Michael Jackson

I must admit that I was not a MIchael Jackson fan. I was not hostile to his music, I just was not a fan. But as I have thought about his life since his untimely passing, I can come to only one conclusion - he lived a very tragic life.

The NYT had a long article about his business dealings. Based on that and other coverage, he was a very shrewd businessman. He bought the Beatles catalogue for a song. He was able to develop a number of projects that reflected not only creative talent but also a knack for promotion.

In his music career he seems to have been an innovator. Again, I was not impressed with those innovations, but as a friend reminded me this week, he evolved in both his dance and his music. From all accounts he was passionate about his performance and a perfectionist.

But then there were the hangers on, starting with his father. Jackson began very young and for the rest of his life there were a large number of people who wanted to "protect" him but also to extract their piece. All those exploiters may have prevented a real human being from evolving. In the last decade an increasingly bizarre figure evolved.

At the front of the exploiters were people like Al Sharpton, who seemed to be instantly available to show his face the minute that Jackson had died. I am not sure I understand Jackson's kind of creative genius. But I do understand con men - and Jackson seemed to attract them by the dozens.