As an aside, I recall watching an Oprah episode where Lisa Marie was being interviewed. The question was something like, “What were you thinking (when you married MJ)?” Her response was that she just did it to piss her mother off. She is a bit of a rebellious brat so I’m sure that had something to do with her choice of husband.
I’m fairly certain that he was performing at 5 but that his first hit record was later.
Michael Jackson was born in August 1958. I know this off the top of my head because it was the same month and year that I was born. Damn, I feel old now.
I remember watching an interview about 10 years ago where they followed him around on a shopping spree. He was spending a ridiculous amount of money on “stuff”. It appeared as if he had no clue what money was and would eventually go broke because of it.
I was watching one of the MJ videos that MTV Jams was playing back to back today, and I saw a video where he smashed up a car with a tire iron or something. I don’t remember which song it was, but could this be the one of which you speak? Did they put the scene back in or something?
Yeah, after all, the police are always trying to frame rich black men.
To be fair, that was the Martin Bashir program, which was far from fair.
Actually, I remember the scene/moment you mentioned. He did know how much everything cost and he kept mentioning how there would be a discount at the end. Of course, he was buying ridiculously useless stuff(vases and so forth); it was quite lame.
The thing in that program that skeeved me the most was him holding hands with this teenage boy, like they were boyfriend-boyfriend. Sure, the program wasn’t fair, but no one made him do that.
Another bad joke (better spoken than written):
Q: What did Jacko like about 28-year-olds?
A: That there are twenty of them.
“Black and Whte” is the only video I’m aware of where he tore up a car, so that’s probably it. For some reason, the scene got criticized as too “violent” at the time, and he removed it. It’s certainly possible that the scene has since been restored. I’ve never followed his career any more than I couldn’t avoid, so I wouldn’t know for sure.
He grabbed his crotch WAY more than usual. And like moaned. I thought that’s what it was.
Naturally, you can find the full 11 minute version of the Black or White video on YouTube, complete with car-smashing. I remember watching it live when it debuted on TV. It was big deal.
ETA: The linked video is a little choppy for me, here’s another one, with slightly worse resolution.
OK, I’ll get the twisted Blurt out of my mind first:
Mortician in charge of MJ’s body funeral preparations: “Lord, it’s gonna be a loooooonnnnggg night of work here…”
But, I’m feeling a real sadness on Michael’s demise. He was one of the first Superstars of modern media, and working hard as a little tiny kid ,with so much talent. I loved the Jackson Five as a kid, too; they were wonderful, that’s the soundtrack of my childhood, knew all those songs by heart, and learned to dance some there too.
In the young slick Michael on his own years, he was brilliant, and helped create the big production music video, and subsequent pan-media blitzkreig cult of personality. It wasn’t my music of choice at the time, but no doubt about his sheer ability and talent. How could anyone come out with a normally maturing mind after constant attention and demand for performance since four years old? Everyone makes choices, but, living in a bubble with those pressures sure seems like a big vat for warping the psyche. He seemed like a fragile person to begin with, unequipped to deal with the demands, and retreated into his own fantasy world. With the luxury of money to never have to deal with life otherwise.
Yeah, I’m rambling, and not trying to make excuses for his eccentricities, but, I guess, at what price Fame. I really feel sorry for him, being a young Black man who came to fame when times were changing, who just couldn’t handle the demand. He got quite messed up. I do look forward to any forthcoming book that can try to explain it, when interviews with insight are given. What the hell happened?
Sad, and remembering Michael as a boy, who was truly phenomenal.
Peace.
I think we are going to see a media firestorm beyond what we’ve ever seen before. Madonna’s impact was at best a decade and a half, and her core fan base would be folks around my age (late 30s, 40s). MJ has been a global superstar from 1969 to 2000 or so - almost three decades. He of course was a celebrity all his life.
So boomers, Gen Xers, Gen Y, millennials, etc. all connect to him. And of course there are plenty who hate him, think he’s unspeakingly weird, a freak, etc.
If you were sick of MJ before, I recommend moving to Mars, or better yet, another galaxy. This is on the level of Elvis and Lennon and may even rival those deaths.
Nzinga, that’s exactly how I feel about the allegations.
I was wondering that too.
I imagine that if there were fresh allegations of child sex abuse that we haven’t heard about yet that suicide may be a possibility. But that’s just speculation really.
I haven’t been able to enjoy his music since the child sex abuse allegations.
It also creeps me out a bit to think that I’m listening to the voice of a dead man.
He was a habitual prescription drug abuser. I suspect it was simply an overdose.
Put me down as another who agrees with your post, Nzinga. I just never have pegged him as a true pedophile, more like just an overgrown kid who enjoys the company of his emotional peers more than that of adults. Eventually though I grew to dislike Michael Jackson and to view him as a manipulative liar and ripoff artist, but there’s no doubting his incredible talent.
Other people’s kids though? And kids who on the whole tended to be not very well off financially?
I’m a bit amazed at the rather happy mood seen at the various gatherings being shown on TV. Maybe fans are thinking the same thing? That was my mother’s first thought as well.
I wonder if there will be any fallout over the “last” Michael Jackson photo released to the press, courtesy of Inside Edition.