Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (July 1, 2005)
Fahrenheit 9/10 The downfall of Michael Jackson retty young things, repeat after me: Michael Jackson heat it. P Child molestation is not a laughing matter, hut celebrity excess certainly is. Which is why I’m fascinated hy the rise and fall of Jacko, a larger-than-life talent who has been under the watchful eye of the media microscope for more than 35 years. He is a liv ing, breathing byproduct of our celebrity- obsessed culture. His transracial, transgender appearance betrays his self-loathing—a tragic figure whether or not you believe in his inno cence—yet his appetite for attention seems insatiable. Now that Michael is off the hook from his latest accusation of fondling little boys, talking heads are eagerly salivating over the next chap ter in this sad tale. Tongues are wagging that he might show up at one of the Live 8 concerts July 2. But can this career be saved? More impor tantly, does anyone care? “1 think...what the trial did was confirm what people want to think about Michael in the first place,” Seth Clark Silberman, a Yale lecturer on black and queer studies, told ABC News. “For those who believed Michael was a child molester to begin with, the trial may not have changed their mind. For those who believe what the Jackson camp has been say ing—that there’s been this conspiracy and the Santa Barbara County sheriff’s department is out to get him—the trial supported their theo ries, too.” welcoming the boys of summer? by Jim Radosta • An aging Tito Jackson and the rest of the brothers awkwardly reuniting for the first time in 20 years. (Today the family still comes together, but only for Michael’s court dates.) • A dumbstruck Britney Spears, clearly creeped out by Jacko during their duet, “The Way You Make Me Feel.” (Today she’s kn<x:ked up by deadbeat dad Kevin Federline and starring in UPN’s reality television series Chaotic.) • An obese Marlon Brando, two-time Oscar winner and onetime voice of a generation, thanking Michael for donating money to build a children’s hospital in Florida and mumbling about child abuse, starvation and disease until the impatient crowd booed him offstage. (Today he’s, well, dead.) • A bloated Liza Minnelli—Oscar/Tony/Emmy winner and the world’s biggest gay icon second only to mama Judy Garland— warbling “You Are Not Alone.” Backstage she met producer David Gest, who went on to become her next gay husband. (Today she’s svelte and he’s suing her for spousal abuse.) • A skeletal Whitney Houston shocking the crowd when she joined Usher and Mya onstage for “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’.” (Today she’s out of rehab and doing the reality television thing with her husband on Bravo’s PDXSEX fact: Gonorrhea is back & looking for hot guy-on-guy action. Want to make it safer to play? Test every 3 months (it's always confidential). info: www.man2manpdx.us • downtown STD Clinic: 503.988.3700 CHOOSE WHAT WORKS FOR YOU: learn • protect • test • treat [condoms help prevent STDs but do not protect you 100% f michael alago rough gods photography and book signing Being Bobby Brown.) The man in the mirror...is unrecognizable. Either way, the self-proclaimed King of Pop already has been dethroned, brought down by a combination of ballooning ego and apparent mental instability. It’s a tossup as to what pre cisely caused his downfall: Was it his clumsy kiss with then wife Lisa Marie Presley at the 1994 MTV Video Music Awards (a publicity stunt that failed almost as miserably as Tom Cruise’s recent fist-pumping meltdown with Katie Holmes on Oprah)? Or was it his dan gling of infant son Prince Michael 11 aka “Blanket” over a balcony in 2002? As far as I’m concerned, Jacko sealed his fate four years ago when he invited his freaky friends to serenade him during a pair of con certs at Madison Square Garden to celebrate the 30th anniversary of his solo career. Never before has there been such a synthesis of in famous train wrecks under one roof: Incidentally, Liza and Whitney kx>ked so awful, the network suits at CBS t<x>k it upon themselves to digitally alter ’their Ixxlies before broadcasting the concert several days later. This, my fellow Americans, was the nadir of pop culture. But here’s the best part: All of this took place in New York City on Sept. 7 and 10, 2001— literally the eve of destruction. Child actor turned heroin junkie Corey Feldman recently revealed that Michael “basically...threatened my life” by refusing to give him a seat on the tour bus out of town the next day, leaving him stranded after the terror ist attacks. How fitting, then, that one person’s come back advice for Jacko involves a trek to the Big Apple. “Michael needs to become reacquainted with the world again,” Silberman says. “Maybe he needs to move out of Neverland and move to New York and just be around people again.” Or maybe Jacko should simply heed his own advice from 1979’s “Don’t Stop Til You Get Enough." Michael, after all these years of scrutiny, haven’t you had enough? JH Arts and Culture Editor JlM RADOSTA needs your feedback. Write to jim@justout.com. show runs aug 2 to 3 1, 2005. opening reception friday august 5th, 6 9pm BRIAN MARKI FINE ART & FRAMING 22 3 6 NE BROADWAY 503 - 249-5659 Mon- Sat 10 to 6 • www.brianmarki.com
