The Liquid Kosmos

They didn't get the damn shot

At about 10:00 CST I was walking through the office and someone asked, "Did you hear about Michael Jackson?" No! What? "I think he has fled the country." You're kidding. "Nope, he didn't show up for court this morning and not even his lawyers know where he is." Damn. Really? So, you think he left the country. "Stranger things have happened." Wow, is that an understatement.

Thirty minutes later I was parked in front of the TV watching Fox News Channel with an eerie feeling like I had seen this before. There was a camera posted on top of what seemed to be the entrance to the court house aimed right at the street. Not much was happening except some guy in a dark suit with long silver hair was standing next to a hot brunette in a skirt and heels. She was talking on her cell phone, he was looking at his watch, than at the street. He did this repeatedly.

They of course were looking for Michael and the voice on TV was his spokeswoman trying to moonwalk her way out of another jam. "Michael is very aware and diligent with regard to making his court appearance. It's just that he had severe spasms in his back this morning and had to be rushed to the hospital."

Subsequent reports uncovered that he did indeed go to a hospital with back pain, but you couldn't help wonder why he didn't call his lawyer. At least I wondered. Then I got to thinking, maybe I can see why. He's probably a little depressed and we all know how the blues can take away our urge to talk. And besides, Mike is a soft spoken gent as it is. He's also a little self-centered (which in my opinion is a major reason for depression).

Now, I'm not going into the case because I'm not there. I haven't read about it and unlike Geraldo, I am not going to shave my pubes if he gets convicted. I just think that Michael genuinely lives in a fantasy world. One created by fame and one accelerated by himself.

So, millions of us hear the announcement. If he is not in court by 9:35 the judge will revoke his bond and Michael Jackson will be arrested. Then we're informed that he is about 8 miles away with 5 minutes to spare. I'm on the edge of my seat. FOX is counting it down... There's no way he can make it... It wouldn't seem that way, but reports have his motorcade moving at 90 miles per hour. (I was genuinely disappointed they didn't have a physicist handy to do the calculation).

And there the camera sat. Perched above the door. Come on man! Where's the shot? The copter shot of the motorcade? This whole thing reeked of porn without the lesbian scene. I was sure he was in a Ford Bronco and the LA Highways were cheering him on like OJ. Another white black guy on the lamb from LA's finest.

When his black GMC caravan rolled into the court yard (and was it just me or did they pull up on the sidewalk?) there was no fan fare, just 3 or 4 guys who hustled back to Michael's truck and helped his limberness to his feet. And, just like it was choreographed, there was the infamous Joe Jackson holding the umbrella as Michael gingerly walked toward his living grave. Classic.

There is no bigger fan of Michael Jackson's music than I (with the possible exception of Michael Jackson) and his legacy only grew stronger in my mind when he showed up in pajamas (I think if I were pressed, I might have predicted it), but all I kept thinking was this man is either a genius or is completely fried. Yeah, tell me something I don't know right?

I guess what I'm getting at is I have no idea why I was watching and why I tolerated several co-workers popping their head in my office and laughing like they were glad to see Michael go through this torture.

The truth is I think laughing at him is weak. He's an easy target. He has given so much joy to people in this world, but hasn't figured out how to give it to himself. It is genuinely sad, yet understandable.

Sometimes I think that it's too bad he wasn't just another normal "child star" who just faded away like Gary Coleman or David Cassidy. At least then he would have been forced to live in the real world. But no, his life had to be a long, delusional, and devastating fantasy.

posted by The Oscillator @ 8:24 PM