The need to reconcile the art from the artist can be tricky. Many of my students have been talking about the new Michael Jackson film, "This Is It." At the same time, MJ has become a bit of a punchline these days, which is kind of a shame. Not in relation to what he may or may not have done outside of the recording studio/off stage - the fact is, we, don't really know - but that those things tend to over shadow all the brilliant music. That is not to in any way imply his musical genius is any kind of excuse for any kind of behavior - quite the contrary; but it is sad to me that in the later years of his life he was generally equally known for the controversy surrounding him as he was for his music.
It actually makes me wonder what his motivations were in some ways. Even a cursory look at his life, particularly his childhood, makes it obvious he was not "normal." I've watched several documentaries on MJ and I always wind up disgusted by him as a person, but with a tinge of sympathy towards him. Frankly, I have no idea if he did the things he was acussed of; honestly, what tore it for me was when he held his own child out of that balcony some years ago. Who does that? At that point, regardless of all the rest, he lost me forever as far as MJ the person. To say nothing if any of the other accusations should ever prove true. Remember, all we really have in the public record is an acquittal and a lot very questionable behavior that I, for one, have a tough time thinking does not point towards him being guilty; but we just don't know as an absolute 100% certainly.
And how ironic if it should turn out he really was guilty. It would be naive to think that he was also not continually exploited and taken advantage of by all kinds of people throughout his life. Does that make it ok? If you steal from a thief, you are also a thief. Sad. There are so many victims of so many crimes here.
And it's pretty easy to knock the guy in terms of his not being a well grounded individual. Just look at what he did to himself physically. Forget the skin pigmentation part of it, just the endless plastic surgery alone is pretty off putting. You gotta wonder what was going on in his head, just generally.
But then there is the music. This glorious, brilliant, amazing, ground breaking, music. Does the music excuse the behavior? Certainly not. Absolutely not. But the real question is, does the behavior make the music irrelevant? Perhaps. And here's the thing many student have the hardest time with: there simply is no correct answer. And that might be the worst part of never really knowing what exactly happened with MJ. What exactly he did or did not do. Not because he should be vilified or apologized to - I figure that is ultimately between him and his maker, or at the very least his alleged vicitms - no, in this case the need for the truth is more about the need to fully and accurately separate the art from the artist. If he was guilty, then his musical gift is a tragedy in that is was placed in the hands of someone who simply did not derseve it. If he was innocent, then his musical gift was tragic in that it could not lift him out of his otherwise sad life.
Either way, without the full truth there can never be a correct answer. Art versus artist - it is such a tough call. For the record, I look forward to seeing the new film. I'd like to think that he was just misunderstood; but I fear he was just severely misguided. I am disgusted just at the notion of what may have happened to those kids. I'm also disgusted that we, as a society, allowed the circumstance to go unresolved. We seem to have been too complacent to find the truth, and now we may never know.
Maybe his music was a way to repent for his sins. Sounds nice, but I personally don't believe you can fully repent if you are also hiding from the truth of your life. Art versus artist. Either way, it's very sad.
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