Life...after MJ

Pop quiz, music fans: who's the only artist more popular the Presley and more prolific than Lennon?
You got it. Michael Joseph Jackson.
Okay, so I don't mean that - completely. But let's break it down for a second. Like Elvis, MJ understood that being a musician wasn't enough. The heart rested in presentation, and no one did it better. Like Lennon, MJ wrote songs unlike any other in his time period, showcasing a genius unparalleled. So while it's tough to make the above blanket statement, it's certainly a defensable one (by the way, in an interesting coincidental sidenote, Jackson's death came one day before the 32nd anniversary of Elvis' final concert).
As was the feeling (I think, I wasn't around) in 1977 (Elvis' death) and 1980 (Lennon's), a generation of fans is left with a simple, profound and hollow truth about their days on this planet. Life exists now in two distinct spheres: life before June 25, 2009, and life after MJ.
Jackson is one of those sad cases of the last decade (OJ Simpson, if you're a sports fan) whose name has become a punchline in it's own right for a joke that needn't even be said. I didn't care then — 2005, during the trial — and I don't care now about the allegations. Yes, some sick charges were brought forth and, was he to be found guilty, nothing would have excused the behavior. But that doesn't change 200+ million album sales. That doesn't change countless #1 singles (back when it meant something to have a #1 single). That doesn't change genius - GENIUS - writing and arranging. It doesn't change an untouchable legacy of showmanship.
They don't make then like Michael anymore. The genres he bred and saved time and again are essentially dead, as they have been in his absence from the music scene before his death. Will we ever see this type of genius again? I'm not convinced the answer is yes. I hope it is, but I just don't know. There was everything before June 25, 2009, which was blessed by his presence. And now, without warning, we must start something music and pop culture is frankly not prepared to do — life after MJ.

— Alec Wooden