The Royal Triumph of Michael Jackson
In the end, it really doesn’t matter who dubbed Michael Jackson the “King of Pop.” Was it the media? Elizabeth Taylor? Jackson himself?
It isn’t relevant. What is relevant is that Jackson ran with it. He embraced the title as his own (heck, who among us wouldn’t like to be crowned as royalty in their chosen profession?) and used it as a branding tool. And that’s why Michael Jackson was one of our own, a marketer.
As the last few weeks and the relentless media coverage has wore on, I’m surprised to find myself more affected by Jackson’s passing. In my misspent youth, I wasn’t exactly a big fan of his music. Growing up in the 1980s, I was more of a fan of British pop. I’d impatiently sit through his videos on MTV, hoping the next clip would be of David Bowie, Madness, Duran Duran or something of that ilk. And yes, watching the coverage of Jackson’s trials
