I watched the Jackson's new reality show with some trepidation, (did y'all see it?!) I feared that the some of the sheer nonsense written about them might be true and that they might further tarnish the harassed Jackson name. They didn't. But the show was revealing. The main thing that stood out for me was how unfocused this otherwise beautifully unified family were. MJ had steely focus. The brothers however are all over the place lacking direction and compatible agendas. Their familial interaction is terribly sweet and it is the first time we as the public have got to see it. Those of us with multiple pesky brothers can easily relate.
They are like bumbling old women gossiping, whispering, playfighting, arguing over the littlest things, even going off for a sneaky wander on a sunny day like naughty teens when they should have been rehearsing. There is no leader among them. Jermaine is trying but the rest won't let him go the whole way.
Clearly the real leader died last year.
It somewhat explains why, when Jackson is publicly called a paedophile by a vile idiot in congress, or besmirched by yet another newspaper printing falsehoods, the brothers and/or Jackson's estate appear to just let it ride. It seems that because of their constant bickering and 'assing' about they basically couldn't organize an orgy in a brothel. This lot would argue about which room to have an argument in!
To protect their brothers hard fought legacy they wouldn't have to sue everyone, just take down some big names as a warning, but alas, even when he was alive Jackson failed to organize damage limitation by copying his fellow celebrities and conveniently leaking the OFFICIALLY DOCUMENTED info that showed that he was forced by his insurance company to pay off the first family of liars who accused him of kiddie fiddling, (a fairly common insurance company stipulation to limit the amount of payout). The hushed pay-off naturally led people to believe that he had something to hide. Court papers show that Jackson not only wanted to go to court to prove his innocence but also then couldn't talk about anything as part of the settlement deal. But what was stopping his brothers or sisters or the usual 'close friend of the family' 'accidentally' mentioning it? Their newly revealed lack of agenda cohesion and organization?
In any case, the shows have been entertaining, laugh-out-loud-funny, sweet and sadly touching when the boys reminisce or are seen desperately missing their baby bro. It is a shame that the other brothers got lost behind Michael's Magnificence, because by the normal standards of other artists they are also pretty special, with 2 underrated excellent musicians aboard and their fabulous blend of vocals.
So what can one take from this?
That often when you need to get the job done you have to separate yourself from confusion and chaos to seek clarity of purpose and install your own personal discipline standards. MJ did not rehearse with his brothers hanging around, critiquing, playfighting, joking and arguing, he would lock himself away for up to 8 hours a day practicing his iconic moves and every now and then the family would hear the now famous 'whoops' emanating from his room. And whilst no man is an island he was known to be a solitary soul. Jackson had laser focus and the eye of the tiger regarding his career, if not in his private life. This trait is common amongst the self made superstars of today - the proper ones, like Madonna, Beyonce and Lady Gaga and also amongst the most successful business heads and sports people out there. Lets steal it!
