Michael Jackson article in "Rolling Stone"

The "Rolling Stone" cover story a few weeks back on "Michael Jackson's Final Days" proved me both right and wrong. I was wrong to be skeptical that those comeback concerts would have gone off; there is plenty of evidence that this time, erratic as his work habits could be, Jackson was determined to pull it off. It may not have gone all according to schedule, but it would have happened in some form.

I was wrong. Sorry about that, Magic Johnson and Kobe Bryant (Theirs is the only clip I saw from the funeral coverage, so I'm making them de facto Jackson spokesmen).

I was right about one aspect, however: Jacko's massive ego, the only thing bigger than "Thriller's" sales numbers. One example should suffice: According to this story, Jackson chose the original figure of 31 concerts in London's O2 Arena "so he would have 10 more shows than Prince, who had opened the arena with a series of spectacular concerts in 2007." Writer Claire Hoffman adds that Jackson had feuded with Prince since he refused to duet with him on "Bad" in 1987., and in 2009, he still wanted to "upstage his rival and remind the world who was King."

That would be the King of Pop--a self-proclaimed title, I might add.

This is why it was always so difficult for me to feel sorry for Michael Jackson. For whatever reason, he had a massive ego, even by rock-star standards, that rendered his whole persona increasingly off-putting, especially as the music declined.

I mean, come on, you mean to tell me this guy was a joke in the entertainment biz for years, and then when he is finally on the verge of putting it back together--maybe--he's engaging in petty one-upsmanship with Prince?

(Incidentally, wouldn't it be funny if he were engaging in petty one-upsmanship with Tom Petty? Michael Jackson would be all like, "I'm gonna name my album SUPER Highway Companion, and Tom Petty would be all like, "Eh. Whatever.")

I don't expect pop stars to be humble, but they can at least give it a shot. This article shows to me that Michael Jackson's drive to return as a legitimate performer was not for artistic reasons or for a passion for music. It was to "prove to the world," blah, blah, blah, "King of Pop," blah, blah, blah.