Black, white and shades of gray
by Igo K. Gonzalez
Once a child prodigy, a pop icon, a creepy werewolf, and a man accused of child molestation, Michael Jackson never gave us the same impression twice. His shocking death on June 25 left us with more mystery than closure. As fans around the world mourn the Michael they remember, G asked Ateneans who Michael was for them.
“For me, he’s a very talented musician who got too carried away with the fame and money that came his way. He’s admirable as a singer and dancer, but that’s about it. All in all, I consider him as a sad example of talent gone to waste.”
-Michelle Tan (III BFA CW)
“The original Ne-Yo, Usher, Chris Tucker, and Craig David!”
-Ron Reodica (III BS Mgt)
“He was a person who had a fake nose.”
-Mia Cariño (I BS MIS)
“Michael Jackson was a childhood icon, scandal or no scandal. He was the reason why I started to sing and dance casually, and not care about embarrassment and utter humiliation.”
-Timothy Huelva (BS LM ‘09)
“I wanted to dance like him, sing like him, and be as great as the entertainer that he was. He was, in a sense, larger than life. Especially back in the 70’s, 80’s and mid-90’s, there was nobody like him. Being young and naive, I wanted to be like that. He dreamed big, and he had the means to reach those dreams, with his talent and money. The only things that stopped him were the controversies and eccentricities that clouded his fame, and in the end, that’s what crushed him. I see Michael Jackson as a kid who, even as he grew older, just wanted to do what he loved the most.”
- JR Fernando, (IV BFA ID)
“I’ve always been in love with his music. I used to sing to his songs all the time when I was a kid! When he died, it was like a huge part of music died also.”
- Alysa de Leon, (III BS CTM)
“I’ve never really thought about it. I liked his music, I enjoyed his videos, and regret not seeing him perform in Manila, but who he was as a person never seemed to matter to me. So, I guess, to me, he was just a damn good performer who made my growing up years a lot more interesting because of his music.”
-Ali Figueroa, Lecturer, Fine Arts Program
“I thought of him as a really weird genius, but a genius nonetheless. He was the guy who made the Thriller music video, which I thought was awesome.”
-Angelica Gutierrez, (III AB Lit Eng)
“A child molester, but a talented one!”
-Christopher Aronson (III AB EU)
“He will always be the black man who turned white, whose nose fell while he was shopping.”
-Ida Penilla (I AB MEco)
“The ultimate pop icon. He united my family because… [of his] music. Definite inspiration.”
-Antonio Santos (IV AB PoS)
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