Not a post about Michael Jackson.

Before I seem hard-hearted, I would like to point out that death, in any circumstances, is sad. So it is not without feeling that I say that I am touched by MJ's death, but I am not in mourning.
For a start, I never met him. I was astounded (like most of the world) by his songs, his performances and the inevitable public-demise of someone who was surrounded by people to make decisions for him. His genius as a dancer, not just practically but it's technicalities, was simply outstanding. There is a moment in the video for Thriller where, if you were to pause it, you would see clear air beneath every single dancer as they jumped. Bearing in mind how many there were, this is no mean feat. He also had real life gang-members skulking in the background for the Beat It video, most of whom looked on in amazement (one member of the Crips said he'd never seen anything move so effortlessly) as this waifish figure commanded an authority over his body that, though since parodied mercilessly, must have been shiver-inducing when seen live and for the first time.
Of course, such a performer could not keep that level of brilliance in all areas of his life. If you are raised like a circus animal, being given freedom and more money than anyone can possibly need, its a potent mix. One that must be near impossible to balance.
Personally, I have always been more a Prince fan; give me Purple Rain over You Are Not Alone anyday. Though I must admit that even I was shocked when I read that the song Bad was reportedly said to be a duet between Prince and MJ. Apparantly they shot down the idea after 'artistic differences' (Prince was probably hopping from foot to foot as he was late for yet another 6ft tall supermodel who was 'inspecting' his trailer) though really, they were two performers that were polar opposites of each other. Prince sings and plays with an overt sexuality, his songs are often explicit and hedonistic. MJ appeared asexual, alien and downright odd in some of his videos; his childish energy however, was what made people across the board love him.
Prince, if anything benefited by having Jackson around, it meant he was free to make 'real' music for his own fans without having to compete for the limelight with a dance move to beat the moonwalk. The question must be begged however: how many performers of today are cast on the template of Prince? A moderate few. Jackson? Hundreds, the style of dancing by performers such as Usher, Chris Brown, Justin Timberlake...there are performers who will remember when they first saw the video for Smooth Criminal and gasped, thinking to themselves how much they want to have that kind of reaction one day.
So, this was less a post about Michael Jackson 'King of Pop', as it was a post about how we still need heroes. And though he was perhaps one of the most controversial performers of all time, he was certainly one that will never fade in the memory of those who claimed to love him. I say, rest in peace, the performance is over.