Rest in Peace, Michael Jackson
Before I ever geeked out about anything traditionally geeky, I geeked out about pop music, and about Michael Jackson specifically. There’s no excuse for the crimes against children that he may have committed, if he did indeed commit them, but there’s also no excuse for the way in which the media dogged him until his dying breath—I’m looking at you, Entertainment Tonight, you pack of scum-sucking fuckholes. But, I don’t want to focus on that stuff. I want to focus on what I think we should focus on with any artist, regardless of the artform, and regardless of the artist: I want to focus on the art. I want to focus on the music that made my day as a kid, and that still makes my day now.
So, enjoy the vid I’ve posted above, of Michael performing “Billie Jean” at the Motown 25 concert. Or don’t. If you hated the man, then just come back tomorrow when we’ll be back to our regularly scheduled shenanigans.
And hey, if you’re looking for something a bit more lighthearted, do remember to check out the Nine Inch Nails OeuvreBlog entry where I tied NIN’s “The Becoming” together with MJ’s “Smooth Criminal.”
Comments On This Article
Jeremy Couturier says:
Now that he is gone it’s much easier to remember who MJ once was, as opposed to what he became. I was 8 years old and I still remember the Motown 25th moment very clearly. You gotta admit it was a historic and electrifying moment. Right alongside the Beatles, Presley...you name it. And seeing the multitudes of artists today who shamelessly mimic stuff he did decades ago, and make careers off that, there is no doubt the place that MJ holds in music history. Yeah, he was mentally ill,possible pedophile, plastic surgery addict, little boy trapped in an aging man’s body. But for that special time for those Gen Xers who grew up in the 80s, he was THE icon.
E. Christopher Clark says:
Well said.
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