Saying Goodbye to the King
Even if you know nothing about me or have just kept up with my past week of blogs then I would say it is pretty clear the profound effect that the death of Michael Jackson has had on my life. I have not been very bothered and very upset about it for more than a week now and have been searching for some form of closure. It is understandable how there have been reports of people committing suicide all around the world after hearing the news. I can only imagine what is like to connect to a celebrity so much throughout your life that you truly feel like they are your friend or even a family member. An artist like MJ creates music that was there for your first kiss, walking down the aisle of your wedding, or even conceiving your first child to. It is possible that some people allowed MJ into their life more than any lover they have ever had, any family member, any friend. It is that type of connection that could lead one to take their own life.
I was not going to go to those limits but I knew that I needed some form of closure. I needed to try and make sense of all of this so I got in the car with a group of my closest friends and we went to visit some of the most important places relating to Michael Jackson’s life. The outpouring of support that we witnessed was beyond moving and it was a trip that I will never forget.
Our first stop was the Jackson house located right off of Ventura Blvd on Hayvenhurst. The Jackson family home is literally a few minutes from the house where I grew up.
When we arrived at the house, the overall magnitude of his death became very clear to me. News trucks and media vans stretched as far as the eye could see. There were reporters from all around the globe representing every country that there is. It was unbelievable.
My favorite sign may be a bit hard to read but it made me laugh out loud. I am sure most of you remember the interview that Martin Bashir did with Michael Jackson for the special “Living with Michael Jackson.” Since MJ’s death,i have re-watched the special and have found Bashir’s behavior to be absolutely despicable. He literally instigated as much as he could with the King of Pop. If only Bashir could understand that Jackson was one of a kind. Strange? Yes! Pedophile? No! It upsets me how Jackson’s reputation has forever been ruined. Ignorant people refer to him as a monster–as a pedophile of sorts– but it is simply not true. I have read over both of the child molestation cases which were brought against Jackson and both of them contained evidence that was inconclusive. Simply put, the allegations were never proven true. The problem was though, Michael settled the original lawsuit and for many, that is a sign of guilt. Nothing could be further from the truth. Michael was too weak a person to go through such a humiliating lawsuit so he settled with the boy’s family. When the same charges were brought against him more than a decade later, Jackson refused to settle because he knew he was innocent. After a raid of his Neverland house, humiliating photos taken of every part of his body and a painstakingly long trial which played out in the spotlight, Jackson was found not-guilty of all counts of child molestation yet most people still think he was guilty of some sort of pedophilia. It upsets me because I truly think that Jackson always had good intentions. His heart truly was meant to help the children of the world. I think that “Heal the World” is one of the greatest songs ever written and the opening few lines of the song completely reveal his entire fascination with children.
“‘Children show me in their playful smiles the divine in everyone. These children are reminder of the preciousness of all life. Especially young lives untouched by hatred, prejudice, and greed now – when the world is so confused, and it’s problems so complicated, we need our children more than ever. The Mission of Heal The World, my Mission, is HEALING, pure and simple, to heal our world, we must start with our children being with them connected to the deep wisdom of life This simple goodness shines straight from their hearts and only asks to be lived. We have to heal our wounded Planet. I wrote this song for everyone in our world, in ever to bring global harmony.’
Okay, so it seems I have gone off on a bit of a tangent so let me get back to Martin Bashir. Bashir clearly thought that Jackson was a pedophile throughout all of his interviews and it was as if he was determined to push Jackson to such a degree so that he could be the the David Frost of celebrity interviews. It was his thought that– like Nixon– he would be able to get Jackson to reveal something so shocking. Well he pushed and he pushed and he pushed but he got NOTHING out of Jackson except for the fact that Bashir made himself look like an ass. For years, Bashir has been hated by the loyal Jackson fan base. Therefore it was not too surprising to see this sign inside the memorial.
I know it’s difficult to read but the sign says:
“Lets not forget that Martin Bashir was a bad reporter and a betrayer. Let’s not forget the evil kid and his whore mother. Let’s hope and pray that these bad people and Michael’s enemies will pay the consequences One day. AND we promise you we will teach all the next generations that you Michael Jackson are The greatest Man that ever lived.”
Given the sign is ridiculously dramatic, it kind of made me feel better about everything.
Next up on our trip was visiting Michael Jackson’s Hollywood star located in front of Grauman’s Chinese Theater.
The line to see his star stretched all the way down Hollywood Blvd. and was about a 2 hour wait.
The most amazing thing about Hollywood the day we visited was how just about EVERYTHING revolved around Michael Jackson. Each store we walked past was playing a different MJ song, every person on the street was wearing some form of MJ paraphernalia. It was just beautiful.
I LOVED this beautiful flower arrangement.
The flowers and gifts left by his star piled up more than several feet.
EVERYWHERE you looked people were selling bootleg Jackson shirts. I should have bought some 
Outside of Grauman’s theater.
Car driving down Hollywood Blvd.
After visiting the memorial at the Jackson family home and seeing the outpouring of support at his star in Hollywood, there was one last place that I knew I needed to visit to completely try and understand all of this. It was the house that Michael Jackson passed away in located right off of Sunset Blvd, just minutes away from UCLA.
The house is taped off and is considered a crime scene.
The lights remained on the second story of his house. It was very creepy and very spooky.
Flowers on the corner of the house. If you needed any more reason to hate Ed Hardy creator, Christian Audiger, then look at the photo above. Audiger places DOZENS of advertisements of him with Jackson all over the different memorial spots around the house. It was sickening! I cannot stand people who wear Ed Hardy let alone the man who created it. He radiates douche. People came up with creative ways to block off his face from all the signs he posted.
Like so.
I knew that it was time to say goodbye. I was completely amazed by the thousands and thousands of people who came to say goodbye at all the various locations we visited. Though he may not have known it while he was alive, Jackson was loved and supported by millions and millions of people all over the world.
It’s amazing how much comfort you feel just by lighting a cheap candle from the 99 Cents store! Our day had come to an end. And though MJ’s death still baffles, confuses and upsets me, I was able to finally find a bit of closure to it all. I was hoping that I would be able to attend one of the memorial services but, as we have all learned over the past few days, that is pretty much impossible. That brings me to my closing note. Who the f*ck is planning the MJ funeral/ memorial services? It truly is one of the most ridiculous and idiotic things Ihave ever seen. First of all, why is it being held at the Staples Center? That just bothers me to no end. It makes it seems as if his death is some sort of circus act/entertainment spectacle. Even the Coliseum would seem more appropriate than such a commercial structure. Why would you ONLY allows a mere 17,500 people to attend the memorial? It makes NO sense to me. The Lakers parade attracted 250,000 people. That was a niche thing. Jackson was the world’s BIGGEST superstar. I have tried to think of people that were bigger and there really is NO ONE bigger than MJ. There are MILLIONS of people from all over the world that are coming to Los Angeles to pay tribute to this man so why would you pick a venue that accommodates 0.000000001 of his fans. I just think it’s a real slap in the face. The thing that pisses me off the most though is how they announced during the press conference that unless you have a ticket to the event than you are advised to stay far far away from the Staples Center and that you should watch the memorial from “the comfort of your own home.” WTF is that? I just like to pretend that Joe Jackson planned everything single handed because that is the only way I can make any sense of this. I, like the millions of others who signed up at StaplesCenter.com, will be checking my email to see if I am one of the lucky 8,750 people who receive tickets to the event. But unlike most people, I am not optimistic about my chances to get them. This trip was only the beginning of my quest for closure. Next up Neverland and ultimately his grave. Since learning of his death, I think my obsession and appreciation for Michael Jackson has just grown and grown. I just regret not appreciating him as much while he was alive.
R.I.P. Michael Jackson
