He Said, She Said: Michael Jackson's This Is It
By D. James Ruccio III
November 2, 2009
BoxOfficeProphets.com
When Michael Jackson died on June 25th of this year, one of the most compelling lives in entertainment came to an end. Since he was a child, most of the civilized world has been fascinated by, adored and in some cases loved Jackson. His ascendancy to the title of the "King of Pop" with the release of 1982's Thriller perhaps marked the height of his popularity, cultural influence and positive public relationship. In many ways, he has been the most compelling tragic figure in modern popular entertainment. Therefore, Michael Jackson's This Is It makes for a fascinating final look into the talent and abilities of the performer.
Michael Jackson's This Is It is behind the scenes footage of rehearsals in Los Angeles for the 50 concerts to have taken place in London. By the looks of it, the goal of the series was nothing less than to revolutionize the concept of the concert experience. They were to integrate 3-D, high definition screens that would have incorporated Jackson's videos with freshly inserted scenes to classic videos such as "Smooth Criminal" and "Thriller". There were elements that would have been much more interactive for the audience, with various pieces of the show actually interspersed amongst the concert-goers. The lighting, pyrotechnics and costume design all were also intended to again push the boundaries of pop music performance. The intent seems to have been a fully immersive, retrospective of Jackson's musical legacy. It was to serve, if rumors were correct, as the final performances before his retirement.
The footage itself shows Jackson as an uncommonly accomplished performer expertly informed in all aspects of what it takes to stage a concert. The audience sees Jackson interacting with musicians, dancers, singers, stage crew, film makers and multimedia producers. His relationship with them all is that of a superior, not simply because of his legacy but his obvious knowledge and talent that fueled his accomplishments long before his reputation was established. He clearly directs every phase of the rehearsals and is seen involved in all manner of the concerts' planning and production. There are fascinating moments where he gently massages out of a performer what he wants and it works every time. He rehearses with the Musical Director to coax out of him a new intro to "The Way You Make Me Feel", which gives the song a slow drawl sensuality intro that then kicks into the familiar drum beat. He is seen rehearsing with another singer for "I Just Can't Stop Loving You" in which he guides her through the song and begins singing it closer to performance strength, a distinctly forbidden occurrence until actual shows. But it's a light moment that shows the attraction of the moment for a performer that even after all these years Jackson is drawn to.
He spontaneously begins to sing "Human Nature", and eventually the band joins in and it turns into seemingly a fuller version than intended. He often also remarked that he'll "feel" something, knowing when a right time for something to happen will be and there is a trust from all involved that he will be right. He was also obviously an expert dancer but we are reminded that he was a talented vocal performer as well (provided the vocal performance wasn't cleaned up in post-production).The movie shows Jackson as an unquestionable master of his craft. It was also quietly fascinating to me to watch it with Caroline, a very accomplished vocalist herself. I kept stealing glimpses of her appreciating the craft that, I think, only those like her can really appreciate.
Members of the movie audience all serve as stand-ins for those who were supposed to attend the live shows and there is a palpable sense of what this concert might have been. Caroline and I turned to each other several times and whispered, "that would have been kewl!"
The members of the movie audience also represented interesting aspects of Jackson's popularity and cultural significance. There were several small children, not much younger than when Jackson was first introduced to the world, gleefully singing along at their full, school-aged best. The songs therefore take on a timelessness when children not even born before Jackson's last album's release can easily sing along. There was the older white woman who stood in the doorway and watched a large portion of the film. It is easy to forget with today's easily permeable racial boundary of pop music how significant Jackson's socio musical impact was. But the audience watching the movie with us was a demonstration of his appeal to many varied demographics.
Throughout the film, the dancers often served as proxy audience and fans. The movie often cut to them gathered in the front of the stage while Jackson performs alone and they are seen reacting wildly to what they are witnessing. Presumably, most of them are half his age and often act as unabashed fans. The movie in fact opens during the dance auditions where several of them profoundly recount what his music and legacy means to them. Throughout it, they serve as what the audience would have been.
While This Is It is obviously intended to be a positive take on Jackson's talent and legacy, those things that led to his downfall and tarnished his reputation irrevocably manage to creep into the film. While his prowess as a performer -which lends itself to deference - is obvious, there is an equally obvious sense of sycophancy. During moments of His displeasure, voices automatically drop to whispers, eyes are averted and there is a sense that the God-King is not pleased. While not intended, I am sure it's a fascinating glimpse of the inner workings of an entourage centered around the most famous pop star since the Beatles. It is also oddly unsettling to hear him talk using a near normal regular voice instead of the fey, falsetto speaking voice we all expect. One wonders what makes a man so shy as to affect the very way he communicates. The very sight of him, especially those close up, reminds the viewer of his cosmetically mangled, alien features. The movie also begins to delve into Jackson's well intentioned but seemingly self absorbed intent to heal the planet. His only responsibility to the dire situation is seemingly to awake others to the danger and nothing more (while other celebrities actually pitch in). There is also no footage of him other than that of him rehearsing or interacting with other performers that
decreases the boundary between Jackson and the rest of the world. It serves to continue to isolate him from everything else and make him seem other than normal.
It is also difficult at times to watch this movie, for it is filled with a pervasive sense of dread and deep sadness. Not just for the known outcome but for the accompanying sense ironically, of what might have been. Part of the human experience and how we are judged is based on how we react to those aspects of our lives that will alter the direction of our being. As I grow older, I become aware that, no matter the force of an individual's will, we may be powerless to divert impact from our life. Sometimes all one can do is not avoid trauma but stiffen to its violent arrival. But Jackson seems to have been so completely overwhelmed by a strange life. How odd it must have been to have a father like Joe Jackson, who drove children he supposedly loved with such uncompromising, unrelenting focus. Weirder still must have been his earlier life, caught in the midst of a popular culture maelstrom, with disruptive influences and what seems to be no support structure. He often remarked that much of his adult life's desire was to recapture a youth he felt he never had. Hence, he had the fascination with childlike things and perhaps deeper and much darker personal disturbances. Jackson may therefore be the most tragic child performer of our times, and he never recovered. All of this infuses the film with in intense under-current of macabre fatalism.
This Is It may be titled with a sense of irony. The purpose of the title may have been meant to represent the pinnacle of his career but it could also be that this, the performance, is all he had. Michael Jackson's This Is It will most likely be the last, indelible demonstration of his ability as he was about to re-emerge and perhaps remind his fans why he was once upon a time the unquestioned "King of Pop". With the rapid fraying and multiplication of media options we may never again see someone so completely take control of pop culture as did Jackson.
Shortly after his death, Caroline and I happened out for a night of cocktails and karaoke. His death was recent and many chose to do their best renditions of his songs. The night took on the sense of an impromptu celebration of what he contributed to our lives. I hadn't sung, much less hummed or even thought of his songs in many years. But then a moment happened that reminded me of his significance. Someone chose to sing "Wanna Be Starting Somethin'." As the song progressed, people began to react as something took them over. Couples popped up and danced with one another, others simply danced alone. One woman mounted the table she was occupied and began to drunkenly shimmy. Those not dancing were singing raucously and by the end of it all we were all collectively united in a strange, movie-like scene where everyone was reminded of his impact. For all the seeming tragedy of his life and untimely death, the legacy of uniting random strangers like this is not such an insignificant accomplishment.