Michael Jackson Eulogy -Tony Kastanos Sydney Australia 28th June 2009
For Michael I truly believe to have been brought up as a Jehovas
Witness, was a thing that shaped him, more than music itself. And this
was beyond his control.
I saw Michael Jackson with the Jackson Five when I was eleven in 1973
at the Apollo Basketball Stadium in Adelaide Australia on a chilly
clear Saturday afternoon. I went with my two elder sisters and and
slightly older brother, we were poor kids being bought up in a violent
horrific fundamentalist village type situation with a tyrannical
Cypriot father, similar to Michael’s dad it seemed, so I related, we
all did. Were were beaten by our dad for having English records, “the
devil’s music” as he called it. He never knew to the concert, but our
mum did and covered for us back at home.
Anyway, they were brilliant. So was Michael. From the first moment I
saw Michael sing I want You Back, I, like the rest of the world knew
he was a genius, a bright shining light, not blinding but
enlightening.
To speak of the affects of such a strict religious up-bringing,
without shaming Michael is impossible because to be a Jehovahs Witness
and have certain words even mentioned in context to yourself, means
that not only you but all your family will be shunned, particularly in
reference to sexuality, as they believe its a choice.
Emotionally intelligent people reading this will understand why an
unspeakable silence covers the issue and out of respect to Michael’s
grieving family I will not write things that will offend them.
A long time friend said on hearing the news, that a good Michael
Jackson track was guaranteed to get any-one on the dance floor. Just
think, Michael NEVER had the opprtunity to be in a night-club and
dance all night, like millions of us have and will do as we dance to
the endless fabulous Michael Jackson remixes to be served up
eternally.
Michael could not live a normal life, go to wild clubs, be a stranger
in the crowd and lose himself, so in his deperate isolation he came to
simply crave closeness and only trusted children, and children, as he
discovered come with parents…
Unfortunately one cannot survive the burning rays from life under a
magnifying glass.
Michael’s fan’s understand. and the rest you, out of respect should
stop calling him names.
Tony Kastanos
28/06/2009
Sydney
Australia