Thoughts on Michael Jackson

Last evening, marking the first anniversary of Michael Jackson’s death, “Dateline” aired portions of an interview with his mother, Katherine.  My musical taste focuses more on classical than pop, but I bought “Thriller” when it was released in 1984 and thought it was a masterpiece.  Watching his mother last night, I began to wonder what happened to him, really, after 1984.  Where did his fresh, boundless musical talent go?  I began to think of Michael Jackson as a character in a novel, which suddenly reminded me of Adrian Leverkuehn in Thomas Mann’s Dr. Faustus.   Not that Jackson and Leverkuehn have anything in common, really.  But somehow, the emotional landscape of the Mann story resonates with Jackson’s life. 

It’s been years since I’ve read Leverkuehn’s story, and it would take way too long to re-read it for this post,  so I decided to approach Jackson from a different angle.  This morning, as I was cleaning, I slipped the DVD of “Ones” into my TV.  I’d bought the DVD when I picked up the CD several years ago but had never watched it.  At the time, I bought it because I thought it might somehow be a good thing to have.  The DVD contains the music videos of his Number 1 songs, beginning with “Don’t Stop ’Til You Get Enough” and ending with “You Rock my World.” 

Superficially what struck me was the dramatic change in Jackson’s appearance and demeanor.  He starts out fresh-faced, open, in wonder and joy at singing and making music…and resembling his father.  By the end, his demeanor has closed, his movements more angular and not as natural but very choreographed and stylized, and his face resembles his mother’s.  His Vitiligo had also taken a toll.  Even in “You are not Alone,” the joy and wonder of his youth are gone, and he made that video during his marriage to Lisa Marie Presley.  The emotional resonance of the early songs is of innocence and naivete, fun and joy.  The songs from the “Thriller” album begin to acquire a darker edge, mixed with an impish humor — Jackson is growing up.  There is an emotional murkiness that characterizes his later work, I think.  Ambiguity.  Jackson tries to take on a “criminal” or tough guy persona but can’t really pull it off because of his appearance and slight build.  He looks like a boy playing at being a tough guy, a boy playing at trying to seduce a woman, a boy trying to save the world.

It was an act, of course.  As a writer, what fascinates me about Jackson is that the act continued, evolved, and became the man even when he wasn’t on stage.  Did he really know himself?  The other thing that fascinates me as a writer is his reported difficulty with sleeping which led to his craving/need for Propofol, an anaesthetic which does not induce real sleep but does provide unconsciousness, a complete escape from the world.  He was an addict, and not a recovering one.  But what was his lesson to learn in this life and did he learn it?  He tried to help children and do good with his money, his power, but that seemed to derail early with Neverland Ranch.  Surrounding himself with children in the belief that he was doing good was a serious flaw in his thinking.  Where was the trusted person who could tell him it wasn’t a good idea, show him much better alternatives for helping children, helping the world?  There has always been a huge need to help children all over the world and all sorts of possibilities.  Why did Jackson listen to the people he chose to listen to?  Or did no one challenge his thinking?   

I would not write about Michael Jackson, even in a disguised way, as a character in a novel, and I have no desire to write a non-fiction book about him.  His life, behavior, his choices and talent, all offer questions to spark possibilities in characterization for a fictional character.  Public figures or private, each person gives writers the opportunity to learn about people — by observation, study, looking for behavior patterns that might offer a glimpse into motivations, learning about the infinite diversity of human beings.  Paying attention…..

Writing a Blog: Is it a Publication Credit?

During my recent intense search for a permanent fulltime job, I kept forgetting to mention that I’m also published online.  Every week, at least once a week, I write a 500-700 word essay here about writing, my writing projects, or classical music subjects.  That is the same as if I were writing a column for a newspaper or newsmagazine.  And yet, oddly, I don’t think of it as publication. 

The internet and progress in digitization is forcing a re-definition of many things, a re-assessment of legitimacy in some instances.  For my purposes here, I will stick to things literary.  Traditional publishing has been rocked a couple of times in the last one hundred years.  It began the 20th century with hardcover books and only hardcover books, some even leather-covered.  Then came paperback books.  They broadened publishing possibilities and added a couple points to the profit margin.  I don’t know when recorded books first came into existence, specifically for the blind.  No one considered at that time that sighted people might enjoy them too – until the 1980′s, and then they took off.  I have a good friend who loves audio books, and listens to them on her work commute and long road trips.  At the end of the century, the internet opened up a whole new world with seemingly endless possibilities.  Traditional publishing was not terribly pleased.  In fact, if I remember correctly all the articles that appeared in Publishers Weekly during the 1990′s, publishing houses were terrified of losing their business and terrified of not thinking of a way to take advantage of the internet themselves. 

We are now in the midst of a huge change in publishing.  Websites are considered publications of those who created them, and it can be expensive to have one created for you.  There is an entire segment of the workforce dedicated to them.  In addition, authors have posted their writing online, giving it away for free or asking for payment through Paypal.  Is that a publication credit?  E-books, while still a small percentage of the total books published each year, have finished the hurdles race to be accepted as real publication, especially with traditional publishers on board with e-publishing divisions.  Some believe e-publishing will eventually make traditional paper-and-board publishing obsolete while others believe it will be like audio publishing, i.e. just one more content platform for sale.

My publication credits currently include essays published in magazines, a journal, and a hardcover anthology.  Why can’t this blog join them?  Or must I compile an anthology of my posts to be published in e-book or traditional book form before I can claim a publication credit?  If to publish means to disseminate or to put before the public or issue the work of a writer, then the form, i.e. hardcover book, CD, or digital file, doesn’t really matter.  However, if it means to issue the work of a writer only in specific forms accepted as publication by the industry and the general public, then the form does matter.  And who determines that?

Literary agents and publishers currently tend to dismiss POD and self-publishing as not really publishing.  I think they’re justified in that belief to a certain extent.  However, I don’t believe they completely ignore books that have been self-published.  In fact, John Grisham’s first book was self-published.  I think it depends on the quality of the product, as in all business.  And in self-publication, writers need to understand that quality counts, and it costs.

So where does this leave blogs?  I think I need to work harder at including this blog in my publication credits.  If I treat it as a publication, then it is a publication……

Philadelphia Has Chosen!

Yesterday, the Philadelphia Orchestra announced the appointment of its new music director: 35-year-old Canadian conductor Yannick Nezet-Seguin (nay-ZAY say-GHEN).  He officially takes the helm for the 2012-13 season, but will be conducting there for the next two years as music director-designate.  Mr. Nezet-Seguin (sorry about the absence of accents on the first e in both last names) has one of the best websites that I’ve seen for a conductor.  Which got me thinking….

Do most conductors now have their own websites?  Is this something that has or will become standard for conductors as well as soloists?  As a writer, I’ve been encouraged to establish a presence on the internet for marketing purposes, to begin to develop a “brand,” i.e. the C. C. Yager brand.  Are managers or PR people encouraging conductors to do the same?  I’ve seen more conductor websites lately, so I’m thinking, yes.  And it’s been a surprise that a truly world-renowned and very busy conductor (Leonard Slatkin) writes his own posts.  It may be too early, however, to know if conductor websites generate a lot of traffic and benefit a conductor’s “brand.”  (And I can imagine conductors of a certain age just cringing about this, too.  ”Brand?  I am not a brand!  I’m a conductor.”  This is Evan Quinn’s favorite thing to say….) 

For young conductors just starting out, I think it’s probably a good thing to establish a presence on the internet, provide a place where fans can congregate and find out their conducting schedules, read reviews.  It certainly would not hurt, as long as the website or blog is well designed and welcoming.  I’d recommend using Mr. Nezet-Seguin’s as one model, especially if a blog is not an option. 

For a while, I toyed with the idea of creating a blog for Evan Quinn (a website proved too expensive).  But back then, as well as now, it’s a premature idea.  I think once the novel has been published it would be fun to create a blog for Evan to comment on the book and things going on in the music world.  It would depend on how much time it would eat away from my other writing.  Yes, it would also be writing fiction, however targeted it might be.  The choice then becomes: write Evan’s blog or finish Evan’s series of novels.  To me, that’s a no-brainer. 

Congratulations to Mr. Nezet-Seguin.  He has his work cut out for him in Philadelphia.  The orchestra has experienced serious financial problems as well as leadership issues, and for a while, it looked like this world famous orchestra might file for bankruptcy.  The Philadelphia Orchestra was the first professional orchestra I ever saw and heard in concert when I was in college.  I hope to see it regain financial stability and continue to be the extraordinary orchestra that it is, reaching audiences around the world.  Good luck, and all the best to you, Mr. Nezet-Seguin!

Yevgeny, MO and Osmo

Rare it is for me to attend the last concert in the series of final concerts to the Minnesota Orchestra’s season, but I went to their final, last concert yesterday afternoon.  The program: Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 5, “Emperor,” and Anton Bruckner’s Symphony No. 7.  My seat was in the first tier, the last row house right, and much to my surprise, was excellent for sound and OK for sight.  It’s difficult to find a bad seat for sound in Orchestra Hall, but I usually prefer to sit closer to the stage.  Yesterday, however, because of the Bruckner, I was happy about the distance.

In a commanding performance of the Beethoven, the Russian pianist Yevgeny Sudbin gave a preview of the recording that he’s making with the Orchestra and Osmo Vanska this week.  Sudbin plays with a clear tone, each note distinct, precise, and with fluid phrasing where indicated.  Listening to him is a sublime experience, mystical, joyful, complete.  He and Mr. Vanska are of the same cloth regarding Beethoven: loyal to the composer’s score and intentions, including tempo and dynamics.  My only quibble came with the final movement, which sounded far too heavy and pounding and would have benefitted from Sudbin lightening his approach a bit.  He and the Minnesota Orchestra are about halfway through their project of recording the full set of Beethoven’s five piano concertos.  I look forward to these CDs.

As I watched Sudbin, I thought of Evan Quinn’s friend, Vasia, a young Russian pianist in Perceval.  I don’t know Sudbin personally, but I do know Vasia.  His approach to the Beethoven would have been similar to Sudbin’s, but with a bit more physical drama.   And where Sudbin is tall, slender and dark-haired, Vasia is built like a wrestler with long, curly blonde hair.  As I’ve also worked on programming Evan’s concerts, I found it interesting that Mr. Vanska had programmed two long works for this concert.  Music overflowed past the customary two hour mark, but I don’t think anyone was complaining.   

Both works on the program required stamina but the contrast between them brought each composer’s talents into focus.  Beethoven clearly was the more sophisticated composer in his musical ideas and their development.  Bruckner, however, showed off the colors and power of the orchestra much more, as well as challenging dynamic control and ensemble playing.  The Minnesota Orchestra was more than equal to the task and I continue to be impressed with the clarity and discipline of their ensemble playing.  I had attended the pre-concert talk given by Phillip Gainsley about this symphony, which helped me to understand Bruckner’s place in 19th century music.  Bruckner’s vocation as an organist influenced his approach to orchestral composition, but also the simplicity of his life’s background: he was a country boy, and even though he lived for many years in Vienna, Austria, he remained a country boy in his outlook, and in his direct, simple approach to his musical ideas.  My impression is that he tried to make the symphony orchestra into an organ. 

I’m not a huge fan of Bruckner’s music.  To my ears, it’s choppy, at times bombastic, and he could have benefitted from a really good editor (like Richard Wagner, his idol).  However, I’m a huge fan of the Minnesota Orchestra, and it’s always fun to hear them play challenging music like Bruckner’s symphonies.  And now Minnesota Public Radio has this performance available for FREE download at its classical music website.  Click on “Music on Demand” and follow the instructions to download Bruckner’s Seventh Symphony (or Stravinsky’s Petroushka).  You can hear for yourself what this performance sounded like….