Michael Jackson’s MOONWALKER was the first theatrical movie I ever walked out of. It was also the first movie I ever saw Joe Pesci in, playing villain Frankie “Mr. Big” Lideo, a riff on Jackson’s manager Frank DiLeo. And in some ways it was ahead of its time — Jackson turns into a robot that then transforms into a spaceship, just like a certain toy line.
I never bought a Michael Jackson album. For every song of his I liked, there was one I didn’t. Closest I got was when he narrated the LP storybook for E.T. Now, for those of you young ‘uns, this was a quirk of my childhood era…before VCRs were affordable for everyone, kids would have record albums on which someone would read the story of a film, augmented with sound clips from that film. For E.T., the narrator was Jackson. I wanted my dad to buy it for me one time but he wouldn’t.
But it’s unavoidable…Jackson was an icon of an era. In the mid-80s, when I came of age pop-culturally, the music scene was all about Jackson, Madonna, Boy George, and Prince. I gravitated towards Prince. Madonna has surprisingly aged the best; though her music is arguably the shallowest, she has consistently reinvented herself. Boy George self-destructed a bit; Prince, while not as famous as he once was, seems to have found an equlibirum.
Jackson died today. And it’s a shame that many of us will remember him primarily as a skinny, surgery-addicted freak with a cloudy reputation. But Elvis died as a fat pill-popping freak, and yet ultimately the memory that remains is of him at his best. So shall it ultimately be with Michael.
Michael made a trade-off to be famous that I think cost him very personally. I suspect he knew that to be the biggest pop star in the world and be black, he had to neutralize his own blackness and strip it of the stereotypical sexual threat that was the undercurrent of a lot of racism. He pulled it off — even as he sang about possibly knocking up Billie Jean, nobody suspected he’d be capable of such a thing.
I still don’t believe he was a child molester, but I do think he was in some ways sheltered and hopelessly naive, not realizing that things which seem innocent as kids are creepy when involving grown men with kids. Abused and pushed into the spotlight from a very young age, he overcompensated with a “Neverland” where he would never be forced to grow up against his will.
Michael Jackson music video premieres used to be major events, from Thriller constantly topping MTV’s charts to the Scorsese-directed extended cut of Bad, the John Singleton-directed Remember the Time, and Black or White, whose director I don’t recall, but at the time it was a huge deal that Bart Simpson and Macaulay Culkin were in it, and it had morphing effects. Also a bizarre sequence where Jackson smashes a car and grabs his crotch, which was immediately apologized for the next day and never aired again…once more as if apologizing for anything that could be perceived negatively as “blackness.”
But I’m not black. Can’t really speak to that.
In time, even the songs of his I didn’t like have grown on me. I suspect that will be true for many.
This, though, will always be his best, I think…
I confess, I was curious to see his proposed Edgar Allen Poe movie that never happened.
RIP Michael Jackson.
He was my age, and during my coming of age, before you were born, there was The Jackson Five. He was a prodigy, a shining spritely star. I owned Thriller, then I stopped paying attention. We never even contemplated whether or not Billie Jean was his girl,as it was a pre-gossip tabloid time.He was still an artist then.
I said a few things on your message board: http://www.lytrules.com/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1245996032
But like to add, that to me, one of the greatest performances of ALL TIME, ever aired was his Motown-25 performance of Billie Jean: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2s8wv_michael-jacksonbillie-jeanmotown-25_music
To me, that performance was so raw, so unique, so badass, so game-changing. And he did it ALONE. No back-up dancers, no band, nothing. It was just him against the world. And it is iconic.
I agree with your assesment about his life and the fact he was very naive and mostly helpless. I’m pretty sure his doctor will come under harsh scrunity, since he was alone with him feeding him medication, but ultimately the need for such medications was his choice, as it was with Elvis, Heath Ledger, and basically anyone else who OD’d or mixed chemicals, drugs, etc…
It doesn’t really make a difference to me if the substances were legal or not because those that OD, simply misuse, abuse or overuse.
Also, please read and comment on this new message board post about drugs:
http://www.lytrules.com/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1246073547
It was John Landis who directed “Black and White” who also directed him on “Thriller.”
I agree with MAJK. He came into the radar for me in the late 1970s but it was until his, well, lipsynched performance on “Motown 25″ that totally impressed me.
Then, when the fourth music video from that 1982 LP (which I still have and is the only MJ album I have of his) “Thriller” was to premiere in 1983, I was so looking to see it…but, I had to wait. I did not have MTV during the 80s so, I had to wait on that same night to premiere on NBC’s “Friday Night Videos.”
I think there is a tremendous loss here for everyone who has been affected by his music, his videos, his short films and his contributions to the music industry as well as causes such as USA For Africa, the loss is not that he was global. I think we all felt hard for his passing because he has been around most of our lives…about 40 years. He surpasses both Elvis and John Lennon.
Also, this all came to suddenly…much like 9/11. I am not comparing the two but, to a lot of MJ fans who have been moved by his music and dancing, he will truly be missed.
CORRECTION: I had MTV during the 80s but from 1984 to the present time. I did not have it prior to 1984. Goes to show you, it was probably Michael Jackson who reinvented the music video of its young life that may have been THE factor why I want my MTV.
“He surpasses both Elvis and John Lennon.”
Controversial statement!
As a global icon, I would agree — he’s known and idolized in places like the Mid-East and the former Soviet bloc to an extent that few other western entertainers can claim.
But Elvis could sing better, and Lennon could write better songs.
However, neither Elvis nor Lennon EVER appeared in a movie with Douglas Dunning…as MJ did!
I think the comparison with Elvis as an icon stands, and causes leading to decline and death show remarkably similar characteristics –
but to win it – I’d take MJ – at least he wrote some all time excellent tunes. Elvis was much less important than his fans like to make out, and oddly reflects a certain aspect of racism that MJ partly turned back on himself in a very unpleasant way if you know what I mean…
John Lennon belongs in another category – but fame-wise at about the same level – it will be an interesting call to see whose songs are being played most between the years 2050 and 2100 – whatever the result I believe the Beatles may have achieved more and been more important musically – but they didn’t dance…
Elvis singing better than MJ is debatable but I do agree that overall (if you count Beatles tunes) John Lennon wrote better songs, but as offpat said, it’s still difficult to compare.
Elvis is known and loved mostly in America, save for some European countries and Japan. But globally, no one was as famous as MJ, maybe the Beatles were, but I’ve even seen remote villages doing the moonwalk.
“I think we all felt hard for his passing because he has been around most of our lives…about 40 years. He surpasses both Elvis and John Lennon.”
This is what I was trying to convey. The impact of Elvis didn’t hit me until it was news all over that he died. The impact of Lennon — though I was a Beatles fan but, didn’t know much about Lennon away from the band — didn’t hit me until it was all over the news that he died.
I don’t count Kurt Cobain…he was a fluke to me. Though the outpour over his suicide was ridiculous because he made his choice.
I knew of MJ since the Jackson 5 days. I knew and experienced his impact since Day 1 until he passed. His impact overall was on my entire life.