Am I the only person who can't understand why Michael Jackson is freaking EVERYWHERE?

[Anonymous]

I think the media is obsessed with Palin. Clearly the left leaning DCUMs are, just check out the political section. They are OCD over her and just can't stop talking about her, it is no wonder the media hounds her, she sells.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I remember in high school during the 80s it was extremely uncool to ever listen to "Top 40" pop music. It was as taboo as having a flip hairstyle or wearing plastic jewelry and fluorescent colors. Maybe it was just a prep school thing but some of the early or later classic rock Beatles, Dylan, Clapton, Rolling Stones, Big Chill type soundtracks, euro stuff like Yaz, the Smiths, Talking Heads, or folksy James Taylor were the in thing at our school and the other prep schools where our friends and siblings went too. If anyone listened to MJ they certainly never admitted it.

Yeah, but the Jackson Five was always in. I defy anyone to not break it down after hearing ABC.

Didn't you see that Jen Garner movie 13 Going on 30? The Thriller dance? I think by the time the late 90s rolled around early 80s MJ would have been retro and cool again.

[Anonymous]

I am 37 and the awe I felt when watching the "Thriller" video on MTV is absolutely cemented in my brain. However, that was a long, long, long time ago.

His musical genius does not excuse his weirdness. Where to begin? He bleached his skin and had so many chemical peels that it lightened what, 10 shades? I am Irish and I think he was more pale than I in the end. He had other people's children sleeping in bed with him. He dangled his child over a balcony. The list goes on and on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am 37 and the awe I felt when watching the "Thriller" video on MTV is absolutely cemented in my brain. However, that was a long, long, long time ago.

His musical genius does not excuse his weirdness. Where to begin? He bleached his skin and had so many chemical peels that it lightened what, 10 shades? I am Irish and I think he was more pale than I in the end. He had other people's children sleeping in bed with him. He dangled his child over a balcony. The list goes on and on.

As much as I LOATHE Al Sharpton, I have never agreed with him more when he addressed MJs children:

"I want his children to know there was nothing strange about your daddy, it was strange what your daddy had to deal with."

Just because you are odd and extremely eccentric does not make you a criminal. Certainly he was a high degree of wacko, but ALL of us do strange things that if we lived under a microscope and had no inhibitions to exhibit our eccentricities, we might raise pleanty of eyebrows.

So what if he altered his face, what does it grant us the right to excuse or not excuse him? If your extremely abusive father told you from the day you were born that you looked too black and were too ugly, it would probably cause any of us to have a body dysmorphic disorder BDD. This is a medical condition, same as depression and anxiety and can be very severe such as MJs case. It would not shock me if his death was a suicide, as BDDs have double the suicide rate as people suffering from depression.

[Anonymous]

I think the coverage of Michael Jackson is totally warranted. There isn't ever going to be another entertainer like him in our lifetime. His death is a big deal. I'm in my 30's so Elvis & Beatles -- maybe the only two acts who are comparable -- predate me so it's hard for me to compare what their cultural influence was at the time they were popular, but just watching video performances it seems that Jackson, as an all-around performer and entertainer (v. just as a musician), blows them away.

Watch some footage of him on YouTube with a fresh eye -- some of the stuff when he is a kid, some of the live grammy performances from the 80's. The guy was a born phenom. Try to remember what an original he was at the time -- now they all dance like that, but that was fresh and new then. He also wrote his music and conceptualized his live shows -- he was not "packaged" like so many acts today. The things he does with his voice are also just incredibly unique -- no one sounds like him.

I did still listen to his old music and it made me happy although I would not have called myself a "fan" of the current Michael Jackson just because he was too weird. In a way his death and all the old footage brought back and reminded us of the old Michael Jackson. I wish we could have seen whether this show in London might have done the same thing without requiring his dying for it to happen.

[Anonymous]

Go to youtube and find the video of Billie Jean from the Motown 25th anniversary show - yes, the famous one where he debuted the moonwalk (which he then morphed into something even more amazing every time he subsequently did it). Watcht he video very closely. See how every detail of his dress is intended to make you watch his feet. Notice how, before he does the moonwalk, he does a double take and hikes his pants (the floods he always wore, btw, were so you could see his feet). Now, watch it again, and look at all the NON-moonwalk dancing. Now watch it a third time and watch his facial expressions as he sings. Finally, the fourth time through, close your eyes and hear the confusion and tension in his voice as he sings this song about being accused of being somebody's "baby daddy." (Ironic given that now everybody wants to debate whether he is even his own kids' baby daddy!)

THAT, ladies and gentlemen, is a performance. That is an artist - in fact, an artisitic genius - at work. If you don't get it, you don't get it. For those of who do - who know how hard the stuff is that he makes look easy, the hours, the attention to detail, and the raw talent that have to go into something like that - there will never be another like MJ.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: He also wrote his music and conceptualized his live shows -- he was not "packaged" like so many acts today. The things he does with his voice are also just incredibly unique -- no one sounds like him.

I know its not realistic but I wish we could focus more on this. For me he really defines what it means to be an artist. And you don't really get that in music today. I have been reading alot about all that went into some of the songs on Thriller and Off the Wall. Thriller was recorded I think in two months? Wikipedia actually has some great background on Billie Jean including the entire backstory of the mentally ill woman who would send MJ letters claiming he was the father of her twins. And she did some other crazy stuff too.

Listen to his ballads - She's Out of My Life on Off the Wall was supposed to be for Sinatra. MJ cried on every take of the song - and Quincy Jones decided to leave the crying in. Even though he may not have personally experienced the loss of love - he could sure capture it in his voice. I challenge anyone to listen to that song and NOT feel something. He really had a gift.

And while everyone is entitled to their opinion about the icky details of his personal life, he is probably one of a very FEW artists that touched so many people around the world with his talent. For those who feel the coverage is over the top - it will pass soon.

[Anonymous]

If you do not like MJ we fans welcome you to turn off the television and put down the newspaper. He influenced a generation of dancers as well as singers. Madonna would need to take a taxi to even try to come close to hi, in terms of cultural influence.

[Anonymous]

I can't believe someone would even compare him to madonna. Th only thing he and madonna have in common is a decade. Madonna is marketing, MJ was talent. If madonna did not shock, she would be nobody.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think the people who just don't "get" his influence on culture and the music industry, probably are not music people. They are probably the types who just listen to radio tunes and have a small scope of refrence. It is like a casual wine drinker who cannot distinguish the difference between Cakebread and Berringer.

no, we just have taste that has evolved over the past 20+ years. And it's ridiculous the money spent by L.A. when the city and state are essentially bankrupt.
The man was a freak.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the people who just don't "get" his influence on culture and the music industry, probably are not music people. They are probably the types who just listen to radio tunes and have a small scope of refrence. It is like a casual wine drinker who cannot distinguish the difference between Cakebread and Berringer.

no, we just have taste that has evolved over the past 20+ years. And it's ridiculous the money spent by L.A. when the city and state are essentially bankrupt.
The man was a freak.

Or we wonder why an entertainer would warrant so much coverage when actual events are going on, and people with other kinds of accomplishments, such as humanitarian work, get a passing glance by the media.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am 37 and the awe I felt when watching the "Thriller" video on MTV is absolutely cemented in my brain. However, that was a long, long, long time ago.

His musical genius does not excuse his weirdness. Where to begin? He bleached his skin and had so many chemical peels that it lightened what, 10 shades? I am Irish and I think he was more pale than I in the end. He had other people's children sleeping in bed with him. He dangled his child over a balcony. The list goes on and on.

As much as I LOATHE Al Sharpton, I have never agreed with him more when he addressed MJs children:

"I want his children to know there was nothing strange about your daddy, it was strange what your daddy had to deal with."

Just because you are odd and extremely eccentric does not make you a criminal. Certainly he was a high degree of wacko, but ALL of us do strange things that if we lived under a microscope and had no inhibitions to exhibit our eccentricities, we might raise pleanty of eyebrows.

So what if he altered his face, what does it grant us the right to excuse or not excuse him? If your extremely abusive father told you from the day you were born that you looked too black and were too ugly, it would probably cause any of us to have a body dysmorphic disorder BDD. This is a medical condition, same as depression and anxiety and can be very severe such as MJs case. It would not shock me if his death was a suicide, as BDDs have double the suicide rate as people suffering from depression.

I am not disputing the fact that MJ was mentally ill but he created a lot of what "he had to deal with". First of all, it has been reported many times that his own PR machine put out the crazy stories about him sleeping in the oxygen chamber, buying the elephant man, etc. He also disfigured his own face to the point that he was completely recognizable. Have you seen the pictures of what he would have looked like if he hadn't had plastic surgery? An ordinary black man who probably wouldn't have received a second glance if he was dressed in street clothes and sunglasses. I think his biggest problem was that he never grew up and the people surrounding him were unable to say "no" to him. "No, Michael, you shouldn't wear pajamas to court" or "No, Michael, it's not cool to sleep with boys in your bedroom" or "No, Michael, you shouldn't have a 12th operation on your nose".

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the people who just don't "get" his influence on culture and the music industry, probably are not music people. They are probably the types who just listen to radio tunes and have a small scope of refrence. It is like a casual wine drinker who cannot distinguish the difference between Cakebread and Berringer.

no, we just have taste that has evolved over the past 20+ years. And it's ridiculous the money spent by L.A. when the city and state are essentially bankrupt.
The man was a freak.

Or we wonder why an entertainer would warrant so much coverage when actual events are going on, and people with other kinds of accomplishments, such as humanitarian work, get a passing glance by the media.

because those event are all so....yawn. Great, Selma Hyak breastfeeds starving babies in Africa. Whoo-hoo.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: He also wrote his music and conceptualized his live shows -- he was not "packaged" like so many acts today. The things he does with his voice are also just incredibly unique -- no one sounds like him.

I know its not realistic but I wish we could focus more on this. For me he really defines what it means to be an artist. And you don't really get that in music today. I have been reading alot about all that went into some of the songs on Thriller and Off the Wall. Thriller was recorded I think in two months? Wikipedia actually has some great background on Billie Jean including the entire backstory of the mentally ill woman who would send MJ letters claiming he was the father of her twins. And she did some other crazy stuff too.

Listen to his ballads - She's Out of My Life on Off the Wall was supposed to be for Sinatra. MJ cried on every take of the song - and Quincy Jones decided to leave the crying in. Even though he may not have personally experienced the loss of love - he could sure capture it in his voice. I challenge anyone to listen to that song and NOT feel something. He really had a gift.

And while everyone is entitled to their opinion about the icky details of his personal life, he is probably one of a very FEW artists that touched so many people around the world with his talent. For those who feel the coverage is over the top - it will pass soon.

Love that song! (She's Out of My Life). I went looking for it on YouTube after his death and also found Gone Too Soon, which I had forgotten he had done for Ryan White. Of course that one ended up being the most ironic of all. He had some amazingly poetic and thoughtful lyrics, in addition to his awesome dance songs. Of course all of this was sadly evident at his funeral the other day. And I still this We Are the World was an amazing creation. The video is still great - watching how he brought together all those amazing artists who all fit so well together in that song.

[Anonymous]

OK I think this ia herd thing. People are like sheep if it seems like everyone else is into something more and more people jump on the bandwagon. The more constant media attention and the more hype reports come out about overwhelming interest, the more people do not want to feel left out so they all join in convincing themselves they are really into it. No harm really it is just a diversion but its the same weird dynamic that launched the obsession with Princess Di or the obsession to purchase Beanie babies.