RIP Michael Jackson
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- TheBlueOne0
Fine. I'll post something. I'm 41. I was 15 when Thriller came out. I was an angry, white, suburban adolescent. I hated the mainstream by default. Micheal Jackson was the biggest possible thing in the mainstream at the time. He was fucking everywhere, blasting out of every car. Everywhere. Posters in every mall. Hot chicks dancing to his crappy album. So therefore I hated him. Sure he was iconic, iconic to me of dumbed down, mass sheep herd crappola music.
I was this punk/rock/metal kid and there wasn't much farther from that in the mid 1980's in terms of musical style and marketing than Michael Jackson, except for what? Depeche Mode maybe?
But then, wait, why the fuck is there an actual, pretty righteous Eddie Van Halen solo on "Beat It". Ok, that tune was, you know...OK. Kinda.
As I grew up I can never say I liked Michael Jackson, but I began to appreciate his artistry in both music and dance. When someone pointed out how much he got his moves from James Brown, and well James Brown was a righteous motherfucker, and well, Micheal became a little more OK, acceptable.
And then he just got on a crazy train and never got off, and it's real easy to make jokes, and yes, good ones at his expense. But like all good jokes, there's always the true sad pathos underneath the sheen of comedy on top. As I got older I felt for the guy as a misunderstood loner in a lot of ways. He was also a great artist in his field, and I guess one shrewd motherfucker. No one buys up the rights to the Beatles catalog under Paul McCartney's nose after being the guys friend for a decade without being some part a ruthless dick.
And then he dies yesterday. I'm not about to go mourning the dude in the streets, nor spend more than ten minutes watching whatever tribute comes on the TV about this guy with the spineless masses yelling "We love you michael." Whatever.
See, when I was a teenager, he was my enemy, symbolically speaking. But he made a good one. And that's a good thing to have. And it's a real revelation that the guy who I took as an icon of establishment thinking, as representative of the most mundane souless mass pop instinct, was in reality one deeply fucked up and damaged individual, far more than I or my friends ever were despite thinking (as all teenagers do I reckon) we were the be all and end all antihero fucktwits of the walk.
So, RIP MJ. You were far more interesting and all far too human than I ever suspected. Respect.
- Khurram0
Do you think any of those rumours about Michael Jackson are true? That he had his lower ribs removed so he could suck himself off?
- win!Khurram
- naw...you're thinking of Marilyn Manson.WrappedInBooks
- PRINCE, you fool In my high school this rumour was spread about PRINCE.Khurram
- I thought it was Mick jagger?TheBlueOne
- Khurram0
Michael Jackson and Sheena Easton - You Got The Look
- Khurram0
Michael Jackson - 1999
- Khurram0
- Though none of that 80s stuff would be anything without Quincy Jones.Khurram
- http://cinemablend.c…ukit
- i am pretending i don't know the difference between MJ and Prince.. eugh.Khurram
- What are you doing.mg33
- see? http://www.qbn.com/t…Khurram
- ukit0
No matter what happened later, Michael Jackson circa 1970 = awesome.
- mg330
Some of my friends in Texas, who are a bit more conservative, were in full force on Facebook with the "one less child molester on the streets" comments last night.
I didn't want to get into it with them, and I'm not defending Jackson in the slightest, but I heard some really great commentaries on TV last night about how abusive and manipulative his childhood was - how he really didn't have one and was constantly trying to capture one.
That doesn't excuse anything he's accused of and probably did, but it does make me feel sorry for the fact that the guy was probably mentally ill to a degree. I mean, we've all seen his antics, his warped sense of reality, etc. That stems from something.
- Ramanisky20
I love this so much ... I can actually say I saw this live on TV that night.
give me chillsRIP Michael
- genius
dasohr - genius? He's lip syncing.moogchild
- its all about the dance... babyRamanisky2
- genius
- ukit0
Although the child molestation was never proven, it does seem to be the case that many of the greatest artists are some serious fuck-ups.
In Michael's case I suspect it came from never having a normal childhood of his own. His dad made him start singing at age 11. Hence he was obsessed with the idea of being a kid and hanging out with kids, and maybe took it too far. Of course, it could also be the case that the kids' parents were just trying to cash in.
- PIITB0
Seriously why are people getting mad for the few that are making jokes. In my mind there is nothing worse then molesting or hurting children, in fact I wish his head and dick was cut off a long time ago for what he did.
I'm sorry if this is harsh but I am sure many of you who are defending him have a son/daughter/niece/or nephew, what would you think of this child molester if he didn't sing and dance?
- mikotondria30
I hear on msnbc earlier the comment that he was 'the dna' for the black community... I was talking about that with my wife last night, in that I never thought of MJ as being a 'black' artist, or in anyway being a figurehead, spokesperson, representative or proponent of black culture or the black point of view - but of course growing up in a town that literally had only about 10 black families, and going to a school where there wasn't one black child until my final year, I guess I grew up somewhat sheltered. The first black viewpoint that claimed itself as such that ever really made an impact on me was Nation of Millions, which I literally wore to unplayability in the same way that everyone now claims they did with Thriller. I don't know what point if any there is to make about that - if he is an icon to the black community as a black man who was astronomically successful then brilliant, thats a viewpoint I could never share, but growing up in one of the whitest towns in the western world, he was still an icon of success, and musicianship and enormous talent to us all - the fact that he was black was never even spoken about or really thought about, he was just Michael Jackson. Dunno.. Would really be intersted to hear from any black folks of about my age (nearly 40) opinions on what he meant to you when you were growing up..
- dasmeteor0
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- nicole_marie0
i was just thinking before i got to work today, Michael Jackson seems like the one person that everyone loved at one time, who is going to be that person to say rude comments and post inappropriate jokes far to soon or at all. and look, your all here!
RIP Michael... I blasted your music in my awesome sony tape player in the 80's and the Thriller video kinda scared the shit out of me but I still loved it. I also knew the dance.
- I agree! First ever album bought on cassette! (BAD) - the guy was a little weird and all that, but fuck me, what a dancer and performer!sunshinetherapy
- iheartfun0
RIP Michael.... he will be missed by many and im glad to see people remembering the best parts about him. I can only imagine what his family is going through... He was a Father, Brother, Son and much more....
- ecowatt0
MJ TEES!!! WWW.LAURIEPETERS.COM
- your art suckse-pill
- i like itdrgss
- I concur with epilliheartfun
- shit suckswordssssss
- is this intentionally bad for the sake of being "funny" ?applepirate
- HA!! cute.sea_sea
- ross0
Music Michael ruled.