Music Blogs

Like anyone whos sold 750 million albums, Michael Jackson inspired both positive and negative press. Many people claimed to love him. Many others claimed to hate him. And there were even some who claimed to have no opinion on the matter. In the end, it is best to remember a person for the positive things they inspired and let the entertainment industry take care of all the nasty, exploitative stuff.

Surely, someone will write the ultimate expose and make a ton of money doing it. But not us here at List Of The Day! Were going to remain proudly poor. And generally play nice and take the high road. Because I honestly don't know the truth. I was never invited to Neverland Ranch (too ugly, I guess). I never met the man (too busy, I suppose). If he had wanted to meet at the Olive Garden for the never-ending pasta bowl or whatever they sell, I might've taken him up on it (let me check my book, Mr. Jackson, sir). If he agreed to take up the bill, surely I would've ordered dessert. (And Id to take something home for the missus.) Someone asked me in a moment of deep, reflective thought, if I had to sum up the man's life in, say, ten moments, what would they be? I wrote down what came immediately to mind and decided to share it with the world. It seemed the most honest way to do this. Michael Jackson had more showbiz talent when he was 11 years old than most of us will ever acquire. But he never found peace. His life felt sad. And just as he was about to launch a comeback of sorts, he doesn't make it. There's a Lifetime Movie of the Week here for sure. And I want to guess that this story doesn't fade into the night. True to the end, this story has legs.

10) "I Want You Back": His work with the Jackson 5 was undeniable. So don't even try. How often do you find an 11-year old who can sing like an old pro?

9) "Ben": It didn't take him--or more likely his managers--long to figure out he could have a solo career apart from the family. This song was drilled into my head when I was a kid, thanks to some school play that wanted to be with the times. Now, of course, like everything else, it's just old. But still better than 99% of what passes for entertainment these days. And that's not just some old guy complaining, there's mathematical proof if you need it.

8) Off The Wall: Jackson teams up with Quincy Jones and the future of popular music begins to formulate in their collective hands. In secret partnership with Pink Floyd, Jackson and Co. turn 1979 into the year of Wall rock.

7) Thriller: Not content with selling a million records, Jackson writes and records more hits for his 1982 follow-up where he goes on to sell a billion records. Which is so many records that no one can even count them. Needless to say (but,wel,l say it anyway), everyone owns this album whether they want to or not. It is bought for you by your aunt, your grandmother, your uncle who's still incarcerated. They all rally around and make sure you have it because they know you like music and collect records. This album practically came with the Xmas tree.

6) He Married Lisa Marie Presley For A Week Or Two:  Who cares if their love didn't last? It was a great stunt. And, really, when you're that rich, that famous and that bored, what else are you going to do? Bake bread for the rest of your life? Ride your own personal rollercoaster all day? I would've proposed to Lisa Marie Presley if I thought it would've meant getting to spend a few minutes with her. Beats watching reruns of MASH.

5) He Dangled A Child Out A Window Without Killing It: People got all up in arms because he dangled a child out a hotel window. People pretend to get upset over everything. Right now someone's pretending to be mad at this very blog (even though it LOVES you) because they're feeling emotional. But the point is, he didn't DROP the child. He knew what he was doing. He was showing off. He was being weird. Which is what people want. If they wanted normal everyday behavior, then Ron Sexsmith would be hugely popular. Who, you say? My point exactly! (I love ya, Ron, but songwriting alone ain't gonna do it).

4) Survived Bad Plastic Surgery: Everyone makes fun of his freaky appearance, but from what I've read, the poor guy did receive a bad nose job early on that caused breathing problems and affected his voice and it looks like he didn't always get the best advice. Either that or he was used as a guinea pig and experimented on and not everything went as planned. But he survived and he lived on and he didn't let it stop him from pursuing his dreams. I get a hangnail and I don't rebound for weeks.

3) Beloved Brother Of Famous Family: No matter how strange he seemed to the rest of us, WE DIDN'T KNOW HIM. I know more about my mailman than I know about Michael Jackson. What I do know is that in the end, strange as it may seem considering how larger than life he appeared, he was a beloved brother to a troubled family and despite their differences, they still lost a piece of their own.

2) The Moonwalk: You watch Michael move like that and you can't help but be a little impressed. He's pretty flawless with that stuff and I watched plenty of kids do a pretty barf-a-rific version of that Moonwalk many times over, proving that maybe Michael was a little more gifted than some people wish to concede.

1) He Owned The Beatles Catalog: OK, so Paul McCartney probably wasn't amused when his buddy went and outbid him for the Beatles song catalog. But you know if I had that kind of money sitting around, I would've done the same thing. How many Denny's Super Slam breakfasts can you buy after awhile? You need something more. And once I got a hold of the catalog, I would've sold every last song to every advertiser imaginable. Carnival Cruise would've had "Magical Mystery Tour." Any airline could've had "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds." A prosthetic hand company could've had "I Want To Hold Your Hand." The Bronx Zoo could have "Rocky Raccoon," "I Am The Walrus" and any other pet-themed tune. I would've sold everything out many times over. Does that make me a bad guy? Only in theory.