Who Would I Want to Meet?

"If you enter this world knowing you are loved and you leave this world knowing the same, then everything that happens in between can be dealt with." (1) -Michael Jackson

          Michael Jackson seemed to have a very positive outlook on life, despite all of the challenges he faced. For this reason and many others, I would love to "take a page out of Thriller" and spend a day with him, asking him about his many decisions, accomplishments, and challenges. Of particular interest to me would be his inspiration for his songwriting, the story behind the Thriller music video, and his bizarre lifestyle.     

          First, I would ask him about his inspiration. Certain people would tell you that Michael Jackson defines pop music. In fact, he is commonly known as the "King of Pop." His many contributions to music and dance and even fashion have made him a symbol of popular culture for over forty years. From his style of singing and groundbreaking accomplishments to his bizarre life, no one thought that anyone could ever step up to this master of music. Take what is literally the best-selling album of all time as an example: Thriller. It sold 65 million copies worldwide in just under a year after it's release. It stuns me to think how someone finds their inspiration to write such a record-breaking song. I'm sure certain sources would tell you how MJ created this fantastic piece of music, but no one would know better than Jackson himself.

          I would also ask him about his decision to create the Thriller music video in the first place. Before Thriller, no one had ever filmed a music video like that. Back then, music videos usually only consisted of live music or recorded footage of a performance. Michael Jackson took it much farther and created the very first "proper" music video in history; many people would follow in his footsteps and do the same. I'm very interested in his ideas for the music video, which is why I would love to question him about it.

          Finally, I would ask him what many others would be very interested in: What was the reason behind his bizarre social life? Jackson's various actions outside of producing music had been the point of discussion for some time. To give you an example, MJ bought a property and created "Neverland Ranch," his home from 1998 to 2005. The ranch is approximately 3000 acres. This bizarre purchase of land had many people wondering why MJ would want to make his home double as an amusement park. MJ had often stated that he loved children. "I wanted to have a place that I could create everything that I never had as a child. So, you see rides. You see animals. There's a movie theater. I was always on tour, traveling. You know? And I never got a chance to do those things... Neverland appeals to the child inside every man, woman and child. It’s a place where I feel like you can return to your childhood. You find grown-ups, you know, doing things they hadn't done since they were like 10 years old. And it’s just a fun, wonderful place to be." (2) Michael was raised in a world of adults, so he never had the freedom that other children had. He wanted to give other children that freedom, and so he turned his home into Neverland, a place named after a fictional setting in the story "Peter Pan." Unfortunately, many people speculated that he was going mad, spending so much time with children. But all he wanted to do was give kids the experience he never had.

          These questions are only the beginning of the many topics I would ask him about. People thought MJ had a very strange life; however, maybe that's just what it looked like on the outside. On the inside, maybe he was just a nice guy who loved making children happy in the way he never could. He was a fabulous musician; one of the best the world has ever known. So if I ever get to meet him, I'm sure it would be a real "Thriller" moment.

"Let us dream of tomorrow where we can truly love from the soul, and know love as the ultimate truth at the heart of all creation." -Michael Jackson (3)

(1) Michael Jackson. (n.d.). BrainyQuote.com. Retrieved October 29, 2014, from BrainyQuote.com Web site: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/m/michaeljac403017.html

Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/citation/quotes/quotes/m/michaeljac403017.html#KYvb2St6ASbWbXrY.99

(2)" Neverland." Neverland. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Oct. 2014. <http://www.truemichaeljackson.com/neverland/>.

(3) Michael Jackson. (n.d.). BrainyQuote.com. Retrieved October 29, 2014, from BrainyQuote.com Web site: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/m/michaeljac389543.html

Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/citation/quotes/quotes/m/michaeljac389543.html#lsxfpj3w1ADZ42L2.99