s going to be forever, and I really feel that in my heart. I want people to concentrate on those things that he did for people. He did a lot of positive things. He’s going to live forever. I’m going to miss him. The memories, all the great things he has done, and my family is going to miss him. It’s hard. It’s really hard for us right now.”

For the world he was the King of Pop. But for you, he was your younger brother.

"And that’s the way we saw him, as a younger brother. It’s like when anyone else loses their family member. It hurts. It hurts right now. It really hurts.”

Bob Sanger: This is what I want to say. I do think it's appropriate to speak out at this point in honor of Michael. First of all, he was a great musician and performer, and his impact on music goes on today. I saw something on television today, I forgot who it was, but I looked at it, a current star doing a music video, and thought, 'That's Michael Jackson.' You can just see where all that came from that didn't exist before he started doing that sort of thing. The beat, and the music and everything else. That's an impact that he'll have forever, or certainly for a long time. I think that what people don't appreciate about Michael Jackson was as a human being, which I got to see, was privileged to see this, because he does have a lot of people around him.

When you represent him, which I did, unfortunately - unfortunately for him that we had to do this, but you do get very close to a person, and I sat next to him for four months in the criminal case - it took a full four months, and he was there every day. But what I did learn in the years that I represented him - particularly in that last case - is that he is a very kind person. Truly from his heart. And his whole family is like that. His mother, Katherine, and his sisters, LaToya and Janet - they have their own personalities onstage and everything, but they are the kindest, sweetest people you'll ever want to meet. And his brothers are very nice; they offer to do what they can for you.

I remember having a family meeting out at the ranch, in a room out there that was nicely appointed, as everything was. And we were all going to sit down and have a big meeting. And Janet says, 'Bob, you don't have a place to sit.' I told her it was okay, I could stand, and she said, 'No, no, no, I'll get you a chair.' She walks out the door, and I figure she's going to get someone to bring me a chair. She walks in with this big wing-backed armchair that she's carrying into the room - Janet Jackson - for me to sit in. It wasn't remarkable in that it was any different that what you'd expect from anyone in that family, or from her.

They were very kind. You would go to the ranch, or a house elsewhere where we met on other occasions, and you couldn't get away without being offered something to eat or drink. And personally, and I don't mean snap your figures and someone comes to do it, they would be very concerned and very kind and generous about everything. And Michael was the same way. He believed that one of the things he could do in life in addition to entertainment was that he could really help children. And I know that's going to immediately get some kind of sarcastic response, but it's absolutely true.

I was there at his ranch when he wasn't even there on at least two occasions when he had a giant group of kids come up. One, a bunch of kids who were from hospitals down in LA -- children's wards -- came up with their families and everything else, and another time it was disadvantaged kids with their families, they were brought up and came up on buses - he had a couple of buses - and he would bring people up and it was like they were at Disneyland. His staff was there, and at one point he had a hundred-something people on staff. They would be offering everybody candy, and something to drink, and play in the game room, and go to the movie theater. And you'd see these kids, and it was just remarkable to see these kids and their eyes so wide and being treated this way.

And the third thing was that Michael was extremely well-read.

I didn't know that.

No. Few people did. In trial - and I knew Michael, but I got to know him a lot better at the trial. The judge was doing jury selection, and it was time for break. Judge Melville said, 'Ladies and gentlemen, I want you to know that jury service is very, very important.' He's trying to convince people not to have stupid excuses to get out of jury service. All judges do this. He says, 'The jury system is a very time-honored system. It's been around for 200 years. We're going to take a break and come back in 15 minutes.

We stand up and the judge leaves, and Michael turns to me and says, "Bob, the jury system is much older than 200 years, isn't it?' I said, 'Well, yeah, it goes back to the Greeks.' He says, 'Oh yeah, Socrates had a jury trial, didn't he?' I said, 'Yeah, well, you know how it turned out for him.' Michael says, 'Yeah, he had to drink the hemlock.' That's just one little tidbit. We talked about psychology, Freud and Jung, Hawthorne, sociology, black history and sociology dealing with race issues. But he was very well read in the classics of psychology and history and literature.