Michael, Elvis, and Mozart

Over the weekend I saw a bit of This Is It, the documentary about the preparations for Michael Jackson's comeback tour that never was. The shows would have gone over very well and likely done quite a bit to restore Jackson's place in pop culture.

A few days ago, I took a tour of the Mozart museum that the first graders created in the hallway at GLS's school to celebrate Mozart's birthday. One really bright girl standing at the Mozart death station explained that Mozart died from "too many pills and heart attacks." I replied, "just like Michael Jackson." She said "exactly like Michael Jackson." Then she told me about a family vacation over the summer that ended up in Graceland, where she saw Elvis's grave and home.

I didn't care much for Jackson's music, though I still enjoy hearing anything from Off The Wall, and I can certainly understand why Thriller was so popular. Those are great albums, regardless of my opinions or taste. Despite many things he did in his life, to himself and others, I never enjoy seeing people suffer and I never relish the failures of celebrities. It was sad to see him go. I'm glad that GLS's schoolmate pointed out to me the parallels between Michael Jackson, Elvis, and Mozart. It was interesting to think about celebrity, success, genius, etc., and how very little about the world really changes from century to century.