As its curtains down on a silver jubilee King of Pop, Michael Jackson, we look back at his strange quirks, idiosyncrasies and habits that lead him to be called ‘Wacko Jacko’. These acquired mannerisms often seemed like endearing eccentricities and at most times outlandish tastes, but no one can negate his contribution to the music world and his iconic rise to fame. Be it his bizarre trysts with marriage, his baby dangling in Berlin or his razor sharp nose, Jackson stayed in the limelight as his career over the past 15 years dwindled. The first African American artist to be featured on MTV, perhaps the best break dancer the world has seen and the man who gave the biggest selling record in human history with Thriller has a huge body of pop music, which in total have sold 750
million copies. His unusual voice sent fans into a tizzy. As he peaked in his stage shows globally through out his career, the last decade saw embarrassing
public appearances including the World Music Awards 2008 in London where fans booed the nervous singer. His amusing friendship with a chimpanzee,
Bubbles and his bid to buy the Elephant Man‘s bones might seem peculiar but what takes the cake is his beauty sleep in a hyperbaric chamber to prevent ageing. Jackson, who confessed on numerous occasions and through his lyrics, about a “troubled childhood” bought the 2700-acre ‘Neverland Ranch,’ his $17 million dollar valley home on the outskirts of Los Angeles as a way to live out
his stolen childhood. Filled with amusement rides, fast food counters and candy floss stalls the ranch boasts of an exotic zoo. As his mounting financial
woes teamed with child abuse allegations got the better of the fading Pop King, we at Express salute his talent and perseverance. And in his name, his
three children shall live on - Not as Wacko Jacko’s brood but as a trio that probably gave him the most happiness.
ajayreddy@journalist.com