Michael Jackson: Life of a Legend – Michael Heatley (Review)

The media furore which erupted after Michael Jackson’s sudden death earlier this year has led many people to be wary of ‘tributes’ which might seek to make money in the overwhelming hype. For weeks, television stations ran tributes and retrospectives covering, from any perceivable angle, the life and times of a man who was taken before his time. It’s not a new phenomenon, but the ferocity with which the event took over the media landscape lead me to be quite sceptical when my copy of Michael Heatley’s Michael Jackson: Life of a Legend arrived in the mail. Would this be yet another publishing venture capitalising on tragedy, something thrown together in the early hours, and pushed through the printers?

The truth is this book is none of these things. One could naturally accuse Heatley of pushing the book to print, given the timing of its publication quite soon after the subject’s demise, but it would be extremely cynical to blame a man for wanting to release his book at the height of its marketability. The push through the printers however has not diminished the quality of the publication. Aside from the brevity with which Jackson’s death is dealt, the book is surprisingly thorough, covering Michael’s life, not his death. His triumphs, not his failures.

I mentioned earlier that media outlets clambered for an angle with which to approach an extremely popular story. The two prominent retellings were of his greatest triumphs and his greatest failures. Either painting the man as “The King of Pop” or “artist turned monster.” Heatley, refreshingly, takes a different tack. He approaches the book as a biographical photographic collection. Although no text is presented without an accompanying image (and in fact, most of Michael’s life is told in photos,) the retelling is historical, factual and biographical. The years which cover The Jackson Five covers the family evenly, focussing on their career as a group, rather than spotlighting Michael. Michael’s successes in following chapters are often connected with other musicians, and even make reference to the support of the Jackson Five in forging his career. What is surprising (and refreshing) about the documentary style is the way in which it gives Michael the kudos he deserves without resorting to idol worship. There is equal acknowledgement for his path as an artist, and for his obvious individual talent. However, Heatley does avoid the alienation of Wacko Jacko slightly, instead relating to the years of 2000-2009 as “The Troubled Years,” beginning with Martin Bashir’s TV documentary and ending with Jackson’s death. There is very little mention of hyperbaric chambers, vitiligo or adolescent syndromes. To be honest, although there is a blatant exclusion of certain elements of his life, the book is very clear that this book is the celebration of the legend, not the media scapegoat. To the same degree Heatley avoids capitalising on Michael Jackson’s controversial life, he equally censors certain areas, a fair trade in my opinion.

In fact, after the brief explanation of Jackson’s death (lacking some information which was not available at the time), the book continues onto a Chapter titled “Michael Jackson the Performer” which explains and illustrates his desire to entertain, the meticulate nature with which he planned each tour, and draws attention away from the tragedy of his death. The accompanying montage (the largest block of full colour images in the entire book) is a spectacular tribute to a man who really maximised the potential for the aesthetic of performance. The following section with tributes to the King of Pop is heartfelt, honest and the perfect dénouement to a tempestuous existence.

The limiting factor for books of this kind is the high quality of their publication. Michael Jackson: Life of a Legend is printed on quality-stock glossy paper and hardbound, restricting its sale to fans who might treasure it. A curious reader may not stumble upon the pages too easily, nor would they feel comfortable taking it outside of the house for fear of tearing its paper jacket. However, as a coffee table book, it is perfect. A high percentage of the images Heatley has included are relatively unknown and one speculates whether, in editing, the less popular images were chosen in order to make this book truly unique. If you ask me, it worked. This is the perfect book to buy a Jackson fan, knowing that the content is new and intriguing in its collectable nature.

Michael Jackson: Life of a Legend by Michael Heatley is published by Headline (17th July, 2009)