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Bad jokes and conspiracy theories are already proliferating less than 24 hours after Michael Jackson’s death. But what really lies behind the media frenzy that theatens to eclipse even Princess Diana’s demise? A few thoughts and a few more theories.

There are obvious dilemmas when it comes to blogging on current affairs, or any other form of writing of social commentary, and there’s certainly an element of concern that to write on the whole Michael Jackson deal is simply stoking the fire of the media frenzy and jumping on the popular culture bandwagon. But as it’s nigh on impossible to avoid the subject, and as with any media frenzy, it’s perhaps worth exploring what lies behind it.

I was actually at a gig when the news broke, with members of the audience receiving updates by text and the band – uncertain if they were being rused – incredulously announcing the latest between songs. It made for a very strange night, I can tell you. I arrived home to find that half of the channels had suspended regular broadcasting in order to provide blanket coverage of events as they unfolded: the streets of LA filling up with grief-stricken fans, cutting every so often to various ‘friends’ and ‘experts’ and even members of lesser bands and punters at Glastonbury to talk about their shock and the profound effect the singer had had on their lives and work and the world of music in general.

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But pan back and what do we see? It’s all gone Diana and it seems that all perspective has been lost here. Are all of these people genuinely fans? Sure, his record sales are evidence of his immense popularity, but arriving into work the next day there were wall-to-wall sick jokes, but no-one seemed particularly upset and no-one was giving the impression that they found the jokes offensive. Many gags centred around his alleged paedophilia and while some looked uncomfortable, I didn’t hear anyone defending him. So while the media’s showing us a nation – a world – united in grief, in the main, no-one really gives a shit.

Reactions have certainly been varied. The aforementioned jokes are likely to be in full spate for some time, and I’ve also witnessed mass indifference and even dislike of the man, having heard a number of people suggesting that the only real difference between Jackson and Gary Glitter is a conviction. This leads me to wonder precisely where are the 750,000 people who clamoured for tickets for Jackson’s sell-out marathon at the O2 this summer and who were willing to pay over £2,000 in the Internet for tickets? I suspect AEG, the promoters of said concerts are now in a major sweat, while their insurers will be hoping the post-mortem gives them reason to refuse to pay out (insurance companies aren’t charities and generally prefer not to hand out money on claims, especially ones that run into the millions).

Whatever, the documentaries are already being aired, as though the television companies were anticipating the event sooner or later, and the chances are the words ‘iconic’ and ‘genius’ which have already been thrown about all over the place will become so overused as to be completely threadbare in a matter of days, let alone the weeks and months that the controversy will surely rumble on for as more ‘facts’ are revealed.

Of course, while ‘facts’ are sparse – and even when they become more plentiful – there’s always room for speculation, and the circumstances surrounding Jackson’s death are ideal for spawning myriad conspiracy theories. One that particularly interests me is that Jackson faked his death. That many considered it unlikely that he would be physically and mentally capable of fulfilling his O2 obligations is well documented, and there’s no shortage of historical evidence to demonstrate that he was not the most reliable of performers and liable to cancel tour dates. How to get out of the deal without being sued for even more millions that he didn’t have, and without damaging his fragile reputation further? His financial difficulties have also been widely documented. Finally, there’s the fact that he hadn’t produced a decent record in ages, and while still a global phenomenon, he wasn’t churning out the hits or achieving the sales he used to. It must be difficult to see your status diminishing, however out of touch with reality you are.

There’s the question of how someone as distinctive as Jackson could slip into everyday life without being recognised, but aside from the fact that there are hundreds even thousands of impersonators and will probably be even more in the near future, it should be remembered that the Michael Jackson of 2009 bears next to no resemblance to the one of 1999, 1989, 1979 or 1969. And perhaps it was a mask. It would certainly explain a lot.

However, assuming that he really is dead, speculation remains rife as to the cause. Many are expecting the post-mortem to reveal high levels of prescription painkillers in his system. Moreover, there have long been concerns regarding his health. A report from a mere month ago, when he underwent a medical to ascertain whether or not he was fit for his (now even more appropriately named) ‘This is It!’ live dates, contained a quote from a spokesperson who declared ‘he’s in great shape.’ Such a statement seems even less credible now than then.

Personally, I think Kanye West is to blame for Jackson’s death. West currently features alongside Ne-Yo on the single ‘Knock You Down’ by Keri Hilson. West’s rap is lamentably poor, and concludes with the following lines:

O-M-G you listen to that bitch?
Woe is me, baby this is tragic
Cause we had it, we was magic
I was flying, now I’m crashing
This is bad, real bad, Michael Jackson
Now I’m mad, real mad, Joe Jackson
You should leave your boyfriend now, I’ma ask him

The phrase ‘this is bad, real bad, Michael Jackson’ had already begun to take off (Google it if you don’t believe me), but the only way West was going to really ensure the phrase’s long-term ubiquity and consequently his own immortality was by linking it to a major event. That event would be Jackson’s death. Of course, having his shot or anything obvious would never do, so what I believe he did was have one of his minions infiltrate Jackson’s residence and have them slip the single into the player. On hearing such a shockingly bad rap that made mention of his name with no obvious context other than an association with the word ‘bad’ and the purpose of rhyming it with Joe Jackson, the enfeebled King of Pop’s heart gave out.

And that really is bad, real bad, Michael Jackson.