November Summary

November has been filled with some exciting learning moments worthy of a summary. In fact, I think I’ll finish every month with a summary from this point forward.

ContentPalooza
Toward the end of October, I accepted a challenge to write 50,000 words in 30 days throughout November. The challenge was inspired by NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month), but designed for self-described writers instead of authors.
I thought it would be an excellent motivator for me. Unfortunately, unlike many others who accepted the challenge, I didn’t have multiple writing projects to complete. Perhaps if I had planned some projects, I would have been more successful. I’ve decided to restart this challenge next month, prepared with more than just blogs to share, and I’ll again challenge myself to write 50,000 words in 31 days. That extra day might be just what I need!
As this will be my last blog of November, my final ContentPalooza wordcount will be at the bottom of this blog.

You Are Not Alone: Michael, Through a Brother’s Eyes
It’s my personal opinion that biographers write not to teach, but, rather, to show. These books are bragging materials for most, and the only readers are fans.
I admit I was cautiously optimistic about Jermaine Jackson’s book. As a member of the Jackson 5 and Michael’s self-proclaimed closest brother, Jermaine caused me to question the validity of his story. He proved me wrong, though, showing both the good and bad of his brother and teaching me many lessons throughout.
Biographies and auto-biographies truly fit the clichè: a dime, a dozen. The library is full of stories about presidents, singers, actors, pioneers, and authors. But Michael Jackson wasn’t just one of many successful singers. He really didn’t follow anyone’s example in paving his success. I wouldn’t even describe him as a musical pioneer.
Instead, he earned the label, “King of Pop” because he was a perpetual learner of music, an individual who lived with audacity, a performer keenly aware of his audience, a seeker in the acquisition of excellence, and the definition of his passion. His fame made him rich, but it never stole his innocence despite attempts by greedy fans and crazed fans.
If you haven’t already done so, I highly recommend purchasing Jermaine Jackson’s bookor borrowing it from your local library. My blogs are only a small representation of what I learned from Michael, gleaned from the perspective of someone whose first glimpse was his music video, Thriller. For those of you who experienced Michael as part of the Jackson 5 or the Jacksons, you may walk away from this book with a different education than I.

Music
On a final note, as a music advocate, I want to share some music-related news I discovered this month:

• Songwriters, Composers, and Music Conference: I’m not exactly sure who made the introduction, but I’ve been following music manager and A&E consultant, Lisa Davis, and her association with SCMC Music for quite a while. Lisa often educates tweeters about the music industry, and her organization regularly hosts A&R conferences throughout the country. Registrants have the opportunity to perform in front of major label executives and meet with them one on one.
  I’ve been wanting to attend one of these conferences for awhile, but they’ve always been too far. Of course I’m neither songwriter, nor composer, nor musician; but I am a writer specializing in entertainment promotion. In February 2012, the SCMC will be coming to Tacoma. I would love to attend as a sponsor, but I’ll save that for the future. Instead, I am promoting the event to every local musician and promoter I know. And, I’ll be attending under general admission so I can appreciate the panelists and the live musical performances.
  I will always be an advocate for good music, and I will support artists whether they choose major label or an independent one. In fact, I encourage both types of artists to attend this conference as it could be potentially one of the best opportunities for music education.
• Greg Double and Blue Nose Music Entertainment: I have been following Greg Double since I heard his songs, Faded Like Blue Jeans and All I Need. I saw him perform live at the release of the first Unofficial Puget Sound Mixtape, and I was hooked.
  He has worked with many local Puget Sound artists and his entertainment group, including Greg, Castroni, Mike G, Thunderchief, Mr Tactical, and DJ Skrewball, is touring throughout the northwest. Their next show is December 7th at the Nectar Lounge in Seattle. After their Seattle show, the group travels to Longview, WA to perform at Las Racas on December 14th.
  You can check out their music, including the newest song, “Real as It Gets” on Blue Nose Music Entertainment’s Reverbnation site. For all the latest updates on Greg Double and his Blue Nose Music Entertainment, follow Greg on twitter.
• SicIll (Sick-Ill): SicIll and his group, Darxxide, were my first introduction to hip hop music in the Puget Sound. They opened the door for me to network with many Puget Sound hip hop artists, including interviewing artists produced on the first Unofficial Puget Sound Mixtape.
  A year ago, I profiled SicIll as artist, producer, and director. This month he announced his newest album, “Pandemic”. It is a follow-up to his first album, “Epidemic”.
  SicIll is also taking charge of the third production of Puget Sound Mixtape. To be included on the album, local hip hop artists need to email a quality copy of their mp3 by December 31 to therealsicill at gmail dot com.
  You can follow all the updates on SicIll by liking his Facebook page or following him on twitter.
• Upcoming Releases: I’ll be updating my blog in the coming months with the album releases from Puget Sound’s J-Pros and Brooklyn’s L*A*W.

I know there is other music news, but these have been the items that have stood out to me.

I hope all of my readers have enjoyed November and for my American readers, I hope you got enough to eat on Thanksgiving. It was a busy month for me, even if I didn’t get as much writing done as I had wanted.

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Passion & Labels

As I continue to read Jermaine Jackson’s story, the one descriptor that continues to reverberate to me is passion.

• Michael, at age 5, was passionate to prove he belonged with his brothers’ singing group.
• Michael was passionate to go beyond his father’s lessons and learn from the greats such as Jackie Wilson and Smokey Robinson.
• Michael was passionate when he started writing songs, understanding theory, composition, and emotional affect.
• Michael was passionate about selling albums.
• Michael was passionate about placing music above any romantic relationships
• Michael was passionate about being perfect as songwriter, producer, singer, and dancer.
• Michael was passionate about achieving seemingly impossible dreams

Jermaine writes of Michael, “… when he surrendered to inspiration, everything fell into place. For him, music was an endless source of material from within; a constant stream that he just had to step into and take from”.

Labels
How often are we told we are not our job description, our illness, or our societal roles. We are not what we can do or what we can’t. These labels are simply parts of the whole.
It would seem that Michael did not subscribe to this politically correct protocol. He was his passion: a consummate performer. His passion demanded he be a perpetual learner, a disciplined dancer, and an audacious individual.
Others may have viewed him as awkward, shy, strange, lavish, eclectic, extravagant, or even weird; but everyone knew Michael Jackson was the definition of a performer.

Define Your Passion
There is certainly nothing wrong with being multi-faceted. As I mentioned above, we each have our profession and societal role; but should we be satisfied with being “someone who …”? If Michael had merely been someone who sings or someone who dances; had he merely been someone who writes songs or someone who produces music — Michael would have never been labeled the “King of Pop”. He embraced his so-called label and reinforced it until the day he died.
I’m often reminded of those who knew who they wanted to be when they were grown. Some maintain their passion from an early age, but most do not. I changed my mind constantly, and I realize now that those changes came from fear of failure. I couldn’t assert my passion because I was afraid it was the wrong choice, or I was afraid I would not be successful.
Barbara Bailey Kelley and Shannon Kelley, authors of Undecided, remind us while we have the freedom or opportunity to do or be anything, we will be unsatisfied if we dwell on “anything” instead of “do or be”.

In conclusion, I don’t think we should be content with avoiding labels, especially if those labels demonstrate our ability to exceed goals others have set for us or our ability to achieve successes no one else has achieved.
My challenge to you is to be passionate about your passion, and embrace the label you have rightly earned. Afterall, I do not want to be remembered as someone who writes; I want to be remembered as a writer.

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Living Audaciously

At age 14, according to his brother, Jermaine, Michael was caught between playing the same pranks of his youth and taking control over the creative performances of the Jackson 5. He was also learning about love from the romances of his brothers and decided the only one worthy of girlfriend status would be someone just as sweet and honest as Diana Ross.
In a way, Michael was gaining an appreciation of when it was okay to be obnoxious and when he needed to be serious. He was able to find a balance between the two, creating his audacious personality he carried until his death in 2009.

Audacity Defined
I love how my friend, Jennie explains audacity:

• groovy goal-setting, productivity + personal accountability, confidence + self-efficacy, and productive, proactive, adventurous dreaming.

Using this definition, I will show how Michael began to live with audacity, and my challenge to you is that you’ll reflect on these examples and look for ways to live audaciously.

Groovy Goal-setting
If being a goal setter were not enough, audacity demands that the goals you set be groovy, exciting, and excellent.
The Jackson 5 signed their contract with Motown Records with the understanding that the songwriters, not the band, would create the songs. Initially, that was what the group needed: Michael was 8 years-old at the time, and his brothers weren’t much older. At 14, however, he became inspired to make changes.
The Commodores were the opening act for the Jackson 5 in 1972. The group had yet to release their first hit, but The Commodores had more creative freedom. Michael observed saxophonist, Lionel Richie, create songs and the band making the song their own during the tour’s off hours.
Jermaine explains, “When Michael … witnessed the Commodores’ songwriting autonomy, it strengthened his creative resolve”. Michael would be a songwriter; he would be the one to say how he would arrange and perform songs; and he would receive recognition in the Guiness Book of World Records. These “groovy” goals would later culminate in his collaboration with Lionel Richie creating the grammy-award-winning “We Are the World” in 1986.
Michael knew what was expected of him as lead vocalist of the Jackson 5, but he was not satisfied with mere expectations. If he was to continue toward being a serious musician, he needed to focus on making creative freedom a reality.

Productivity + Personal Accountability
Don’t just do it; make sure you do it. I’ve heard people talk about accountability buddies. We can always use someone to keep us in check. But, I have learned that a buddy comes secondary. In our lives, it’s not enough for us to avoid bad choices; we need to ensure we’re making right choices!
I’m reminded of a Who’s the Boss episode where Angela and Tony are taught not to use negativity when raising a child. When they get home to find their child playing with a broom, Angela yells, “Don’t do that!” Tony corrects her, saying, “Broom elsewhere!”
Michael took his first steps toward his goals by first insisting “his own take on a certain delivery” of “Lookin’ Through the Windows” superceed that of Motown choreographers and studio producers. Jermaine describes another instance of Michael’s taking control of his performance:

• For our 1974 single “Dancing Machine” … he wanted to try something “different” and perfect a dance he’d seen in street theater: “The Robot”. He used every spare minute to practice in front of the mirror at Hayvenhurst [the future Neverland Ranch] or in the studio, and probably before he went to bed. … when he finally showed us the polished version, it was incredible.

Michael’s teenage years show that productivity is not just action: it is motivation, improving upon what we already know of our talents and skills, and an upward progression toward achieving goals. Jermaine explains, “The Robot’ was his first signature move long before the Moonwalk moment”.

Confidence + Self-efficacy
Believe in yourself, and believe you can do it. You’ve set your goals, right? And, you’re checking yourself to ensure you’re aiming in the right direction? Congratulations! You’ve shown yourself that you have the follow-through and the ability to be successful.
Jermaine tells readers, “[Michael’s] interpretation [of ‘The Robot]’ and [‘Lookin’ Through the Windows’] was kept on the final cut”; and “Kids all over Los Angeles were busting “Dancing Machine” put us back in the Top 10″.
Proven success creates immediate confidence; it also convinces us that we have made the right decisions in the goals we have set for ourselves.

Productive, Proactive, Adventurous Dreaming
Finally, as the old Nike commercials used to say, “Just do it!” And, once you’ve done it, do something else. In other words, train yourself to be a doer.
Michael proves himself as a doer as a perpetual learner and as an active observer. It was in Jamaica that he decided he wanted to “make music that makes a difference”. The results of that decision can be seen in his songs –

• “Black or White”
• “Cry”
• “Earth Song”
• “Gone Too Soon”
• “Heal the World”
• “The Lost Children”
• “Man in the Mirror”
• “There Must Be More to Life than This”
• “They Don’t Really Care about Us”
• “We Are Here to Change the World”
• “We’ve Had Enough”

Michael received numerous awards for his music including 15 Grammys, 23 listings in the Guiness Book of World Records, and a lifetime achievement award, awarded posthumously and received by his children. There is no denying he lived his life audaciously and provides us an excellent example of achieving our dreams.

I am certainly no expert in living audaciously. Everything I’ve learned is through reading and participation in a twitterchat. If you’d like to learn more, I encourage you to check out my friend, Jennie’s website. She is the queen of living with audacity and an incredible life coach!

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Know Your Audience

Whether you are a writer, a musician, or any other career-minded individual, it is important to approach and anticipate your audience appropriately. In last night’s read of Jermaine Jackson’s “You Are Not Alone”, I saw this “know your audience” attitude exemplified by both Jermaine and Motown Records executive, Berry Gordy.

Approach your Audience Appropriately
Jermaine compares the recording equipment and recording studio sizes as part of his description of the Jackson 5’s rise to fame. As someone with limited knowledge, I read through these sentences without much thought. But, then I realized, Jermaine would not have included this technical information without a purpose.
I realized, as I’m sure Jermaine and his editors did, that Michael Jackson’s biography would be read by a wide and varied audience: certainly, there were the curious who never gave thought to Michael as a musician, but there were also Michael’s million fans, some of whom I’m sure never knew the enormous legacy Michael would leave in the music recording industry. Finally, there would be the many involved in the music industry who read the book to find out how Michael became so successful. Jermaine was able to appropriately assess his reading audience and be a storyteller and a technical writer.
I liken it to The Ultimate Fighter reality show produced by the UFC. My husband loves the show because of the fights. He recognizes the moves in the octagon and tries to explain them to me. I don’t like to watch fighting, but I’ll watch the show with him because the producers show the fighters as they are outside of the octagon. Audience members see the fighters’ families and understand the why of the fighters’ passion. In other words, the UFC has approached its audience appropriately, making their show appeal to everyone.

Anticipating Your Audience Appropriately
It took some time for the Motown label to sign the Jackson 5, but once Mr Gordy added them as employees, he advised them of his plan for success:

• We … understood the subtle lesson in keeping us hidden – the strategy of wait-and-reveal: release the music to get people talking … but don’t let them see you. Give ’em nothing. Leave ’em in suspense, like a movie. Get them curious and when they’re hooked, get them over-excited. Then, when the mood is right, “reveal” the great spectacle, album, appearance or concert.

As predicted by Mr Gordy, the Jackson 5 released three No. 1 singles – “I Want You Back”, “ABC”, and “The Love You Save”. Each sold over 2 million copies before the group had ever gone on tour.
In reading this business plan of Motown’s Mr Gordy, I can’t help but think about the concept behind The Voice: in a day where autotune can clean up the worst singer if the looks are right, how can anyone determine pure talent? Even YouTube videos can be edited. But like Mr Gordy, the producers discovered a way to find natural talent, understanding that skill and looks could come secondary.
A business plan is essential for any career-minded individual. You need to tackle your business, knowing how to best approach your customers. The approach is perhaps even more important than demonstrating your business is financially sound; therefore, do your research, find the most successful like-minded business and ask about its initial business plan. It is not enough to find someone who is no closer than you at reaching success; you must find someone who is already successful!

You may have already created your business and are slowly but surely making your way to the top, but I would encourage you to consider what would it mean to have three No. 1s before you made your first bid on a major project? How amazing would it be to confidently present yourself to an audience who sees you and understands you in their own unique way?

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Perpetual Learner

Even before the Jackson 5 signed with a nationwide label, their father, Joseph found ways to introduce them to music greats, Gladys Knight, Smokey Robinson, and Jackie Wilson. Jermaine describes Michael as “peppering them with questions”, and writes,

• … in the van going home afterward, [Michael] became the most vocal and animated out of all of us: “Did you hear when he said …” or “Did you notice that …” or “Did you see Jackie do that move …”. My brother was a master studier of people and never forgot a thing, filing it away in a mental folder he might well have called “Greatest Inspirations & Influences”.

Michael, the Perpetual Learner
Even at the age of 7, Michael recognized the value of not only being a good student at school but also a good student at music.
Is it any surprise that Michael was the most successful, musically, of the Jackson 5? He had his natural pure voice that was made for music. He had the discipline taught to him by his father. He even had the stage experience, gained through performing throughout the country. But, he also had the humility to respect those who had already achieved fame, and Michael was willing to learn from them as well.
How often do we settle, satisfied with our own natural talent and basic schooling? How often do we think talent and basic education is sufficient for success? How often are we willing to be “the worst member in the band” so that we might learn from those greater than we? And, most importantly, how often are we able to set aside our pride and humble ourselves to seek out the experts and “pepper them with questions”?

My Lessons Learned
I’ll admit it took me more than 30 years to learn what Michael had with 7. I thought chance meetings with those I admired or those who inspired me were for autographs and pictures. But, the truth is autographs are really only good for selling on eBay, and pictures are really only good for sharing with friends. If you walk away with these superficial memories, in my opinion, you have no right to claim these individuals as inspirations or admirations. Take the additional step to learn from these individuals who have already proven themselves successful in their field.

• The Appropriate Venue: Finding the right time and place to contact a potential “teacher” is perhaps the most important part of the learning process. Quiet observation can happen at any moment, but communication has to be planned.
  Understand that like you, others have work hours and off-work hours. Fame and or recognition does not change that fact. If you wish to be taken seriously by someone from whom you wish to learn, you must first respect his time.
  There are multiple “places” that could be considered the appropriate venue depending on the individual. I have had success through email, twitter, concerts, facebook, conferences, and phone interviews. Not all of these encounters were planned, and I wasn’t always prepared but each was a learning experience!
  As a side note, neither twitter nor email are time specific, meaning questions asked through these means can be answered at the expert’s convenience. If using twitter, first note how many individuals are following the account and how often the expert tweets before choosing twitter as the appropriate venue.
• The Appropriate Questions: An equally important part of being a good, respectful learner is the approach: you must know why the expert is an expert. It’s not enough to know that the two of you share similar interests or work in the same field. Respecting your teacher means you know his niche or specialization; you know his previous work; you know his current work; and you know with whom he has worked.
  Of Michael, Jermaine writes, “He watched them onstage with the scrutiny of a young director, focusing on [songwriter] Smokey [Robinson]’s words, focusing on [performer] Jackie [Wilson]’s feet”. Michael asked these musicians questions specific to their recognized skills, and we must do the same if we expect to have that “mental folder … called ‘Greatest Inspirations and Influences'”.
• Opportunities for Networking: Finally, never miss an opportunity to network. This means you shouldn’t treat these encounters as one-time experiences. It is okay and, in fact, important that you view these “meetings” as a jumping off point. Part of respecting the teacher is not using him as an encyclopedia. You can ask questions, yes, but also share what you are doing to improve your knowledge and add to the field of your passion.
  Most of these contacts will be excited that you view them as teachers and will want to know the why, what, when, and how of your passion. These individuals can refer you to their colleagues and open doors that would otherwise be closed.
  Still, as with any situation, you need to be aware: there will be those who have a superiority complex and are incredibly competitive. They don’t want to teach, and they certainly don’t want to know about you. But, then, if you’ve done your homework, you should already know that!

As children, we should expect those closest to us to not only recognize our natural talents and skills, but also to nurture them. As adults, it becomes our responsibility to seek out our own mentors and seize every opportunity to learn. So far, this has been the most important lesson I have learned from Michael Jackson’s life.

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Acquiring Excellence

After reading this last section of Jermaine Jackson’s book, I’m sitting here wondering how my life might be different if I had a family member who not only encouraged my passion but also pushed me to be better than the most talented.

How Michael Acquired Excellence in Music
Jermaine dispels the belief that his father was a strict uncaring music manager. Instead, readers see a man who saw natural talent and passion and cared about his sons enough to spend all his free time with them encouraging them to be excellent, not just great.
Jermaine explains that his father, Joseph, had experience as a musician, but never saw the success his sons would later find. Joseph initially created a trio of Jermaine, Tito, and Jackie. Michael at age 5, spent the rehearsals playing homemade drums. Once Michael wowed an audience of family members with his sweet pure voice, his father added him to the group. Marlon joined at his mother’s insistence, and the quintet, under the tutelage of their father, became the Jackson 5.While Joseph was strict about regular rehearsals and perfecting each brother’s performance, Jermaine insists this was not an uncaring man:

• When he witnessed our gradual improvement, this pleased him and in turn made us dig deeper. Impressing him and winning his respect mattered. Family members … came over, and Joseph asked us to sing. He noted their enthusiastic reactions, but it was never good enough. “You can give more. We can be better.” At least Joseph was kicking our butts with something we loved doing. At least he was spending time with us, unlike a lot of fathers in the neighborhood. We felt driven, not pushed, guided into where we wanted to go.

Joseph wanted the group to appear as natural performers, not trained ones. Michael worked hard to understand the emotion in music so that he could show feeling on stage without appearing fake. All the brothers studied James Brown and the Temptations. It was Joseph’s intent that the group learn to “play the microphone”, develop “showmanship”, and “[understand] … voice is the melody, and melody is everything”.
The Jackson 5’s first musical competition came shortly after Michael’s 7th birthday; and along with 14-year-old Jackie, 12-year-old Tito, 11 year-old Jermaine, and 8 year-old Marlon, the group was honored as the 1966 Roosevelt High School Contest Champions.

Lessons Learned in Acquiring Excellence
I’ve loved writing from an early age. I received recognition, but no one really encouraged me to improve upon my writing. No one spent extra time with me to ensure my writing was better than the best. I’m sure I’m not the only one with these thoughts. When we’re young, we need more than just recognition for our talents. We need more than just a classroom teacher who must focus on the entire class and not individuals who already show potential for greatness. And, when we’re young, how are we to know to ask for mentoring. We probably think once our talent has been recognized, we probably are experts.
I’m thankful for many of the teachers I’ve had from elementary school through college, but it wasn’t because of their teaching style: Rather, I was smart, and I was a quick learner. It wasn’t until I took a creative writing course in college that my writing skills were relatively poor. The same was true of my Spanish. I excelled in my high school classes, but my first long-term trip to a Spanish-speaking country, I struggled to have even a small conversation.
Certainly, talent and passion are not enough to acquire excellence. I have since traveled extensively to Spanish-speaking countries, and those I’ve met have patiently helped me to improve my conversational skills. As to my writing, once I rediscovered the passion, I sought out mentors. Continued studies in post-graduate school, of course, also improved my writing skills. Still, I can’t help but think of so many years wasted because there was no one who said, “that’s good. Now, let’s make you better”.

I suppose in the end the best wisdom I can leave is to young parents. When you see passion and talent in your children, make sure you nurture it. They don’t know that it can be improved upon, but you do! Don’t wait too long!

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From Rags to Riches: The Pursuit of the American Dream

The idea of pursuing the American dream that brought so many immigrants from their home countries to Lady Liberty’s shores has faded for the most part. This is not to say that the American dream no longer exists; rather the pursuit that made the dream so fulfilling is hard to find.
I think the change in “pursuit” came shortly after generation X came of age. Those younger than I are content to find their fame through posting YouTube videos or auditioning for reality shows. It is no longer about proving one’s worth through education and experience, but rather who you know and who they know that brings you success. It almost seems that biographies and autobiographies will soon go out of style. Who wants to read about someone’s million YouTube views while there are so many others who have honed their talent and studied the masters but still have not been discovered? Who wants to read about a girl whose mother, aunt, and grandma had already found fame in the same industry? Perhaps some do, but not I. I’d rather keep admiring those individuals who rose from poverty and truly “pursued” the American dream.

Michael Jackson’s Childhood
Jermaine Jackson gives readers an intimate view of his siblings’ childhood as they grew up in a two-bedroom house. He and his four brothers slept head to feet (think Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) in a three-tiered bunk bed in one of the bedrooms. His three sisters and youngest brother shared the foldout couch in the living room. The kids were told they were not poor because they owned their home. And their parents encouraged them to dream. Jermaine writes of Michael as a child:

• He was crazy about Lionel toy trains – small but weighty model steam engines and locomotives, packaged in orange boxes. … in his imagination, our shopping carts became two or three railroad cars, and 23rd Avenue was the straight section of the track. It was a train that went too fast to pick up other passengers, thundering along, as Michael provided the sound effects.

The siblings were each others’ playmates who sped not only in abandoned shopping carts but also on the playground’s merry-go-round. They didn’t celebrate Christmas due to religious beliefs, but the children knew Christmas carols and hated that theirs was the only home on the block with no tree, lights or decorations.

Neverland Ranch
Is it any wonder, then, that Michael chose to relive the best of his childhood memories and those he craved but never had once he had the money to do so?Jermaine writes he was not surprised the first time he visited the completed Neverland Ranch.

• Neverland has always been portrayed as the outlandish creation of a “wild imagination” with the suggestion that a love of Disney was its sole inspiration. Elements of this may be correct, but the truth runs much deeper, and this was something I knew immediately when I saw with my own eyes what he had built …. Christmas lights trimming the sidewalk … a huge steam train … a miniature train … and the merry-go-round … spinning to music, a beautiful carousel of ornate horses.

Reading these first few chapters of Jermaine’s book, I’m reminded again – it’s not enough to know the American dream is attainable. You have to appreciate the attainment which is an upward climb and not a lateral move.

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Bias or Truth in Biographies

I haven’t read too many biographies in my life. I typically stick to crime drama fiction or non-fiction specific to psychology or education. Still I enjoyed Betty White’s autobiography, Madonna’s unauthorized biography (written by her brother), and Child Neurosurgeon, Ben Carson’s autobiography.<

Michael Jackson
I have been a fan of Michael Jackson, the musician, since I was able to watch music videos on my bedroom television. Little did I know that Jackson was recognized as the king of pop – a talented songwriter and dancer.
I attended a concert shortly after Jackson’s death, and the group had put together an incredibly touching tribute accompanied by “Man in the Mirror”. Everyone in the audience knew the lyrics, and hearing their voices throughout the arena was amazing.
As I said I loved Jackson, the musician. Most fans want to know personal details about their favorite celebrity, either to see the advantages a celebrity has or to find flaws in the celebrity’s life that make him average. I suppose I would be one of those fans, but in Jackson’s case, I sought to better understand a man who had incomparable talents but seemingly immoral character. It never made sense that someone so famous would put himself in a position where his character is questioned.

Bias or Truth
Many musicians have bad habits – sexual promiscuity and drugs, the most common – but audiences are blind to such actions. Such immoral or illegal actions are considered “normal”. Violate a vulnerable individual, and suddenly, fans, media, and the music industry take notice. Jackson was accused of child molestation and indecent conversations. At the same time, people questioned whether the man was racist with his paling skin. They also joked about how many nose jobs he had undergone. Of course, journalists had more than they needed to keep their careers going in the last three decades due to Jackson’s life.Jermaine Jackson wrote a biography about his brother, intending to show the true man Michael was. I’m two chapters into the book, and I’m already wondering if the book will show more bias than truth. When Madonna’s brother wrote her story, he told both the good and the bad. His book angered Madonna, but her brother’s objectivity made what he wrote believable. I hope I can say the same of Michael’s biography, but this was written by a man who viewed himself as very close to Michael and always believed Michael to be innocent. On the otherhand, Michael’s sister, Latoya, never believed him innocent. This brings the question – who is the best biographer? I may need to read my next biography authored by someone unrelated to the individual described.

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