Michael Jackson is dead

[Trinie]

Forgot to say which songs of his that I like... I can't remember them all, but off the top of my head... I like "Heal THe World", "We are the World", "Beat It",etc... He has soo many great songs that it is hard to name them all.

[xJadedx]

I think it really depends - the majority of the people I know (from all races) were very saddened by the news of MJ's death. Also, to be honest, I don't expect a lot of sophistication from a comic book forum, or any sort of recreational online forum for that matter.

What I can definitely say based on my experience is that I think the news affects those who are musicians a lot more than the average fan. For a musician, irregardless of his personal life, MJ is an icon and major influence (no matter what genre of music you are in).

For me, I have heard the news of famous people that I like a lot passing away recently (i.e., Heath Ledger, Bernie Mac, David Carradine, etc.), but none of them had the emotional impact as MJ's death. I think I was pretty much in temporary "depression" when I heard of his death, just because MJ has been such an influence for me as someone who plays music.

[Trinie]

I think it really depends - the majority of the people I know (from all races) were very saddened by the news of MJ's death. Also, to be honest, I don't expect a lot of sophistication from a comic book forum, or any sort of recreational online forum for that matter.

What I can definitely say based on my experience is that I think the news affects those who are musicians a lot more than the average fan. For a musician, irregardless of his personal life, MJ is an icon and major influence (no matter what genre of music you are in).

For me, I have heard the news of famous people that I like a lot passing away recently (i.e., Heath Ledger, bernie Mac, David carradine, etc.), but none of them had the emotional impact as MJ's death. I think I was pretty much in temporary "depression" when I heard of his death, just because MJ has been such an influence for me as someone who plays music.

Same here... I have seen fans and people of all races become really saddened and shocked by his death regardless of their race/nationality. I totally agree that MJ is an icon just like Elvis Presley and he will forever be remembered and missed. I think he was one of a kind...

[oGaKirA]

Altho I would be hesitant to defend MJ in his molestation accusations....I still respect him as an artist and entertainer.

Love him during his Jackson 5 days.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8Qko5m8oAw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aSqo17o2a1w
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6bARIaMhCM

[kay &!*]

an interview with his older brother, Jermaine Jackson, after Michael's death.

http://www.popeater.com/music/articl...as-me%2F553650

[Guo Xiang]

I agree with him how unreal it felt that MJ's gone... It's weird you know, but I always felt as though he's going to be around forever.

[Suet Seung]

I agree with him how unreal it felt that MJ's gone... It's weird you know, but I always felt as though he's going to be around forever.

Heh. XiangXiang, just because MJ had Vigilto(sp?), a special skin disease, which makes him sensitive to sunlight or whatever light, doesn't make him a vampire that would be around forever.

I suppose big celebrities like Elvis and MJ would leave a big hole in the music world. Think if Madonna, Britney, Whitney Houston, or any of the famous singers or actors were gone, people would be shocked. Death doesn't always come with a warning or an advance notice.

[Guo Xiang]

Heh. XiangXiang, just because MJ had Vigilto(sp?), a special skin disease, which makes him sensitive to sunlight or whatever light, doesn't make him a vampire that would be around forever.

I suppose big celebrities like Elvis and MJ would leave a big hole in the music world. Think if Madonna, Britney, Whitney Houston, or any of the famous singers or actors were gone, people would be shocked. Death doesn't always come with a warning or an advance notice.

Hehe I know. I was never really into MJ either, but it's just that he's such a legend and an icon in so many ways that it didn't seem possible for him to go 'poof!' so suddenly. And he's only 50!

[Ken Cheng]

One thing to remember too is that as awesome as Michael Jackson was with OFF THE WALL (1979) and THRILLER (1983), at the time of his death, it had been a long, long time since he had offered any new musical contributions of much popularity or artistic value. OFF THE WALL and THRILLER were great. BAD (1987) and DANGEROUS (1991) were good, but after that, Jackson's recorded output was decidedly spotty. Musically, he hadn't done anything of much significance since the singles "Jam" and "Scream" (with sister Janet), and those were way back in 1995.

[Cesare]

Dangerous is my personal no#1.
And I actually think HIStory was a very good album. I had to ignore much of the lyrics, to be honest (too much affect, too much self-pity), but there were some excellent tracks.
And I've been always very fond of the 5 new tracks on Blood on the Dancefloor. Esp. Morphine and Ghosts are favorites of mine. And Is It Scary is probably one of the very few of those over-the-top self-pitying maudlin songs by MJ that I really like - incl. lyrics (probably because - no matter what kind of person MJ really was - as far as the public is concerned, that song is quite spot on).
Granted - might be my gothic sensibilities at work...:-)
So I'd extend the years of MJ's artistic productivity till 1997/8, esp. if I include the Ghosts movie - which is very cute little flick (considerably more enjoyable than Captain EO, in any case).

IMHO only after that did his carrer really go down the crapper - but it was a headlong plunge.

[Trinie]

Dangerous is my personal no#1.
And I actually think HIStory was a very good album. I had to ignore much of the lyrics, to be honest (too much affect, too much self-pity), but there were some excellent tracks.
And I've been always very fond of the 5 new tracks on Blood on the Dancefloor. Esp. Morphine and Ghosts are favorites of mine. And Is It Scary is probably one of the very few of those over-the-top self-pitying maudlin songs by MJ that I really like - incl. lyrics (probably because - no matter what kind of person MJ really was - as far as the public is concerned, that song is quite spot on).
Granted - might be my gothic sensibilities at work...:-)
So I'd extend the years of MJ's artistic productivity till 1997/8, esp. if I include the Ghosts movie - which is very cute little flick (considerably more enjoyable than Captain EO, in any case).

IMHO only after that did his carrer really go down the crapper - but it was a headlong plunge.

I wonder if it had anything to do with those child molestation charges?? I was reading an article today when I went shopping and it mentioned that those charges made him really sad and bought him down in his life and career. Very sad stuff to read...

[Ken Cheng]

I wonder if it had anything to do with those child molestation charges?? I was reading an article today when I went shopping and it mentioned that those charges made him really sad and bought him down in his life and career. Very sad stuff to read...

Even without the molestation charges, Michael Jackson's post-1991 records were not, on the whole, as strong as those he released during the 1980s. BAD and DANGEROUS were megasellers, but each one sold substantially less than THRILLER (but the best-selling album of all time is a hard act to follow, so no blame for Jackson or his musical collaborators there; besides, they *were* good records, just not as great as THRILLER).

His output after that was inconsistent to poor. HIStory was more hype than substance, and its selling point wasn't the new tracks that Jackson had recorded, but being the first greatest hits compilation of his recordings for Epic Records (including tracks from OFF THE WALL, THRILLER, BAD, and DANGEROUS, as well as singles from that era). The new tracks on HIStory were mostly ignored (aside from "Jam" and "Scream," which were more interesting as music videos than as actual songs).

Jackson's 2001 album INVINCIBLE did especially poorly, not only by Jackson's superstar standards, but in general. It was not a sales hit nor was it rated by music fans as one of Jackson's better works. Of course, his tarnished media image wasn't helping, but aside from that, it was a paltry musical effort.

One music critic for the LOS ANGELES TIMES wrote an article a few years ago about what it would take for Michael Jackson to regain at least his musical credibility: the critic's suggestion was to the effect that Jackson needed to scale back the hype and focus on what made him a music superstar in the first place. Reuniting with Quincy Jones as his producer might have helped, as would consulting the songwriting team that helped him in composing some of the hit tracks on OFF THE WALL and THRILLER.

[Ken Cheng]

By the way, if you enjoy ghost stories, you need to check this out, and pay particularly close attention 8:20 into the video.

It's most likely some sort of technical glitch, but if you want to use your imagination, this could be a bit spooky.

[kay &!*]

EARTH SONG <33

[milKBoi]

Just watched the last half of Michael Jackson's last concert on tv. Why did he have to die. Can't he go bye bye after his 50concerts in London.

He was so talented with magic feet + voice.
My fav: Black & White.

[Guo Xiang]

Just watched the last half of Michael Jackson's last concert on tv. Why did he have to die. Can't he go bye bye after his 50concerts in London.

That's really selfish and egoistic, isn't it? So it's okay for him to die so long as he satisfies your needs. You don't care anything except your own satisfaction.

And I'm sure he didn't choose to just pass away so suddenly. Except for suicides, nobody can decide when they die.

[milKBoi]

Wait wait, thats not what i meant. Of course i don't want him to die but it was abit of a tragic he had to die before all the hard work he put in his rehearsals. And no one got to see him perform. Does that make sense now and not make me a selfish + egoistic person?

And what do you mean i don't care anything but my own satisfaction? What? Are you saying that after he performs his 50 concerts then i don't care about him alive or dead? Wtf, okay i have no idea where u got that impression from because thats crazy.

[Guo Xiang]

And what do you mean i don't care anything but my own satisfaction? What? Are you saying that after he performs his 50 concerts then i don't care about him alive or dead? Wtf, okay i have no idea where u got that impression from because thats crazy.

Here:

Can't he go bye bye after his 50concerts in London.

That practically means he should have died only after his 50 concerts.

And the reason? Apparently because you enjoyed the rehearsal clips shown on TV.

[milKBoi]

I said I watched the 2nd half of his last ever concert, not his rehearsal. But thats not the point here. Basically you think I don't care if he dies or not after his performance. That's pretty heartless.

[Ghaleon]

Can't he go bye bye after his 50concerts in London

i dunno man, THAT sounds kinda heartless .