Michael Jackson was a force of nature. It’s hard to convey to people born in the internet age of just the scale of Michael Jackson’s influence. He literally sat down with world leaders. These days, a social media “influencer” can show their asscrack and gain hundreds of millions of “followers”. However, back in the day you had to put on more than a peep show. And boy did Michael Jackson put on a show. Not only that, but you couldn’t just see him anytime you wanted. You had to wait until his tour came to your city, be lucky enough to get a ticket and then you’d have the privilege of witnessing the grandeur of a Michael Jackson live show. If you watch some of his recordings from the 80’s, people are fainting left and right, and you can tell that it was almost a religious experience for the crowd.

Many of Michael’s songs, such as Smooth Criminal, Billie Jean or Beat It, are still well-known today, a testament to his brilliant song writing. But more than that, he had his own unique style, and the irony is that despite all the street buskers who imitate his dancing, his wardrobe or his singing, there will never be anyone else like him.

Unfortunately, these days many people associate Michael with the allegations of child sexual abuse. So, can we (or should we) enjoy the music, knowing what we think we know about him? Well, first of all, he was never found guilty, so there’s that. Second, I’m somewhat of a pragmatist in this regard, and I do think that whether or not art has merit rests on its quality, not on the moral character of its creator. Perhaps you disagree, but then let me remind you that you’re probably reading this on a computer or phone made out of rare-earth minerals that were dug out of a mine by a nine-year old boy under the cruelest of conditions. At least Michael Jackson didn’t force anyone into the music equivalent of child labor; have them play all the instruments until he got the perfect take, deny them breaks and barely pay them a cent. It’s easy to put on a pious display about someone when the supposed offender is already dead. It’s harder to care about current demonstrable suffering because it would mean we’d actually have to do something about it.

So, was Michael Jackson the king of pop, or the king of popping cherries? We may never know. Regardless, we can both denounce pedophilia and enjoy the music. The two are not mutually exclusive. But, who knows, maybe someday new evidence will surface and we will unequivocally know that Michael Jackson was guilty. Well, I say we moonwalk across that bridge when we get there. In the mean time, let’s jam, get some blood on the dance floor and burn this disco out.

Please enjoy what I would consider to be the perfect setlist for a concert by Michael Jackson. The last three tracks are the encore.