Michael Jackson : Human After All

Was it a heart attack or was it the lack of love and guidance that killed the King of Pop?

A lot has been written in the past couple of days, but I think that Bob Lefsetz said it well in his blog post yesterday (see my favorite blogs on the left side of this page). Basically, he writes that as a kid, MJ was under severe pressure from his parents to be successful. And that, like all kids, all he really wanted was to be loved. But the fear of failure drove his early success and by that time, the lack of love in his life led to him looking for it any way he could. And we all know where that led.

No-one will understand how Michael truly thought things through in his own head. But you've got to think that he must have been incredibly dependent on the people around him in order to function. Quincy Jones obviously had a huge impact on his musical career, and seemingly kept him on a positive track. But who else was there for him when he needed the support? At the end of the day, he was an artist, and everyone else was a hired hand. But that said, other major acts have been guided positively by strong management, label heads, A&R gurus and the like.

Take Aerosmith, a personal favorite since 1977. Now there was an act who lived in its own bubble. Too much too soon. We all know the tales of the Toxic Twins, but let's face it. This is FIVE out of control guys, not just one. And although they never again created music as glorious as their six 1970's studio albums, they went on to become the biggest selling American rock band of all time, and are still one of the biggest concert draws. The point is that when Tim Collins became manager in the early 80's, he did what managers are supposed to do. He recognized their emotional needs. He saw need to change their sense of reality, not just for commercial success, but for the benefit of their survival. He managed them away from assured self destruction and pointed them in the direction of their second phase of fame. How easy do you think that could have been?

So back to Michael. Where was his Tim Collins? Where was the support for him? Where was the love when he needed it as much in his adult life as much as his childhood? The music industry has never been a caring space. But perhaps it should be? Perhaps this is the missing link in the artist management and liaison arena? Who knows, a more human-centric, caring industry could genuinely put the needs of the artists and the fans first, and God-forbid, it may result in more revenue. For the artists, by truly mentally nurturing them. And for the fans, through lower ticketing fees, reasonable catalog pricing, fair merchandise prices and the like.

But as it stands, the music industry is a hard place. There's no room for emotion any more. And the lack of caring attitudes in lieu of nickle and diming everyone throughout the chain only breeds contempt from fans and artists alike.

While Michael Jackson can't be defended for some of his personal actions, it was the lack of recognition of his emotional needs from the industry around him led to much of his mental confusion and his limited reality. The industry and the media were always happy to take from him, but out of all those talented executives and managers, was there no-one who could have saved him?

In an age when the artist manager is replacing the label exec as the power of the industry, there needs to be a consideration for the emotional needs of our musical talent. The qualifications to handle artists' careers need to include a large scoop of psychology along with the ability to give a solid dose of love to the talent.

Like all artists, Michael was only human after all.