Controversial topic: Did Michael squander his talent in his latter years?

Did MJ waste his talent in his latter years?

  • No, he worked from a kid, he deserved the break.

    Votes: 70 66.7%

  • Yes, although I understand why he wanted to take a break.

    Votes: 26 24.8%

  • Yes, I think he became complacent and lacked motivation.

    Votes: 9 8.6%
  • Total voters
    105
  • Poll closed .

Fiona

Guest
Please lets keep this post respectful as I know it might be a controversial topic.
 
I voted that Michael did not squander his talent in his latter years as I dont believe he did:no:
 
No, he did not. He kept on making beautiful music.
But I do often wonder....why didn"t he release more music ?! We were so hungry for his music for a long time. I know I am.
I know he released an album every 4 years but I wish there were more of his albums.
 
He sure did not "w a s t e" his talent ("" (!!) the word in the introduction to the topic...).

He was busy raising and educating his children, and doing that well, that takes a lot of creativity, so he used his talents for that purpose.

And his musical and conceptual creativity continued, there was always music and new ideas in his head, he told it himself.

Of course, it was not his priority to take much his creativity in a very "visible" way out to the world (shows or new albums), but that certainly doesn't mean that he wasted his talents. IMO.

He also kept caring very much for the World, he kept sending out Love... maybe that was the greatest talent of all, the most important...

Thanks to God for our talented beautifull, loving Michael Joseph Jackson
 
Interesting topic.

I don't think he exactly utilised his talent to it's maximum potential from 98-09. I think he knew he'd reached his peak by that time and was happy to take a step back.

It was frustrating watching his peers continue to tour and record new music on a regular basis whilst Michael just turned up at the occasional award show to accept his gazillionth lifetime achievement award. But I respect that Michael had a lifetime of it and the same cannot be said for Prince or Madonna.
 
It seemed Mike was unproductive during the latter years but he was busy working the whole time. He himself said he never stops working. It's just that we did not hear any of the songs he had recorded (aside from those that were leaked). Also talent like his is never wasted because he is such an inspiration to others.
 
No. He was always productive, but his perfectionism grew with time.

In his later years, most horrific things have happened to him that almost no one would have been able to deal with, yet he kept on creating. .. Not to mention, on being a father and mother for his 3 children. .. And being sued viciously and endlessly. I would have blacked out and cracked if I were/had been in his shoes.
 
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I would have died if I went through everything he has gone through. So I can understand why he perhaps lost motivation. Plus he has worked since the age of 5, I think he deserved to do whatever he wanted after he grew older. Actually I wish he wouldn't have tried to do TII, instead would have done what he really wanted (films).
 
No he did not waste anything. With all the BS he had to deal with the last 20 or so years of his life, I am GRATEFUL for what he did give us and for what he WAS going to give us with the O2 concerts, etc. As someone said NO ONE in "the biz" can even compare to Michael and NO ONE can even begin to understand what HE went through in the latter part of his life here in this world. I remember telling one of my best mates the day the verdict came down on 13th June 2005 that I wouldn't care if Michael went away and NEVER EVER recorded another damn note. I just wanted him to be happy, for him to be with his children...and he had already given so much and look at what the world gave him in return...**shakes head**

With Michael it was ALWAYS QUALITY OVER QUANTITY, and that's what makes his music (which came from his very essence) TIMELESS. He was an EXTREME PERFECTIONIST (which I can as an artist myself completely relate too.) Everything by any so-called "artist" of today compared to any of his solo albums (Off the wall-Invincible) ALWAYS comes up looking like rubbish. In fact, it'd be an insult to Michael to even SUGGEST a comparison.

So to put it simply, NO Michael did NOT squander ANYTHING, it was the WORLD that squandered its appreciation for the gift it had been given...ONLY realising what it had when it was too late...
 
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Michael didn't owe anyone anything. If he wanted to hang his gloves up he had every right to. I think in the latter years he wanted to spend with his children and what he gave them paid off because look at them now.
 
you mean after Invincible? Nop, I don't think so.

We know he had so many projects after that album but his disagreement with Sony and those stupid allegations stood in his way.

After 2005 he deserved a long long vacation, plus he never stopped recording.
 
To be honest,I believe that we are selfish in that way.We know Michael was a perfectionist.But Michael made mistakes because he is a human being,people make mistakes.Michael could have quite easily hid away after 93 but never did and was always thinking there is more to come as he at late as 08/09.
 
~* White Chocolate *~ said:
No he did not waste anything. With all the BS he had to deal with the last 20 or so years of his life, I am GRATEFUL for what he did give us and for what he WAS going to give us with the O2 concerts, etc. As someone said NO ONE in "the biz" can even compare to Michael and NO ONE can even begin to understand what HE went through in the latter part of his life here in this world. I remember telling one of my best mates the day the verdict came down on 13th June 2005 that I wouldn't care if Michael went away and NEVER EVER recorded another damn note. I just wanted him to be happy, for him to be with his children...and he had already given so much and look at what the world gave him in return...**shakes head**

With Michael it was ALWAYS QUALITY OVER QUANTITY, and that's what makes his music (which came from his very essence) TIMELESS. He was an EXTREME PERFECTIONIST (which I can as an artist myself completely relate too.) Everything by any so-called "artist" of today compared to any of his solo albums (Off the wall-Invincible) ALWAYS comes up looking like rubbish. In fact, it'd be an insult to Michael to even SUGGEST a comparison.

So to put it simply, NO Michael did NOT squander ANYTHING, it was the WORLD that squandered its appreciation for the gift it had been given...ONLY realising what it had when it was too late...
Click to expand...

Standing ovation for this post :clapping: Especially the last paragraph!
 
In everything he did, he gave it his all, 100%. I don't blame him for wanting to get away, especially after the trial. I'm even surprised he wanted to come back after that. He didn't need to. Even so, he was still always making music and there's definitely a lot of projects he had in mind, making films and such. So, I don't agree he was wasting his talents at all. His mind was always going with new ideas.
 
Michael went through an awful lot in the last decade of his life, things that would have tipped a lot of people over the edge but he still kept going. He had three children to raise and with Michael it was always quality over quantity. Michael owed us nothing at the end of the day.
 
His 20% would be someone else's 150%.

While I would say that MJ was the last person on this planet to be afraid of commercial success- I don't think it would be far off to say that talent and creativity (even for Michael Jackson...) have to be measured in records produced/records sold/videos made.

Creativity and talent do not have to mean commercial success.

What Michael showed the world is a great example of following your heart. He wanted to be a great artist- so he was a great artist. He wanted to be a parent- so he became a parent. To be who you are despite the crowd literally spitting at you at times- that's a great accomplishment in its own right.

I often wonder how many short stories (he has a wonderful gift of narration, of telling a story- be it through song, dance, short film- or even short story as some documents show) remained unwritten that he would have plucked from the Heaven of Creativity and Inspiration.

To a degree I feel that those that keep bringing 'Thriller' up as the eternal highlight of creativity do not necessarily understand him as a whole.

He's a very multifaceted being and artist. Just as energy cannot be destroyed, I do not think for one single second that he 'squandered' or wasted his talent- he gave the world much more of himself than just 'Thriller'. And just as energy, you might 'recycle' it so that it might become something different and new- talent and creativity can take on different shapes.

He gave himself in this 250% way- I'd be happy to achieve just 50% of being myself the way he was himself. Was he a perfect and infallible? No.

People give up/throw in the towel facing less adversity than he had to deal with.
And creativity does not have to be measured in any measurable output. He said he never stops creating- and I believe that without a doubt.
 
I think he had done enough and probably wanted a break from the limelight for a while, he probably felt like he could do nothing right no matter what he did and I can't say I blame him after everything he was accused of! No matter what he did he was judged and ridiculed, had he donated every single penny of his fortune to charity, people would have still found something to criticise. I don't think he squandered his talent in the latter years, I just think he had been through enough, you have to also remember that he was constantly writing and recording behind closed doors. He was constantly busy with something or planning new projects. I did hear rumours that he planned to make a film version of 'Thriller' at some point.

Thinking that he 'squandered' his talent shows your ignorance as like I say, he was constantly writing, recording and planning new projects.
 
In the later years........

.......Michael was surrounded by people that wanted to destroy him...........even a child who he helped tried to put him in prison because he wouldn't give them money (see 2005 trial)........I could give you a list of bad people but I don't wish to waste the energy on it!!!!!

All of actions of these people and the media made Michael very unwell and depressed!!!!............


And at the end of the day there is no other artist who has done a gruelling schedule of the Bad World Tour and make a film (Moonwalker) at the same time............you can't expect Michael to do the same thing 15 years later..............


..........Michael is probably the hardest working entertainer out there, you can't possibly ask more from him!!!!!
 
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after thriller his output declined big time, ho jacksons stuff, new Cd every 4-5 years. But they were good except invincible.
 
^^^
That is my opinion. The sound is amazing and ahead of it"s time.
I know everybody is entitled to an opinion but it makes me sad that Invincible is so underrated.
The more I listen to it, it sounds better.
Whatever happenes....Threatened....epic songs.
 
For a man to work and produce the very best music and short films from his song "Big Boy" until the day he died....no, he did not squander his talent. The media slandered him so ferociously over the years along with the stress of false allegations that I believe a part of him was broken. However, MJ found something he dearly loved more than creating, more than music, and that was his children. MJ wanted to get into films, but no one wanted a genius such as MJ to get into films because he would probably squash everyone else with his talent. He never stopped using his talent and continued always to create....constantly thinking and creating. He was just terrifically gifted.
 
Krshna28 said:
In the later years........

.......Michael was surrounded by people that wanted to destroy him...........even a child who he helped tried to put him in prison because he wouldn't give them money (see 2005 trial)........I could give you a list of bad people but I don't wish to waste the energy on it!!!!!

All of actions of these people and the media made Michael very unwell and depressed!!!!............


And at the end of the day there is no other artist who has done a gruelling schedule of the Bad World Tour and make a film (Moonwalker) at the same time............you can't expect Michael to do the same thing 15 years later..............


..........Michael is probably the hardest working entertainer out there, you can't possible ask more from him!!!!!
Click to expand...


I agree with you. What it sickened me during that time very much ( among an endless list of sickening things) was that, as he made his way to the car with the family on exiting the courtroom that June 13th day, some would say things like "He's lost now", or, "He's not gonna make it for more than 4 years".... Those things will always 'sting' like an axe, because, in the end, Michael was ..murdered, yeah, I've said it, and his capacity for regeneration both bodily and spiritually was amazing, so he was gonna last for long, am certain of that, had it not been for Murray.

..And some sincerely are hoping that no more "Invincible" debates get infiltrated yet again, and posts stating that Invincible was so and so (lousy) as fact.
 
Hell no, his life is never wasted at all, he loves what he does, he knows it and we know it.
 
aorund 2001 he was supposed to go on tour but then there was 9/11, around 2005 he was supposed to release an album but then that trial came, in 2009 he was supposed to come back with an album and tour but that conrad murray popped up in his life, so he never really stopped entertaining
 
i voted no...at that studio interview in Ireland, he did say he never stopped. so even when he was not in the public eye, he was creating. though come to think of it, that might not feel like work to him. it's just something he loved doing.

recalling that interview back in the 80's, i think, where he said he's the kind of person that if he took a break for a week, he'd already feel like he was loafing :)
 
People and some fans'd often mistake his quietness and privacy (the attributes of the noble, strong and wise, not to eulogize him, but speaking a truth) with passiveness, apathy and just plain laziness. It has happened a lot..
 
His bodyguards (from when Michael came back to the US)said they heard lots of new music that Michael worked on.
 
no. maybe fans who havnt been around 2 mins feel like this cause they dont know how mj worked or what went on with sony/trial etc but considering what mj went through the last 10 years both personally and professionally this thread is pretty disrespectful.
 
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