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News & ArtsThursday, June 25, 2009
Life The Last Time I Saw Michael Jackson...
Posted by David Schmader on Thu, Jun 25, 2009 at 8:26 PM
....was also the first time I saw Michael Jackson. It was four years ago, outside the Santa Maria courthouse, where Jackson was on trial for child molestation, and I was an undercover reporter hanging out with die-hard Michael Jackson fans who'd travelled from all over the world to be near their beloved angel during his darkest hour.
I spent a week there and wrote about it: "Among the Faithful."
The four of us take seats around the conference room table, and June turns immediately serious, "The first thing you need to know is that when you talk about Michael Jackson, you should assume that you are under surveillance, because you are." The Dutch couple nods gravely. "I've been speaking the truth about Michael for five years," June continues. "I've been videotaped in my bedroom, in the shower…" At this point, June jerks her head toward the ceiling: "We know you're there!" she bellows at the hidden camera she imagines in the corner. Wow, I thought, she's crazier than I ever dreamed! Then I realized she was telling the truth, even if she didn't know it: She was under surveillance. But it was the man in the Michael Jackson T-shirt sitting across the table from her, and not some hidden camera, that was doing the surveying.
Some friends have said, "Well, he's kinda been dead for years..." and yes, but NOW HE'S DEAD, and any latent dreams of Michael Jackson executing some miraculous third-act comeback (in my dreams, this always involved Rick Rubin, ala Johnny Cash) die with him.
The period has been placed at the end of the sentence. His art will not redeem him. He's a one-of-a-kind musical genius who went crazy, played with morphing his race and gender, slept with children, was repeatedly acquitted of child-molestation charges, and then died, alone and broke.
It's enough to make you cry.
1
Just like you, the first time I saw him was the last time I saw him. When I lived in Australia, me and some friends snatched up a few ticket stubs toward the end of his show and waltzed in to the upper level of the sold-out stadium. A minivan collected him from the stage, right at the base of the Michael Jackson statue. It was purely spectacle.
Lefsetz just sent his take on MJ that begins: "He missed his childhood and now he's gonna miss his old age." And toward the end: "We did this to Michael Jackson."
Lefsetz just sent his take on MJ that begins: "He missed his childhood and now he's gonna miss his old age." And toward the end: "We did this to Michael Jackson."
2
Is it silly for me to still wish that they'll unearth at least one album's length of great new songs he'd just been sitting on?
3
I don't want to be a jerk, but I'd like to ask an honest question: what exactly made Michael Jackson a genius?
4
3: He had an amazingly expressive singing voice—he's one of the great American singers. He was an amazingly accomplished and expressive dancer. Both physically and musically, his understanding of rhythm was supernatural. (He grew up studying James Brown, with his own eyes.) And he wrote, to name just two all-time classics, "Billie Jean" and "Beat It."
5
You're wrong, his art will redeem him. He's already redeemed by it. I don't care about his eccentric persona. However, I do care about his awesome hook and refrain in "Smooth Criminal." In the end, all people will care about are the songs.
6
David, you are lucky to be spared the local coverage of MJ's death here in Detroit. People are crowded around the Motown Museum (Hitsville) and badly singing/screaming MJ songs while local news crews interview people in the crowd about what lengths they went to in order to grab a memento of or from MJ back in the day (one girl recalls being at a concert when Michael threw a rose to the girl in front of her - at which point she pulled the girl's hair and fought her for the rose - which she won).
The circus-like atmosphere is at once unsettling disrespectful (disturbingly so) yet somehow appropriate considering the chaos that marked Jackson's later years.
The circus-like atmosphere is at once unsettling disrespectful (disturbingly so) yet somehow appropriate considering the chaos that marked Jackson's later years.
7
that MJJFOrum is an interesting board of nutjobs... I am reading the thread that started when the news about the ambulance came out..
it's like those jesus-y postings of the Clay Aiken fans when he came out "Oh, jesus, this cant be true." with moderators just telling the loonies to pray.
everyone knows that the algebra for crazy is
gay singer comes out = death of famous pedophile
it's like those jesus-y postings of the Clay Aiken fans when he came out "Oh, jesus, this cant be true." with moderators just telling the loonies to pray.
everyone knows that the algebra for crazy is
gay singer comes out = death of famous pedophile
8
Well unless it can be shown that Jackson actually molested kids beyond some hunch people have, I would say his being a theoretical pedophile isn't really an issue.
9
He's a one-of-a-kind musical genius who went crazy, played with morphing his race and gender, slept with children, was repeatedly acquitted of child-molestation charges, and then died, alone and broke.
As another site pointed out, he seemed to be the most famous case of Body Dysmorphic Disorder that was never diagnosed.
I'm not making excuses for his behavior but I think a great deal can be explained by his dad's physical, mental and verbal abuse.
As another site pointed out, he seemed to be the most famous case of Body Dysmorphic Disorder that was never diagnosed.
I'm not making excuses for his behavior but I think a great deal can be explained by his dad's physical, mental and verbal abuse.
11
I was at RRUCLAMC today when he was brought in. Saw a dead-stop traffic jam on Westwood develop in the space of 10 minutes. Saw the crowds of mourners milling around the hospital from my unit's window - they were easily matched in numbers by guys with cameras and mikes, interestingly.
12
I disagree. Although his personal and legal issues have been front-page tabloid news for years, his pop music genius will outshine all of that. I think this will be remembered as a very sad ending to a brilliant and troubled life, which makes him all the more human. Remembrance is what the living make of it, and I believe the living will choose his music over his life's troubles when considering his legacy. It's already happening, if you watch the news.
13
Its enough to make all the kids he molested cry. He was a PEDO who stuck his nose in a pencil sharpener.
16
Thanks, David. I've never been a huge MJ fan (though I love a handful of his songs), but I believe this statement -- "his understanding of rhythm was supernatural" -- is true.
17
#3.
Michael Jackson invented 80's music. Michael Jackson was rock 'n roll...and that was the problem. Because he was black, he couldn't be rock and roll.
What he did to the kids was wrong.
But imagine this. Imagine you are the most beautiful girl. But everyone around you denies it and calls you ugly. You look in the mirror. You compare yourself...and you know you are not ugly. But every day people say you are.
Imagine this. You are the most talented performer. You are not a "black" performer...you are a performer, pure and simple. You know that you created an album, Thriller, that broke every tradition in music. You created the whole 80s sound of rock, screetching guitars, complex lyrics, drama, kicky fashion. You invented that. But people called you a "Black Performer"....not worth ranking with Queen, and Def Leppard or even Boy George...because you couldn't possibly be that great...because you are black.
Now imagine hearing that from the day you took stage at age 6 or 7....every day....even as your talent grew.
Would you be a little crazy?
Michael Jackson invented 80's music. Michael Jackson was rock 'n roll...and that was the problem. Because he was black, he couldn't be rock and roll.
What he did to the kids was wrong.
But imagine this. Imagine you are the most beautiful girl. But everyone around you denies it and calls you ugly. You look in the mirror. You compare yourself...and you know you are not ugly. But every day people say you are.
Imagine this. You are the most talented performer. You are not a "black" performer...you are a performer, pure and simple. You know that you created an album, Thriller, that broke every tradition in music. You created the whole 80s sound of rock, screetching guitars, complex lyrics, drama, kicky fashion. You invented that. But people called you a "Black Performer"....not worth ranking with Queen, and Def Leppard or even Boy George...because you couldn't possibly be that great...because you are black.
Now imagine hearing that from the day you took stage at age 6 or 7....every day....even as your talent grew.
Would you be a little crazy?
18
Sorry if I'm not jumping on the bandwagon here, and I've no doubt some will view what I'm about to say as sheer blasphemy, but at this early point in what will be a Long Weekend of International Mourning, I can't help but recall the words of Gen. George S. Patton: "Americans love a winner and will not tolerate a loser".
Because, for all his talent, for all his musical success - while he had it - I sincerely believe Michael Jackson will be remembered mostly for what he was at the end; a sad, self-parodying object of derision, ridicule, and ultimately of mistrust. And regardless of whether the charges of pedophilia were true or not, his extreme eccentricity will always leave a lingering shadow of a doubt in the minds of many, which will itself overshadow whatever cultural legacy might otherwise have been his due.
His death will be viewed as a tragedy, as all untimely deaths are, but in the end, it's probably better that he went now, before he suffered the inevitable humiliation and embarrassment that no doubt would have been the result of his impending "comeback". There's really nothing more pathetic than watching a late middle-aged man try to recapture his lost youth, especially when doing it in front of tens of thousands of people, And really, of all the major cultural icons of the past twenty or thirty years, is there anyone who misspent more of their life in a desperate attempt to cling to the fantasy of eternal youth than did Michael Jackson?
Because, for all his talent, for all his musical success - while he had it - I sincerely believe Michael Jackson will be remembered mostly for what he was at the end; a sad, self-parodying object of derision, ridicule, and ultimately of mistrust. And regardless of whether the charges of pedophilia were true or not, his extreme eccentricity will always leave a lingering shadow of a doubt in the minds of many, which will itself overshadow whatever cultural legacy might otherwise have been his due.
His death will be viewed as a tragedy, as all untimely deaths are, but in the end, it's probably better that he went now, before he suffered the inevitable humiliation and embarrassment that no doubt would have been the result of his impending "comeback". There's really nothing more pathetic than watching a late middle-aged man try to recapture his lost youth, especially when doing it in front of tens of thousands of people, And really, of all the major cultural icons of the past twenty or thirty years, is there anyone who misspent more of their life in a desperate attempt to cling to the fantasy of eternal youth than did Michael Jackson?
19
Michael also closed the racial gap in America that always seems to open up again just when you think it's closing for good. Like the Supremes before him, whose dream of a crossover pop talent that whites and blacks could both dance to was crushed like Michael's was. He famously broke the color line at MTV (as strict as anything in 1960 Mississippi), and didn't do it the easy way either; he FORCED them to open up against their will. There isn't any black pop artist today who appeals to white audiences to that extent, or vice-versa; we're back in our ghettos.
When Michael turned the world upside down at the Motown anniversary show, EVERYONE was watching: white, black, young, old, rich, poor and middle-class. I was a "punk rocker" then, or something like one; but although we had our Prince albums in rotation we were pretty cut off from black music; but the grapevine told us to watch, and we did, and Michael lit the world on fire. Truly, it was Elvis on Ed Sullivan, or The Beatles on Ed Sullivan; it was all anybody could talk about, and the punks bought Thriller just like the gay disco boys and the grandmothers with granddaughters did. And we all tried to learn how to dance. I'd had a head start, because I was by then amassing a giant pile of Stax and King 45s, and was trying to emulate James Brown most nights, but the night after EVERYBODY was.
You couldn't do that now. We've had stuff like the white Brit fake "soul" singers like Joss Stone and Amy Winehouse -- but most black people in America, if they even knew who they are, think they are beyond ridiculous. And the hip hoppers, but you know hip hop is incredibly polarizing music to the mainstream -- and Michael was the exact opposite of polarizing.
Michael was a giant, all right. He was the biggest star of his time, maybe ever: on a par with Bing and Sinatra and Elvis and The Beatles. You forget that because of all the weirdness -- but the weirdness was part of his stardom.
Was he a child molester? Well, well, well. America has always loved its child molesters, haven't we? We'll forgive ANYTHING for stardom; Michael was just the unlucky fellow who had to prove it.
Who was the worse dad, Joe Jackson or Murry Wilson?
More...
When Michael turned the world upside down at the Motown anniversary show, EVERYONE was watching: white, black, young, old, rich, poor and middle-class. I was a "punk rocker" then, or something like one; but although we had our Prince albums in rotation we were pretty cut off from black music; but the grapevine told us to watch, and we did, and Michael lit the world on fire. Truly, it was Elvis on Ed Sullivan, or The Beatles on Ed Sullivan; it was all anybody could talk about, and the punks bought Thriller just like the gay disco boys and the grandmothers with granddaughters did. And we all tried to learn how to dance. I'd had a head start, because I was by then amassing a giant pile of Stax and King 45s, and was trying to emulate James Brown most nights, but the night after EVERYBODY was.
You couldn't do that now. We've had stuff like the white Brit fake "soul" singers like Joss Stone and Amy Winehouse -- but most black people in America, if they even knew who they are, think they are beyond ridiculous. And the hip hoppers, but you know hip hop is incredibly polarizing music to the mainstream -- and Michael was the exact opposite of polarizing.
Michael was a giant, all right. He was the biggest star of his time, maybe ever: on a par with Bing and Sinatra and Elvis and The Beatles. You forget that because of all the weirdness -- but the weirdness was part of his stardom.
Was he a child molester? Well, well, well. America has always loved its child molesters, haven't we? We'll forgive ANYTHING for stardom; Michael was just the unlucky fellow who had to prove it.
Who was the worse dad, Joe Jackson or Murry Wilson?
20
Yeah and FUCK YOU LAST DAYS...ARE YOU HAPPY NOW?
I put up with your Jacko death wishes for so long I can't remember. Well.....now that the prophesy has been realized I hope your ABC...I'll be There....Ben ...Workin' day and Night...PYT...Thriller...Man in the Mirror DICK FALLS OFF!!!! Thanks Y'all!!!!
I put up with your Jacko death wishes for so long I can't remember. Well.....now that the prophesy has been realized I hope your ABC...I'll be There....Ben ...Workin' day and Night...PYT...Thriller...Man in the Mirror DICK FALLS OFF!!!! Thanks Y'all!!!!
21
Thanks, Fnarf. I watched the Motown special and it's aftermath happen too, and it was indeed an amazing thing to behold.
22
@18, I dunno, Comte; Americans eat that shit up. Objectively, Michael Jackson on stage in London for 50 nights (!) was likely to be an artistic travesty of the highest order, but who in that audience would have noticed? People LOVE a comeback story, even if it's a fake. Most everything else is a fake, so why not get behind one that really goes all the way?
Besides, I think the "child molester" tag ultimately worked in Michael's favor; I think people are secretly titillated by it. God knows Americans are profoundly obsessed with sexualized children in pretty much every form of media.
And the only thing people enjoy more than forbidden fruit is censuring others; censuring Michael has been a cottage industry for a twenty years now. Seriously, we eat that shit up with a spoon.
Staying perversely childlike, in blatantly inappropriate and unsuccessful ways, kept Michael in the public eye. Otherwise he would have been just another wrinkly old has-been. Think Donny Osmond is going to get a sendoff like Michael's?
Ultimately the faults and fates of iconic freak shows like Anna Nicole Smith and Michael Jackson are the faults and fates of us all. Michael's unusual in that he operates on both levels -- Wacko Jacko AND moonwalker.
Besides, I think the "child molester" tag ultimately worked in Michael's favor; I think people are secretly titillated by it. God knows Americans are profoundly obsessed with sexualized children in pretty much every form of media.
And the only thing people enjoy more than forbidden fruit is censuring others; censuring Michael has been a cottage industry for a twenty years now. Seriously, we eat that shit up with a spoon.
Staying perversely childlike, in blatantly inappropriate and unsuccessful ways, kept Michael in the public eye. Otherwise he would have been just another wrinkly old has-been. Think Donny Osmond is going to get a sendoff like Michael's?
Ultimately the faults and fates of iconic freak shows like Anna Nicole Smith and Michael Jackson are the faults and fates of us all. Michael's unusual in that he operates on both levels -- Wacko Jacko AND moonwalker.
25
What a weird mix of admiration, pity, and ridicule I have swirling around in my head right now. His later life was a spectacularly bizarre trainwreck. His childhood would make anyone crazy.
But God he was brilliant. I can't tell you how much I loved his music. I danced to it every weekend for years when I came out in the mid-1980s, and his music will be linked forever to that period of my life.
But God he was brilliant. I can't tell you how much I loved his music. I danced to it every weekend for years when I came out in the mid-1980s, and his music will be linked forever to that period of my life.
26
Wow. The guy's been dead for seven hours and the Slogizens are already making final proclamations as to what his legacy will be. How self-important and utterly boring. Here's one of my own: Comte will be remembered for his Slog comments more than his "theatre". Which is to say, not much at all.
28
Let history teach us these lessons:
1. Spell the name right on the head stone. NO typos.
2. Open casket funeral. Get LOTS of witnesses.
3. Weigh that body. Document the whole thing.
Even so, I bet there will be skeptics who refuse to believe he's dead.
Will Michael live on after death the way Elvis did? Or Andy Kaufman? Or Jim Morrison?
Will there be sightings and people swearing he's still alive?
1. Spell the name right on the head stone. NO typos.
2. Open casket funeral. Get LOTS of witnesses.
3. Weigh that body. Document the whole thing.
Even so, I bet there will be skeptics who refuse to believe he's dead.
Will Michael live on after death the way Elvis did? Or Andy Kaufman? Or Jim Morrison?
Will there be sightings and people swearing he's still alive?
29
@ 20- I sure don't remember those as death wishes, I remember reading them as predictions. A prediction that wasn't far off as it turns out, sadly
30
Thriller came out before I was old enough to really grasp popular culture. I remember it as a really popular music video but not as an artistic work of any deep significance. By the time I was really conscious of Michael Jackson, he was well into his self- and child-destructive phase. The worst allegations of what he did to various children are perhaps debatable, but even the parts that are well-established would be enough to put most men in jail for a long time.
Michael Jackson's death highlights a major generational gap. People ten years older than me are mourning for someone who they see a positive influence on their childhood. People my age only see a deeply disturbed person who committed unforgivable acts against children. He is a tragic figure, exploited by people who should have cared for him. But not all who are so injured go on to hurt others like he did. There is no excuse for his actions, and whatever art he created is not redemption enough.
Michael Jackson's death highlights a major generational gap. People ten years older than me are mourning for someone who they see a positive influence on their childhood. People my age only see a deeply disturbed person who committed unforgivable acts against children. He is a tragic figure, exploited by people who should have cared for him. But not all who are so injured go on to hurt others like he did. There is no excuse for his actions, and whatever art he created is not redemption enough.
31
@30: l don't believe his art will redeem his actions. l agree that it won't. But there is a generational gap, l suppose, because we had no choice in watching this man we loved go crazy. And just because he did, doesn't mean the music wasn't a huge, positive part of our childhoods, especially those of us who grew up to be dancers (check) and musicians because of his role in our lives. We know he was crazy, but choosing to remember the good over the bad isn't synonymous with excusing his behavior. We must also take responsibility for our role in that. He may have been a perpetrator, but he was also a victim (to his father, the media, money-grubbing plastic surgeons enabling his body dysmorphia) which again, doesn't excuse his behavior, but must be included in the speculation around his mental state.
l'm sorry you didn't have the same experience with him we did, and that your view of him focuses on his later years, and that's normal.. That doesn't negate how he changed our lives, and l only wish you could see him as we did.
l'm sorry you didn't have the same experience with him we did, and that your view of him focuses on his later years, and that's normal.. That doesn't negate how he changed our lives, and l only wish you could see him as we did.
32
Thank you! My sentiments exactly. I'm already sick of this endless parade of sympathy. The creature was a mentally ill pedophile.
34
Michael Jackson is the greatest male performer of all time. He will surpass Elvis, and I doubt there will ever be another performer like him that comes our way. Who even holds a candle to him now, except for Madonna (probably the greatest female performer of all time)?
Michael reinvented his music over and over again. From the Jackson 5, to Thriller, to Bad, to Black and White, to Dangerous. Do yourself a favor and listen to the songs... pick two songs from each of his numerous albums and listen to how he transcends time.
His personal life was understood. No one relates to wanting to stay a kid, and few relate to losing your childhood innocense. I am sure psychologists would have a field day.
There were accusations, there were lawsuits, but in the end, what was truth and what was false? We really don't know... It's truly sad.
I must say, as I look at his life and as I watched Ryan Seacrest last night... I had mentally blocked out the things that most of you are complaining about. I remember Michael not for his falls from grace, but for the man that inspired, the man that amazed, and the man that performed like no one I have ever seen before or have since.
<~~~~will be listening to 93.3 all day long... a small tear of musical genius shall fall from my eye as I remember the memories, the moments, the promises that accompanied the music. I will miss him.
Michael reinvented his music over and over again. From the Jackson 5, to Thriller, to Bad, to Black and White, to Dangerous. Do yourself a favor and listen to the songs... pick two songs from each of his numerous albums and listen to how he transcends time.
His personal life was understood. No one relates to wanting to stay a kid, and few relate to losing your childhood innocense. I am sure psychologists would have a field day.
There were accusations, there were lawsuits, but in the end, what was truth and what was false? We really don't know... It's truly sad.
I must say, as I look at his life and as I watched Ryan Seacrest last night... I had mentally blocked out the things that most of you are complaining about. I remember Michael not for his falls from grace, but for the man that inspired, the man that amazed, and the man that performed like no one I have ever seen before or have since.
<~~~~will be listening to 93.3 all day long... a small tear of musical genius shall fall from my eye as I remember the memories, the moments, the promises that accompanied the music. I will miss him.
35
Q: Have you heard about Michael Jackson's New Book?
A: It's called, "The Ins and Outs of Child Rearing
Q: What's the difference between Michael Jackson and a grocery bag?
A: One is white, made out of plastic, and dangerous for kids to play with and the other you carry your groceries in.
Q: Why was Michael Jackson spotted at K-Mart?
A: He heard boys' pants were half-off.
Q: How does Michael Jackson pick his nose?
A: From a catalogue.
Q: What does Michael Jackson reminisce about when he gets nostalgic?
A: Blowing his first nose.
Q: Why did Michael Jackson place a phone call to Boyz-2-Men??
A: He thought it was a delivery service.
Q: How did Michael Jackson die?
A: I heard he choked on an 8-year-old weiner.
A: It's called, "The Ins and Outs of Child Rearing
Q: What's the difference between Michael Jackson and a grocery bag?
A: One is white, made out of plastic, and dangerous for kids to play with and the other you carry your groceries in.
Q: Why was Michael Jackson spotted at K-Mart?
A: He heard boys' pants were half-off.
Q: How does Michael Jackson pick his nose?
A: From a catalogue.
Q: What does Michael Jackson reminisce about when he gets nostalgic?
A: Blowing his first nose.
Q: Why did Michael Jackson place a phone call to Boyz-2-Men??
A: He thought it was a delivery service.
Q: How did Michael Jackson die?
A: I heard he choked on an 8-year-old weiner.
36
it will be interesting when his autopsy reports come out. He obviously had many health and drug issues that were never as heavily publicized by media as they focused more on the scandals and his eccentricity. For everything that surrounded him- fame, glory, money, rumors, children, chimps, scandals- all of his close friends are making the case that he was extremely lonely his whole life, and even as an adult/successful musician was still looking for a father figure. He was constantly searching for his childhood. The man obviously had more problems than anyone will ever know. Despite all of it, the impact he made on pop culture, music, dance, and video will never die. With today's technology and different sources to get music, it is unlikely any other pop star will break more records than he did as far as selling albums (thriller- best selling album of all time), video views (black and white- most viewed music video), and awards.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Records_and…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Records_and…
38
Thanks to those who have explained the Jackson magic. I was around 8 when "Thriller" came out, and while I was deeply enamored of the handsome man-boy with the tiger, loved the songs and played them endlessly, I still fail to grasp why he was known as the "King of Pop."
Yes, "Off the Wall" was also great, and his songs were well-constructed even after "Thriller," but it's really hard to understand why he is so deeply revered. After "Thriller" he fell profoundly out of sync with the culture, which made his music irrelevant, and his obvious denial of his racial identity seems to negate his breaching of the color barrier that Fnarf so articulately describes.
He was a puzzle, no doubt, and a fragile human being pimped out for our entertainment, but a legend? Obviously that's not up to me, but I still don't get it. I really don't.
Yes, "Off the Wall" was also great, and his songs were well-constructed even after "Thriller," but it's really hard to understand why he is so deeply revered. After "Thriller" he fell profoundly out of sync with the culture, which made his music irrelevant, and his obvious denial of his racial identity seems to negate his breaching of the color barrier that Fnarf so articulately describes.
He was a puzzle, no doubt, and a fragile human being pimped out for our entertainment, but a legend? Obviously that's not up to me, but I still don't get it. I really don't.
40
At least I'll be remembered for SOMETHING, @26, whereas you on the other hand will be forgotten the moment your putrifying guts have the last spade of dirt shoveled over them.
41
38, Jackson started calling himself the king of pop. His death is sad, but so was his life. MJ is a tormented human being no more.
42
I like the guilty-until-proven-innocent crowd around here. Despite never being convicted of molesting children, Jackson must have done it!
43
Ten years from now, people will still listen to "Thriller" on jukeboxes around the world. Ultimately his music will be remembered. Just like Marvin Gaye's, another artist who everyone thought had gone off the deep end at the end of his career.
And while Jackson was weird and eccentric, at least he wasn't a tedious loser suicide like Cobaine, another person who will be remembered despite his mental illness.
And while Jackson was weird and eccentric, at least he wasn't a tedious loser suicide like Cobaine, another person who will be remembered despite his mental illness.
44
Reguardless of if you appreciated his music/ career/ talet or not you have to admit that MJ lived the American Dream: he was born poor and black and he died famous and white... Pretty impressive.
45
1)If I hear the self-invented phrase "King of Pop" one more time...
2)yes, the music, in its heyday, was great but still...HE "SLEPT" WITH LITTLE BOYS AND APPARENTLY HATED HIS OWN ETHNICITY!!!
Not a great role model...
2)yes, the music, in its heyday, was great but still...HE "SLEPT" WITH LITTLE BOYS AND APPARENTLY HATED HIS OWN ETHNICITY!!!
Not a great role model...
46
I have two questions:
Will Obama attend the funeral?
Which actress will play MJ in the inevitable biopic? I'm thinking Tilda Swinton.
Will Obama attend the funeral?
Which actress will play MJ in the inevitable biopic? I'm thinking Tilda Swinton.
47
45: Who gives a shit about him being a great role model? What exactly do you want from an entertainer? I don't look for role models in the music I listen to. Maybe I should never listen to Wagner again because he was a proto-Nazi romantic and anti-Semite.
49
Santa Maria - last time I saw him was at the Santa Barbara courthouse, can't remember how many years ago.
51
Okay, so I just spent an hour watching his videos and listening to songs I hadn't heard in a long, long time. And you're right. He's a genius.
Now I'm sad.
Now I'm sad.
52
Good music in the late 70's/early 80's, good but gimmicky dancing, very smart regurgitator of pop culture for a short time... the homages in his videos were terribly clever. Odd bird of a homeowner. When his voice turned femme, he jumped the shark. Out of touch with reason, reality, his career, his lovelife, responsibility, aging, - and paid huge sums of money to settle, out of court, other inappropriate child sex act 'allegations'.
a CNN editor put it best: Mr. Jackson was a very troubled individual surrounded his entire life by bloodsuckers, leeching managers, and people that had no intention to truly help him, but only get ahead by association. What a toxic way to grow up.
a CNN editor put it best: Mr. Jackson was a very troubled individual surrounded his entire life by bloodsuckers, leeching managers, and people that had no intention to truly help him, but only get ahead by association. What a toxic way to grow up.
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Survey Says: Cyclists Would Rather Give Up Sex Than Their Bikes by Bethany Jean Clement
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Stranger Tournament of Dunces, Match 3: Rep. Mark Hargrove vs. Rep. Norma Smith by Eli Sanders
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Jeremy Lin Saves the NBA by Charles Mudede
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