Farrah and Michael Jackson Dead

[Amarr HM]

Latest news : they think it was an allergic reaction, they found some 6 year old nuts in his mouth...

[schild]

Latest news : they think it was an allergic reaction, they found some 6 year old nuts in his mouth...

If I hear one more variation on this joke, someone is getting poked right in the eye.

[Ceryse]

How old were you in 1980?  That may have something to do with it.  

I grew up with the Jackson 5 and heard Michael on the radio nonstop in my highschool/college years in the early 80's.  Like him or not, he was a cog in the culture in a big way.  Hell, his appearance at the Motown anniversary celebration where he did the moonwalk to Billy Jean blew the lid off the entertainment and live music industry. 

I wasn't born then; was born in '83. Maybe it was the time, combined with being in Edmonton, I don't know, but the first time (that I can recall) hearing about him was in the late 80s, probably 89ish and I can't think of anyone I knew, as a kid, who liked his music then either. I know a bunch who enjoyed it when I was in high school, though. I've just never liked his music. The link from Schild just underscores it; when I watch it I wince at the sound. It just bothers me. Not as bad as most modern pop crap but hardly anything special.

I won't argue his importance or that millions loved his music; just never was one of them and enjoying his music isn't universal, and his impact on the music industry was never something I saw as a "good thing", given how annoying I found his music.

[Signe]

I think maybe some of us, old and young, might have taken some offense at being labeled "liars" if we don't admit to liking at least some of his music. 

[Hawkbit]

Off the wall and Thriller were awesome, still are.  I lost track around Bad when he became a little too over-the-top.  I'm not sure what you call over-the-top of over-the-top, but that's what happened after Bad. 

[Lantyssa]

The main reason I liked Thriller was because of Vincent Price, not Jackson.

I remember thinking he was okay in comparison to some of the other music of the time, and he could do moves that would send me to the hospital, but really I didn't understand why people were going crazy for him around me.  Then people went even more crazy for worse songs, and it left me completely confused and began my belief that I do not quite fit into the mainstream conciousness.

[Musashi]

I think the Thriller album affected our culture more than any album in my lifetime.  I was six when it came out.  I know Quincy Jones was as much responsible for that as Jackson.  But just because it may or may not have influenced other artists doesn't mean it didn't change the culture.  I don't really know how to explain it to people who weren't there.  The video for Thriller opened in theaters.  A music video.  People paid to watch it on the big screen.  It changed the format of MTV, which up until Thriller, was an all Rock format.  That's how big it was.  They had to play it, even though there were virtually no black acts.  I can say for certain that there hasn't been an event related to music that has in any way approached the level of fervor that there was for that album.

The black Michael Jackson was like Luke Skywalker.  He had magic fucking powers and his own line of lunchboxes.  The white Michael Jackson turned to the dark side, and he used his powers for evil.  But the black Michael Jackson, even though I hate this sort of thing, is worthy of our respect.

[Signe]

[Nebu]

BEST SELLING ALBUMS OF ALL TIME

I'm not a huge Michael Jackson fan.  Like, not at all. There's no doubt the guy changed the music industry, especially if you watched it happen in the time before and after MTV.  Having 100 million albums sold truly represents the rarefied air that Jacko pumped into his hyperbaric chamber.  

Also, the Buggles were spot on.  

[Hawkbit]

I can't get my fucking head wrapped around a category of anything that includes The Beatles and Celine Dion, or Zep with Shania Twain.

Also, Jackson helped MTV push itself directly into mainstream media.  Which was most definitely a very bad thing, seeing what it became. 

[Evildrider]

Also, Jackson helped MTV push itself directly into mainstream media.  Which was most definitely a very bad thing, seeing what it became. 

I don't think you can blame the terribad that is MTV nowadays on MJ.  I lay that straight on the crap that is Reality TV. 

[Tale]

BEST SELLING ALBUMS OF ALL TIME

Thanks for the link.

Having worked in mainstream media, at the receiving end of the emails that are generated from the most-watched TV shows of our time, I am very much aware that the majority of the public is stupid and lacks taste. The mediocre nature of most of the albums on that list reflects this.

But there are six billion people in the world and he only sold 100 million copies of Thriller. Despite all the hype about the whole world loving him, most people in the world were not Michael jackson fans. Most people, me included, are busy tolerating Michael Jackson fans, not being them.

For the record, the only albums on the list I own are:
Nirvana - Nevermind
U2 - The Joshua Tree
Blondie - Parallel Lines
Norah Jones - Come Away With Me

[schild]

I don't think you can own a Nirvana album and talk about taste.

[Amarr HM]

Schild whiteknighting MJ? this has got to be a troll.

[schild]

Schild whiteknighting MJ? this has got to be a troll.

Mostly just dissing Nirvana.

[Tale]

It's a list of sales figures. I listed the albums I own to show my effect as a music consumer on the list. I disagree with what you said, but I'm not going to get into a conversation about whether I still like each album.

[schild]

It's a list of sales figures. I listed the albums I own to show my effect as a music consumer on the list. I disagree with what you said, but I'm not going to get into a conversation about whether I still like each album.

I'm sorry, I couldn't hear you over the smell of angst coming off the shelf your CDs are sitting on.

[Tale]

In the same year I bought Nevermind, I co-wrote a parody poem called "I was a teenage angst poet" with my deputy editor on the student newspaper. We threw out all the angst poems from the contributions box and published that instead.

[Engels]

I dunno. That list just proves that best-selling doesn't mean 'best'. God knows I love AC/DC, but Back in Black isn't the second best album of all recorded history. Even if limited by genre, its still not the best metal album. And this is from someone who's mp3 player has every single damned thing AC/DC has done commercially, including some drunken pub recordings.

[Musashi]

I don't know if that negates the fact that Thriller sold more than double any other album in history, worldwide.  I think that's the point there.  And it's a good one.

[Nebu]

I don't know if that negates the fact that Thriller sold more than double any other album in history, worldwide.  I think that's the point there.  And it's a good one.

I thought it was obvious, but apparently only a few people got my point.  It's the ONLY album in music history to sell over 100 million copies.  Like Michael or not, that's quite a feat. 

[Engels]

Don't get me wrong, I don't think Thriller is bad, but what happened with it was something bordering on the supernatural.  Its on par with StarWars at the time. It was ubiquitous and legion.

That said, I'm still more upset about Farrah.

[Sjofn]

On that note, HOLY FUCK, why are some of you even referencing Prince?  The guy was a weirdo icon of the 80's, but his music has no where near the influence and long lastingness (not sure of the right made up word I should have used there) of any of Jackson's songs.  I don't remember much of him being played as a kid, and all the replays I hear on the radio mostly sound shitty when I listen to them now.  There is no god damn comparison, no matter how good some of his songs might have been.

I think they were talking about musical influence. I didn't really like Prince or Michael Jackson, and neither of them had much impact on me or my friends when we were teenagers in the 1980s, but Prince had a phenomenal impact on other musicians. Jacko's impact was all on the public. Prince was everywhere on radio in the late 1980s. You're underestimating him I think.

Yeah, pretty much.

I was ALMOST five when Thriller came out. It was my first record that was MINE though. I think the comparison to Star Wars is a pretty good one, really. Even if you didn't really get into it (I basically missed the Star Wars train, what with me still being in the womb when the first movie released), it's hard to deny that it touched a looooooot of people, even years after it first appeared.

I have to admit, though, I'm not sure how I feel about my generation's Elvis being Michael Jackson. At least Elvis still had a human looking face when he ate it. :(

[Jimbo]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8Qko5m8oAw

Yeah I had some funky clothes in kindergarten and 1st grade, no white fro (but we got a killer pick of my pastor in his fro from then).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uqxo1SKB0z8

Jr High and High School, damn we had some funky clothes with a mix of rap, country, and rock, hell my girlfriend shaved her head and dyed part of it pink like Cyndi, I had parachute pants like Sammy Hagar, but I remember all those dang jackets!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_n7cftdkl0

Hey! MTV had videos!  And MJ helped launch it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2VTL_5Q9ldU

Damn he always did get a killer guitar rift in some of his songs.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n78QafdxU-k

Okay that song was on every freaking radio station in 1985/86, since he got country, R&B, and rock together and every station was playing it.

I remember the day Elvis died, we were on vacation and driving in a big old Lincoln station wagon (with the fake wood panels), I was 8 at the time, Mom and Dad looked sad and they kept playing his songs.

I'm 40 now and MJ died, makes me sad to see him gone.

And Farrah was hot, I didn't even know she was sick.  And goodbye Ed, you were great helping Johnny and damn I wish you had brought me a check.

[lamaros]

I don't think you can own a Nirvana album and talk about taste.

You've got Nirvana and Nora Jones to pick from, and you go with Nirvana?

[Bzalthek]

Born in 77, and I never liked MJ.  That's not to say I particularly disliked his stuff, but I never heard anything he did that interested me.  Of course, I can't deny he was very influential. 

[Montague]

Breaking news: Add Billy Mays to the list.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_obit_billy_mays

[Bzalthek]

Oh man, I absolutely hated his commercials.

[01101010]

Breaking news: Add Billy Mays to the list.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_obit_billy_mays

NOOOOOOOoooooooooooo!!! seriously... wtf?

[Oban]

Wow, if he suffered fatal brain damage due to that landing, US Airways is going to be in bad shape.

[Fabricated]

That actually really bums me out. I knew MJ prolly wasn't in good shape, but Billy's show was actually great. Le fuck.

[Lakov_Sanite]

Billy Mays seemed like a really great guy.

[Signe]

He had a show?  I thought he just did adverts.

[Oban]

Yes, http://dsc.discovery.com/tv/pitchmen/pitchmen.html

Wow, of all the last words...

http://twitter.com/realBillyMays

Just had a close call landing in Tampa. The tires blew out upon landing. Stuck in the plane on the runway. You can always count on US Air.

[Arnold]

I dunno. That list just proves that best-selling doesn't mean 'best'. God knows I love AC/DC, but Back in Black isn't the second best album of all recorded history. Even if limited by genre, its still not the best metal album. And this is from someone who's mp3 player has every single damned thing AC/DC has done commercially, including some drunken pub recordings.

Man, Back In Black is "Rock & Roll 101".  If you want to learn how to rock, it's all there.  It is one of those perfect recordings and there is not a bad song on the thing.



P.S.  AC/DC is most certainly not metal.