For those of you who want to hear that Michael Jackson never molested any children, you should read this as it will make you feel better. Personally I would like to know, but I can’t preach one way or the other, i can only present you what facts I find. Growing up, we had a ‘singing machine’ which was pre-karaoke, but had 8-tracks with various Beatles and Michael Jackson songs on it but WITH VOCALS REMOVED. I wish I still had those 8-tracks, and if I can find any I’ll check to see how they sounded, like were they the original masters with vocals muted? or were they just eq’d in a way that the vocals were not audible? – that’s one for my guitars blog!

MAN IN THE MIRROR by Moses Avalon

Who would have thought that Jackson would be outlived by Keith Richards or Ozzy Osbourne in a drug related fatality?
Now, there are far more pressing things that will effect our community more than Jackson’s passing.  We have an industry in transition and money is falling off the table in every direction.  We need to focus on that.  But I can not ignore the many emails I’ve received asking me to comment on Michael’s death.   Plus, I have to admit, that I am moved by this event. I grew up with Jackson’s music and as a producer and engineer I was asked to get that “Jackson sound” by many clients.

So, here goes.

Over my 30 years in the music business I’ve worked, briefly, with or for more than one member of the Jackson camp.  I never met Michael directly.  What I know of him personally is filtered through my interactions with both “his people” and Sony as a consultant/journalist and one of his siblings whose album I worked on back in the 1980s.   So, my connection to him was nothing great but I did get insight through social osmosis.   I’ll share:

1)       Michael was not nor has he ever been a child molester.  The first accusation was part of an elaborate stunt to get his biggest creditor, Sony, to drop him and thus release him from having to pay back hundreds of millions to his record company. It didn’t work, Sony held on and I never found out if Michael himself was privy to the inner workings of this ridiculous strategy.  The second molestation charge was a cheap extortion ploy with virtually no real evidence to support it.  Michael loved children. He was a child himself in many ways.  It’s true that he had children sleep in his bedroom. But his bedroom was bigger than most people’s entire home. (Over 1000 sq ft)  So, it’s unlikely that this was anything devious.

2)       It is highly unlikely that Michael intentionally committed suicide or even attempted to do so. He loved life despite his personal issues.  He would not plan a comeback tour and then off himself.  He would have considered that to be “rude.”

3)       Michael was a shrewd business man.  He played the naive artist in front of the camera because it helped his image, but he understood the business of music quite masterfully.  Enough so to engineer and maintain the largest record-deal in history: $75,000,000 a year, for ten years–guaranteed–even if he doesn’t deliver a commercially satisfactory album.

4)       Michael and his family did not get along.  So what?  That makes him quite normal.

5)       Sony Business Affairs is glad that he’s dead.  Michael was about $600 Million in debt to the music giant. They had little to no hope for recoupment.  Now they will recoup both with music sales and INSURANCE.  Yes, let’s not forget that they insured Mr. Jackson for big bucks in the event of an untimely death (as they do many of their acts).  They will probably own a stake in the Neverland ranch when the probate smoke clears and turn it into another Graceland.  They will, after a lengthy legal battle, surely get some of Jackson’s Beatles catalog, as this was collateralized into his record deal.  (Sony will probably let the family keep the Elephant Man skeleton.) If you’re into conspiracy theories and you’re looking for a suspect who advanced Michael’s death, don’t look to his doctors.  They made more with him alive.  Look to Sony.   That said, I don’t think record companies kill people with prescription drugs just to collect the insurance money. This isn’t the 1980s.

It would be nice if Jackson’s memorial would be like John Lennon’s in 1980.  Back then, tens of thousands gathered in Sheep’s Meadow, Central Park to mourn. It was televised–commercial free–and millions around the world participated in a moment of silence, without a single incident of violence.  Imagine that, the entire world quiet for one minute to honor a pop singer.

Unfortunately, Michael died during a really bad recession.  The Mayor of Los Angeles is asking fans to pay for the ceremony with contributions, the streets of downtown LA will be a gauntlet of souvenir stands, Performing Rights Societies and publishers did not waive their fees for the songs that will be played and thousands Twittered during the ceremony, despite requests not to. The Lennon vigil, it was not.

I was a fan of Michael’s music.  And while it was never considered to be as socially relevant as say, Bob Dylan, there is no denying that his contribution to the art form of pop music surpassed virtually everybody. In 100 years very few of today’s music giants will be remembered by name, but I have no doubt that in 2109 when people muse about great music along with Dylan and Lennon, Michael Jackson will be in the mix.

RIP Michael.  I will miss you.

AND LET’S NOT FORGET

Aside from the eclipsing Farah’s passing, yet another music biz icon has left us this week who has gone un-noticed.  Allen Klein, who managed the business affairs of many top acts, including the Beatles and the Rolling Stones.  He audited labels, finding unpaid royalties and for this he will be thanked.

But his biggest contribution to the word of pop music however was not his client list, but his demeanor.  Reports say he died of complication due to Alzheimer’s.  Allen had much he would probably like to forget in his retirement.  His rough, bare-knuckles style of business is what is led to many a dispute and was frequently lampooned in Hollywood movies when they poke fun at how sleazy our industry can be.  If you recall the character of the hot-head producer in Barton Fink, played by Michael Lerner, this was Klein incarnate.  Regardless, it’s tough to hold a grudge against anyone who worked on behalf of artists getting paid.  He was 78 years old.

RIP.

I took this from Moses Avalon’s Musician’s List that arrived in my email box.