Mal Fletcher comments

Mal Fletcher

The news that singer Michael Jackson died early Thursday afternoon at his Los Angeles home, has predictably sent shock waves through the world of pop celebrity. It has also provoked a tidal wave of responses in the Twittersphere and blogosphere.

Michael, of course, transcended the borders of his musical genre because he was an innovator, a pusher of boundaries in musical terms.

Sadly, his celebrity in latter years became more a matter of various troubles, such as the charges of child molestation brought against him and, latterly, problems relating to money as his album sales dropped.

Even his biggest fans were unsure whether Michael would be able to mount the ambitious series of concerts planned for London this year.

In some ways, Michael's celebrity trajectory is unique; in others it follows an all too familiar pattern. Actually, on some levels, it seems to parallel the life arc of another 'king' of popular music and ruler of pop-culture - Elvis Presley.

There are obvious differences of course, but the similarities shouldn't be ignored. Their stories may have important lessons to teach us about the power of global celebrity and the frailty of those human beings who are subjected to it.

Like Michael, Elvis was raised the son of relatively poor parents. Like Michael, he began to experiment with new forms of musical expression at a young age. Like Michael, he was able to bring a new audience to what was previously thought of as 'black' music - in Elvis' case it was Rock n Roll, in Michael's it was more R&B and soul.

In the post-war America of the fifties, a global phenomenon was being born. For the first time in history, teenagers had disposable income to spend as they wished. Weary of war and upheaval, their parents wanted for them a quality of life they themselves had not enjoyed as young people.

Wherever there is money, there are creative marketers to help people spend it. Young people were invited to spend their money on new 'teenage' movies, pastimes and all toys, such as roller skates, mass-produced surfboards and so on.

The marketers of these new teen sensations were quick to identify the power of music to sell. New forms of music, which were often frowned on by parents and authority figures, allowed young people to express themselves in ways that broke with the 'family friendly' forms of earlier generations.

The new music was borrowed, in the main, from black rhythm and blues and gospel, and was considered dangerous and even antisocial, which made it all the more attractive.

Elvis was seen as the embodiment of that edginess and danger. He was good-looking, talented and not afraid to step on other peoples' blue suede shoes in the quest for self-expression. And he certainly sold records and made other people a lot of money. Like Michael, he became a one-man industry.

Like Michael Jackson, Elvis Presley was a pioneer and a rebel. Perhaps not surprisingly given the attention they received, both were given to flights of incredible generosity and unusual vanity.

In both cases, beneath the self-confident public air there lurked an abiding insecurity. This is often the way with extremely talented people, especially in entertainment.