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June 26, 2009
Legend
Michael Jackson was the greatest entertainer in the world. Could that same argument be made about anyone else of our generation? Madonna? No...although close. Britney? No. Justin? No. But in one way or another they all owe something to the King of Pop. Jackson wasn't the best singer of all time but he could own the stage with his dancing and could reach through the screen in his videos and inspire people. Many in the industry looked to Michael Jackson as a modern day Fred Astaire, one who could glide, waltz (albeit in his own version), and sing as if the dance floor was created for him. The moonwalk was ridiculous. Jackson was our answer to Elvis. He truly earns any notoriaty he has earned as a performer.
Thriller was, without a doubt, the best pop record of our generation. I must have listened to that record 1,000 times as a kid. The album sold 26 million in the States alone, compare that to Britney's biggest seller, Baby, One More Time, which sold 12 million. Everyone had to have that album and of course, everyone remembers the video with the same name. One Saturday when I was in the 3rd grade my parents had gone to run errands, I made the mistake of turning on MTV...there he was sitting down in the theatre to watch a scary movie with his girlfriend...of course, we all know what happens next. That video freaked me out in the middle of the day and gave me many nights with visions of dead people fresh from the grave surrounding my bed. It could be argued that Madonna has made videos just as scary, although not intentionally. Has there ever been another pop album that won the Grammies for both Male Pop Performance AND Rock Performance? I don't think so.
One of my roommates who is younger asked me why Michael Jackson was so big. I guess he was the first of the modern day pop star. He was the original triple threat. He could sing, dance, and perform like no other. He was like the Spice Girls, N Sync, Lady Gaga, Christina Aguilera, all 8 seasons of American Idol, and Britney all wrapped up together in one person...he was that big! That classic! I can play Off the Wall at a party and know that people are going to start connecting with laughter and fun conversation just because MJ is blasting in the background!
He was an amazing writer. Have you ever listened to the words of Man in the Mirror? It's quite a convicting song. Don't forget We Are the World. Of course, incredibly cheesy, but man, at the time that song was so infectious everyone had to buy a copy...to this day it's the highest selling single of all time. The dude was a musical genious. He was the quintessential pop star, and more. Today, despite all the weirdness that has permeated his life over the past 15-20 years, (let's be honest, it's been quite a long road of Elephant Man bones and Liz Taylors), I remember him as an incredible, musician, performer, and artist!
| By Nathan Gemayel | 1:13 AM
Comments
Great post, man! There will be enough (and perhaps necessary) focusing on the darker side of his life (though, as you said last night, there is also so much woundedness there too).
I was watching some clips of his dancing as ate dinner at Mai Lee last night and it was eye-popping, and his back-up dancers too were in perfect (I mean perfect) sync. It was also interesting to see the Vietnamese wait-staff gathered around the television when they had moments away from their work.
And, oh, I do not have any statistics, but Michael Jackson was absolutely huge many places overseas. When I was in Pakistan in 1992, two of my cousins were crazy about him.
Posted by: Neil E. Das at June 26, 2009 9:54 AM