Back In The Day by John Jeremiah Sullivan is the kind of article that I really wish there were more of in the world. One where the author does his homework and doesn’t reduce his subject to cliches. He doesn’t over praise or over slam MJ. He tells you a narrative that illuminates the subject with enough nuggets that I found myself constantly checking the internet to look for more. Nuggets like MJ’s first song was “Blues Away” and that his son is named after 3 generations of men in his family on his Mother’s side named “Prince.”
Sullivan also had the sense to ask the question: just how did Michael’s voice not change? He noticed that Michael’s voice is actually deeper at age 13 than it was at 30! This suggests a kind of control that most, including myself, have never noticed. He was the lead singer of a major band, the Jackson 5. The changing of his voice would have represented a huge loss. But somehow MJ was able to control this. How? I did hear the rumor that one time MJ’s real voice slipped through later in life. I think that would have scared the pants off of me to hear a deep Michael voice after so many years of the high pitched childish voice he used.
MJ was an artist, an enigma, and a star. He was misunderstood and ridiculed. But he also was a kind of genius. MJ played a part, a character for the world to see. He entertained the world using this character and charmed millions. But in the end, he may have played that part too well.