DIDN'T THEY ALMOST HAVE IT ALL?

Lately, all of the talk surrounding yet another death of an "iconic superstar" has stirred inside of me a lot of strong feelings. Being a very opinionated person, I have lately taken to blogging just to "let off some steam." You see, for me an artist sharing his or her "talent" is one of the most personal things that anyone could ever share with someone else. An artist offers himself/herself up to others for their acceptance or rejection. The risk of being rejected is something that most people would never want or need to do, but performers do this every time they perform. On rare occasions though the stars do line up and someone with an exceptional gift steps forward and we are all blessed because of it. Most people think that such an extraordinary "gift" means that that person is in some way "perfect." When artists earn substantial monetary and material benefits, we believe in the image of "Nirvana" (for lack of a better word) and are obsessed and inspired by it. There is a reason why we call such talents "stars" or "super stars"; we do so because we have to believe that such a talent is above all of us. Such a talent is in some way "other worldly" and something that we all should try to attain. When these "stars" remind us of their own mortality by making a mistake or having a setback, the public that so gladly celebrated their rise now angrily and relentlessly celebrates their fall. The business of entertainment is interesting at all levels, from global superstar all the way down to local celebrity. It is both exciting and perilous and, for many that make it to the top, fatal. We need to consider a different perspective. Not that many of us would ever truly know what superstardom is like, but each of us has in our own way experienced pain and humiliation, popularity, and rejection. Being the "teacher's pet" only to be dropped when you get a "B" instead of an"A." Artists are like everybody else; they just dare to demonstrate their talents. The result for some of the most talented artists is extraordinary success, but that success does not change the personal realities of their lives. Allow me to offer my perspective as one that has performed and experienced these challenges (albeit to a far lesser degree) even at stardom's lowest levels.

The year was 1980 and in the very important, sleepy southern town that is Washington, D.C. I had found what seemed to be a niche. I was a cute little black kid that had a unique and unusual talent. I was a puppeteer and, in general, an all around artist and stage performer. I was a black child from a loving supportive family that encouraged whatever gifts I had. I was gifted and very fearless once I was in front of a large audience, and I fed off their energy and they in turn were energized by me. In many ways, I was awkward and shy in certain one-on-one situations. An emotional child, I was not easily influenced any one way or another. Peer pressure was not a big thing for me because I lived in my own little world and was happy with that. Way back in the days when television ruled and most towns had only four TV stations, I had shows on three of them. I was a big guy on a small stage and at a young age.

By 1987 my popularity had allowed me to sell out my own show at The Kennedy Center, meet the President, and conduct a World Tour that allowed me to meet and somewhat befriend my childhood idol Michael Jackson while in Tokyo, Japan. My mother was aware and cautious of the growing numbers of "sycophants" that started to surround me in a way that I was oblivious. Various people would call my relatives looking for me, show up at my house or school, and one even walked up to me on a playground while I was playing. Even though I was a "small time, local celebrity" opportunists pursued me and frequently without my best interests in mind. Despite mom's best efforts though I still was exposed to drugs and many other potentially negative  influences at an early age.

I am thankful of the chance that I got to experience the wonders of "show biz" and escape without any of its pitfalls.I do  sometimes wonder what might have been had I continued. I think about my Asian tour and the development of the European one that never happened. Our minds often lean toward all of the BIG possibilities of wealth, fame, and success that the combination of talent and opportunity can bring. Most people think that they can handle the challenges that great fame can bring.

With all of that said, the fact is that I was not anywhere near the level of a Whitney Houston and I was raised under a completely different set of circumstances.Unlike celebrities like Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, Kurt Cobain, Elvis Presley, Billie Holiday, each were victims of personal demons that an embarrassment of wealth could definitely not cure and people in my position can appreciate but never truly understand.

Today, Conservative commentator Bill O'Reilly stated that Whitney Houston "wanted to die."

I do not know how he can arrive at that conclusion when all accounts point to the fact that O'Reilly and Whitney never really knew each other, and that he is not in the professional position to legitimately arrive at that conclusion. I feel a bit of compassion for young celebrities because I come from a perspective (as a low-level celebrity) that allows me to appreciate how difficult it must be for some people when placed under so much pressure to perform on such a large stage. I remember being berated by teachers and adults and teased by kids. It was hard and, without the foundation that my mother built for me, my life might have been different.

People forget how hard it was in school when one or two people did not like you or when  you did something absolutely stupid or out of character just to please someone else. Well, just imagine if you were not in school but the world was your critic and millions of people had an opinion on every move that you made. O'Reilly felt that Whitney should have been able to handle it. After all wasn't her life(and stars like her) on top of the world? Didn't She almost have it all?  She had sold millions of records and was worth hundreds of millions of dollars. I do not understand how the two add up. Just because you have talent and opportunity does not make you any different emotionally than anybody else. The need to stand in judgement of people in circumstances drastically different from their own both amazes and angers me

This has made me wonder if standing in judgement of troubled celebrities makes persons of lesser fame and fortune feel validated in their own inability to pursue their dreams at the same level of excellence. I wonder if, deep down in some people's minds, the failings of great men add value to the lives of those that have accepted their own mediocrity. The loss of a Michael Jackson or a Whitney Houston as the result of "pressure to perform" at such a high level on an emotionally fragile person with exceptional talent is a loss to humanity as a whole. It is not a loss because they are not there to entertain us any longer. It is a missed chance to learn to love and appreciate each other. It is a chance for us as humans to help those trouble spirits through their addictions and problems and, in the process, advance our own humanity and compassion.

  

Someday there may be another young talent like Whitney and the struggles and events of her life might be the only examples of "what not to do" in order to prevent another such tragedy. Sadly, we seem to not learn from these losses. Many are still talking about Billie Holiday, Kurt Cobain, Elvis Presley, Marilyn Monroe, Heath Ledger, River Phoenix, Amy Winehouse, John Belushi,and my own personal hero Michael Jackson. All of which were people that as Madonna once put it (describing Michael Jackson) "We knew he was troubled and we abandoned him." For me to reduce Whitney to just another musician would in its own sense diminish her to some sort of "human iPod."

Whitney Houston was much, much more. I do not think we as a public reached out to her or any of the above celebrities enough and after they died we did not learn the lessons their lives left behind. To ignore her faults, her struggles to only acknowledge her talent would be to forget her humanity and the lives of those left behind that affected her and she in turn affected. Even the most beautiful rose has its thorns. Now her ex husband Bobby Brown is taking a lot of the heat  for "bringing Whitney down"  so the world is set on destroying another troubled, talented person and I do not think that is entirely fair.I think that he should not have to carry the burden of her death on his shoulders. But, we the public have to have a "Lee Harvey Oswald" for every "JFK". Maybe, in the final analysis, we with our TMZ's,National Enquirer's and our need to build up celebrities only to tear down and abandon them is  part of the reason our brightest stars keep falling from the sky.