Why do I like Michael Jackson?...
“I like Michael Jackson because he puts a smile on my face. I found myself watching a Bad Tour Concert the other night and realized that my cheeks literally hurt because I had been smiling so much.
A similar phenomenon happens to me when I am listening to his music. I decided to listen to Off The Wall last night. I've heard this album probably hundreds of times over the last 38 years. I can't think of another artist that I have listened to for that length of time. I become bored to be honest. But somehow that never happens to me with Michael Jackson's work. I'm not sure why to tell you the truth-I'm trying to figure it out. All I can tell you is that I strain to listen to every ooh, ah, hee hee and whoop and find that same smile stuck on my face.
Even though he only put out 7 major studio albums of new work, it seems that there's one for every emotion or occasion. To feel relaxed I listen to OTW, to feel my blood pumping I listen to Thriller or Bad. To feel sexy I listen to Dangerous, to get my anger out I go with HIStory or Blood On The Dance Floor and to feel nostalgic I go with Invincible.
I'm definitely a road rage ravaged person and with traffic the way it is today I really hate driving just about anywhere. But I found a solution: I bring Jackson's The Ultimate Collection with me and I could be stuck for an hour on the highway but miraculously I don't mind. I'm not joking. His music heals me in every way. I don't care that my car windows aren't tinted. I just go with the music, singing and dancing my body off.
I don't watch his films as much due to time restrictions but when I do I again can work with whatever feelings I have left in me from my day. There's a short film to go with every last one of them. I can go up, I can go down, I can go with funny and silly and pensive and sexy. It's all there. And believe it or not, even if it's a really dramatic one like Earth Song, I will still end up with a big smile on my face because I feel validated and fulfilled.
So I guess it's pretty obvious that I like Michael Jackson. I like him so much that I've decided to devote the next 5 years of my life to writing a book about him. It's interesting to do the research but it's damn hard work to be honest. What motivated me to write this book? One word: gratitude. Gratitude for healing me when I was very sick for three years. Maybe I sound like a kook to you but I bet that a lot of people know exactly what I'm saying. He heals people every darn day no matter what they're going through; no matter their age, sex, race, religion, creed, or problem. How and why it works is one of those great mysteries. Who cares-well for my book I do but in general…
And he tried so hard to heal the world in so many different ways. He was a good human being. If I can summon up half of his good qualities I can have a good day. I like Michael Jackson because he makes the whole world smile just by the mention of his name or the beginning of a great bass lick. There's not much to smile about these days so I'll take it wherever I can get it. And MJ always hits it out of the park for me and the millions of friends I've never even met yet and those I have-all around the world”. -Bonnie Bennett, a retired psychologist and Social Worker Writing about Michael Jackson.
