June 26th, 2009 by Sydney

io9‘s Annalee Newitz says:

“Among the many things about Jackson that caught the public’s imagination in the 1990s was the way he turned his body into a kind of science fiction story. He became an enhanced human, using plastic surgery and pharmaceuticals to change his face and seemingly his race as well. He became whiter than most white people, and his pale bandaged skin became his trademark.

Jackson was a post-human celebrity, and nowhere was this more obvious than in his video “Black or White” (directed by John Landis). Once again, Jackson turned to one of the greatest minds in science fiction to help with the video. He used the morphing software used by James Cameron for The Abyss and Terminator 2 to create a memorable and oft-copied scene where dozens of people’s faces morph into each other, streaming through different racial identities, ages, and genders with an uncanny ease.”

Michael Jackson was living, breathing proof that if you’re driven enough (and you have the resources), you can really be anyone, or thing, you want to be.  From his body transformations to his fantastical music videos and his deep love for the kind of dreams most abandon after childhood, he was a man that truly sought to create and live out fantasy irl.

Michael Jackson’s Science Fictional Life