I know he was never found guilty but..
Every kid-toucher in America has probably thought: "If I could only get myself a ferris wheel"
I know he was never found guilty but..
Every kid-toucher in America has probably thought: "If I could only get myself a ferris wheel"
Here's a awesome cover of thriller. 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NkbZlautuUc
John5 covering: http://youtu.be/1NHxmEHNqhI
Toyman01 wrote: Here's a awesome cover of Billie Jean.
FTFY
RealMiniDriver wrote:Toyman01 wrote: Here's a awesome cover of Billie Jean.FTFY
Whoops, maybe I should have read the title. 
RealMiniDriver wrote:Toyman01 wrote: Here's a awesome cover of Billie Jean.FTFY
It's like Zamfir hopped up on hops (and barley)! Zambir!!!
The John 5 clip was cool, too. Man, can he play. Shows what serious riffs were in "Beat It". Again, imagine a time when this was pop. So much more thought went into it compared to the current Top 40. 
SVreX wrote: In reply to GameboyRMH: I don't really care what label you give him. Sex or no sex, sleeping with children who are not yours is unacceptable. Would you volunteer your kids for the job??
It's creepy as all hell but if he didn't molest the kids, he didn't really do anything wrong. Making the rest of humanity's skin crawl is not a crime.
In reply to GameboyRMH:
There are way too many indicators that molestation DID happen for me to want to try to defend him in any way.
I realize the source may be a little shaky, but you get the point.
I am giving him a lot of credit when I say only he was a "weird dude". I also know he was not convicted of anything.
But there is no way I am going to support him.
And even if the only thing he did was what he claimed (that he just liked to sleep with and cuddle with boys, but never had sex), it's still molestation.
Just because he was never convicted does not mean he committed no crime.
Hey, how about we just talk about his music, since that's, you know, what I was trying to discuss, and all.
Do you not believe in relativity or the photoelectric effect just because ol' Al was kind of a creep?
I listened to his music to the extent that anyone who was of the MTV generation back in the early 80's was forced to. I remember the world premier of the Thriller video.
There are a lot of muscians whose music I like a lot, but I'd never want to meet them. Then there are a few whose music I don't care for much (although I can respect their talent), but admire as celebrities who actually seem to try.
In reply to tuna55:
What made you look for shoe patents?
That's cool
SVreX wrote: In reply to tuna55: What made you look for shoe patents? That's cool
I watched the video after seeing the cover by accident, and just looked around for how he did it. I think it's seriously brilliant to get a patent on showmanship pieces like that.
Sort of like how Brian May has a PhD in astrophysics, some of these guys are smarter than we give them credit for, but in MJ's case, it was all for the show. Watching his old videos, especially the live stuff, I can see what the fuss was all about even though I actively avoided the music at the time.
If you're thinking about the artist when watching a movie or listening to music, then the art isn't engaging enough and you should just turn it off. The same goes for HD or hifi music - if you're paying attention to the reproduction, then you're not sucked in.
Lots of artists were abhorrent in one way or another. You need to separate that from the actual art, as it should stand on its own. Any baggage you bring to the experience is your own.
In reply to tuna55:
I feel bad that I had to use the googles to find out who Brian May is. My Queen member's name knowledge ended at Freddie Mercury. His wikipedia page shows him to be an interesting person for sure.
In reply to T.J.:
Brian May was seriously brilliant:
http://www.premierguitar.com/articles/21168-rig-rundown-queens-brian-may
http://www2.gibson.com/news-lifestyle/features/en-us/myth-busters-brian-may-505.aspx
Plus, the dude made his own guitar when he was 16 with his Dad, and used that same guitar all through his time with Queen!!!!
But this thread is about MJ. We'll start another Queen appreication thread sometime, because we know Freddie was an honest guy with no perverted skeletons in his closet...
In reply to Keith Tanner:
If the artist is nothing more than a musician, then I might agree with you. The music is all that matters.
But most superstars are not just a talent. They cultivate much more than just their music.
Hip Hop music is not just about the music. It's about the image, the persona. It's what they sell.
Gene Simmons was not just a bassist. In fact, he wasn't that great a bassist. He was an entrepreneur, who cultivated an image he sold, and built an empire.
Sure, Micheal Jordan could play basketball. But his real brilliance was as a businessman.
How about Lindsay Lohan? Sure, she's a basket case. But that bad girl E36 M3 makes her a he i of a lot of money- it's part of what she sells.
Honestly, if Micheal Jackson was just about the music, he would not have gone very far. He broke the barrier into the marriage of the visual image and the music. He moved like no other, and his great skill was as a producer. But, he also invented shoes, and bought the entire Beatles catalogue, turning it into a billion dollar empire, among many other things.
The package that was his brilliance was also his nemesis. He developed and cultivated an entire persona, not just music.
To say it's just music may overlook some of his demons, but it also totally misses the point of the brilliance that he was.
Gary wrote: I agree he was a sensational performer and put out a ton of excellent work. However, after his cosmetic work I couldn't look at him. And when his personal life went south, I couldn't stand listening to him. But I wish he had aged gracefully and let his appearance and voice mature naturally. What a performer he would have been today. It's a shame.
He was an exceptional performer; I'll grant you that. His shows were undoubtedly on par with the best of Broadway musical theatre. But since I'd rather have all my teeth capped than sit through a Broadway musical, I'm having a very hard time appreciating his talents. And the weird stuff is just creepy.
chandlerGTi wrote: I don't turn the station when I hear his music; is that a ringing endorsement?
I don't listen to stations that would play his music. So I guess that sums it up for me.
T.J. wrote: In reply to tuna55: I feel bad that I had to use the googles to find out who Brian May is.
The music teacher in me weeps at this. 
gamby wrote:T.J. wrote: In reply to tuna55: I feel bad that I had to use the googles to find out who Brian May is.The music teacher in me weeps at this.
Do you know who Jethro Burns is?
SVreX wrote: In reply to Keith Tanner: If the artist is nothing more than a musician, then I might agree with you. The music is all that matters. But most superstars are not just a talent. They cultivate much more than just their music. Hip Hop music is not just about the music. It's about the image, the persona. It's what they sell. Gene Simmons was not just a bassist. In fact, he wasn't that great a bassist. He was an entrepreneur, who cultivated an image he sold, and built an empire. Sure, Micheal Jordan could play basketball. But his real brilliance was as a businessman. How about Lindsay Lohan? Sure, she's a basket case. But that bad girl E36 M3 makes her a he i of a lot of money- it's part of what she sells. Honestly, if Micheal Jackson was just about the music, he would not have gone very far. He broke the barrier into the marriage of the visual image and the music. He moved like no other, and his great skill was as a producer. But, he also invented shoes, and bought the entire Beatles catalogue, turning it into a billion dollar empire, among many other things. The package that was his brilliance was also his nemesis. He developed and cultivated an entire persona, not just music. To say it's just music may overlook some of his demons, but it also totally misses the point of the brilliance that he was.
Sure, he's got other aspects. But to me, it's the music that counts. The persona has never been part of the appeal, and the music is the part that endures. Led Zepplin might have been an awesome live show, but it's the music that we keep.
I agree that some superstars trade more on image than substance - hello Kardashians and Lohan - but the real stars need that fundamental talent. Jordan was a fantastic basketball player. MJ put on a great show, but he had the chops to back it up. He was also famous before he really went nova with Thriller.
Simmons is an interesting case, though. KISS isn't about the music, it's about the theater. I'm not sure if you'd call them musicians or performance artists.
mtn wrote:gamby wrote:Do you know who Jethro Burns is?T.J. wrote: In reply to tuna55: I feel bad that I had to use the googles to find out who Brian May is.The music teacher in me weeps at this.
No. Granted, he's a lot more niche than Brian May. Brian May is a hugely famous/significant mainstream rock guitarist. A bit more widely known worldwide than a bluegrass mandolin player whose heyday was 60 years ago.
Not belittling him--I'm just not well-versed in bluegrass, nor is it very popular up here (RI). I'd be curious to hear what he did with Duke Ellington's music, though.
gamby wrote:mtn wrote:No. Granted, he's a lot more niche than Brian May. Brian May is a hugely famous/significant mainstream rock guitarist. A bit more widely known worldwide than a bluegrass mandolin player whose heyday was 60 years ago. Not belittling him--I'm just not well-versed in bluegrass, nor is it very popular up here (RI). I'd be curious to hear what he did with Duke Ellington's music, though.gamby wrote:Do you know who Jethro Burns is?T.J. wrote: In reply to tuna55: I feel bad that I had to use the googles to find out who Brian May is.The music teacher in me weeps at this.
I was kind of going after your comment that "The music teacher in me weeps at this". I could make the same comment about Burns, or David Grisman, or Jens Kruger. My point is kind of that Brian May was part of Queen. Everybody knows who Queen is, and could recognize they have one of the worlds best guitarists.
Also, just to split hairs, I really wouldn't call Burns bluegrass either. Either Folk or Jazz is where he made his contributions to music, IMHO.
Anyways, back to MJ: 
In reply to mtn:
LOL--boy, they never saw what he actually looked like coming!!!
Also, 2000 fashion looked a helluva lot like 1985 fashion.
BTW--I know who David Grisman is, but only via his work with Jerry Garcia.
MJ never did anything wrong, but would you prefer your 11 year old boy go camping with him or Barry Maguire?
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