Michael Jackson The Magic & The Madness
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I have to confess that I never really planned to buy this autobiography but unfortunately I found myself at an airport with a long weekend ahead and I had left my Whitney Houston book at home. This was the only title which remotely interested me in the airport book shop. The appeal of Michael's music is that he draws upon many diverse sources for his inspiration. Is he an R&B, pop, disco or rock artist? The music press and world in general often categorise him as R&B, but most soul aficionados would question the description. Despite the reservations of the cognoscenti he has topped the R&B charts on numerous occasions and won many awards from the black music industry, including that of "Soul Train". The closest to pure soul Michael came was in his early days with the Jackson Five. This begs an important question. If soul is a mature music, then is an eleven year old capable of performing it properly? I have my doubts, but the record industry has seen fit to offer him R&B awards so who am I to argue? I expected my main interest to be in the early chapters which covered his childhood and Motown years. In truth these were well written, but said little that hasn't been published in numerous Motown biographies before. To be a soul star an artist has to dedicate themselves to one particular style of music, they have to appeal to a limited number of fans. The problem is that Michael diversified and outgrew these limitations and became a household name. His life became very different, far more affluent and far more privileged than even the most famous of other R&B singers. In the interests of giving a comprehensive coverage Taraborrelli had little choice than to reflect much wider aspects of Jackson's strange life. In short there is little in this book for soul aficionados. This warning aside I have to confess it was still one of the most interesting books I have read for a long time. It is thoroughly researched and well written and as far as I am aware it accurately reflects Michael's relationships with his fans, friends and family. His interactions with his father are particularly fascinating. The book is not really about music, more the lifestyle of a very rich, famous and unusual man. The tome is nearly seven hundred pages long commenting on all aspects of Jackson's existence, the company he keeps, his romances such as they are and his many eccentricities. Anyone who thinks that wealth leads to happiness has only to read this book to realise that it clearly doesn't. As a book about soul music this leaves a lot to be desired but anyone looking for a fascinating profile of a modern day enigma should give it a chance. Despite its size I read it very quickly which speaks volumes of the reader friendly style in which it was written. If ever a book needed a push then Michael, right on queue, hit the headlines again by being arrested for child molestation. Whatever the outcome of these investigations they certainly won't do the sales any harm. |
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Why Not visit the Authors other Website, 'The Alternative Blackpool Website' at http://www.localdial.com/users/jsyedu133/bpool This Site Last Updated 18/05/05
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