I’ve been watching this space to see if anyone was going to say anything. I couldn’t go to sleep without saying something here myself.

Michael Jackson was an incredible artist. His talent and innovative ability was matched only by the degree to which he was clearly uncomfortable in his own skin.

A degree of angst and displeasure is a prerequisite for artistic expression. But a broken spirit is not required. I don’t know if Michael’s spirit was broken but surely it was tortured.

Communities like this one should soothe the everyday wounds of it’s contributors. Comraderie, support, even the odd prod in the ribs are all there to comfort the creative as they take their chances.

Michael’s legacy should be what he gave to the worlds of music and video. But for creative communities like ours he also leaves behind a chance to reflect on what matters.

It is irritating me that some people are focusing their attention on the sideshow that was the man’s personal life. Looking at it from some distance it seems that there were a lot of needs that weren’t met there in constructive ways. Communities such as this give us little people ways of getting our little creative needs met. It is one reason why these communities must continue to flourish.

I was shocked when I heard Michael Jackson died, even more so by my reaction. I have not been able to get his exquisitely produced music out of my head all night, despite the fact that I own not a single recording of his. He gave us many gifts and I hope that these gifts will be his enduring legacy.

E., thank you for opening up this dialog, and articulating so eloquently what I have been feeling this evening. I too am surprised by my reaction to his death — and while there are certain obvious explanations (i.e., his age, the influence of the Jackson 5 on my musical development, etc.), I am still sorting it all out. Undoubtedly, Michael Jackson’s music will be an enduring legacy.

MJ like a lot of original and heavenly talented souls had a side to him that was hard for many to understand. His personal life was open to ridicule and in the end played its part in the justice system.

How we judge him as a human being is down to our own perceptions as to what is right and wrong and how we deal with those views.

As an entertainer and originator of a musical style he will always have his place in the musical history books. Ultimately, however, it was the creative forces that seemed to lead him into a twilight world that many of us found hard to understand and in some cases believe in.

His legacy will always be tarnished but for a moment in time he created a world of music that will be hard to replicate and for that we should show him much gratitude.

Check this out.