Yes, we're back. And today's Daily Fluff and Fluff Five are all about Michael Jackson, who passed away yesterday. I still feel a little surprised about his death--I suppose I felt as though he would be around, making me feel pity and frustration for many years to come. I still remember trying to explain to my youngest sister once that there was a time (a much simpler time, I guess) when Jackson was the absolute coolest guy around. She didn't believe me, of course. She just couldn't reconcile that image with the more recent and familiar one of Jackson wearing sequined psuedo-military uniforms with epaulets, having questionable encounters with young boys, and dangling babies off of balconies. You know, Thriller was a really good album, and "Billie Jean" is one of the best songs ever, but we sure cut him a lot of slack for churning out a few years worth of good pop music.
Gator remarked that fame really destroyed Jackson . . . a point that seems inarguable, since nearly every weird, inexplicable thing that he did seemed to come out of some place of isolation and insecurity. Damn, did that man have some issues. The only person I can think of who comes close to having the same level of public meltdown is Britney Spears. (Not coincidentally, another pop singer with ambitious parents who hit it big while still very young.) We like to make fun of Britney and Michael. Because, let's face it, there's so very much to make fun of. But it can be sobering to ponder the fact they are, to some extent, our creation. (Or maybe it's just pop music that does this to people. Maybe rock stars are able to deal with their problems better because they don't have to sing coy, trite lyrics about being in love. After all, you don't see this kind of thing out of Lars Ulrich.)
Rest in Peace, King of Pop.
Among my many cherished pet peeves is the fact that every "greatest ever" video countdown places Michael Jackson's "Thriller" in the top spot. Being a sucker for countdown shows, this is often doubly annoying, since I've generally wasted several hours of my time waiting, watching, and hoping that someone might have changed things up this time only to be disappointed. On one memorable New Year's Eve, I even delayed going out for about an hour to watch the end of BET's "greatest ever" video countdown simply because they had promised that "Thriller" was not number one. So after all of that waiting, what had they chosen as #1? Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have A Dream" speech. And #2? "Thriller".
I'm not saying that it's not a good video. It has the dance and the zombies and the voice of Vincent Price, which is a nice touch. And it tells a story, which I generally think videos should do if they can. But . . . the story is cheesy, the song is only ok (it's probably one of the weakest of Jackson's hits), and its interminably long. Other than the zombie dance (which is still classic), there's not much to get excited about. And between the false beginning and "twist" ending it feels like they just kept piling more and more on to the video and no one had the discipline to say, "enough." (Writing that sentence gave me the overwhelming urge to mention George Lucas, even though I'm pretty sure that he wasn't the creative force behind "Thriller." Look for his prequel though, where we get to see the zombie army as little kids.)
You could argue that "Thriller" is influential, in that it helped popularize videos--especially expensive cinematic ones, but how much credit should it really get for that? Whle "Thriller" was somewhat groundbreaking in that sense, it was only a matter of time before videos merged with Hollywood production values and style--and arguably they had already done so, albeit on a somewhat smaller scale. As for the price tag--well, it certainly set the standard for Jackson's own preference for expensive videos (he currently has 5 of the 25 most expensive videos ever made, including the top spot for "Scream", which cost $7 million. But the age of expensive videos seems to belong to the late '90s, which either makes "Thriller" way, way ahead of its time or not all that trend-setting in the pricey videos category.
But I guess, in the end, my gripe just comes down to laziness. For pure enjoyment and artistic impression, I can see "Thriller" in the top 20 (or even top 10) of all time videos, but it seems like pure laziness and inertia keep it around the top spot. Choosing "bests" in a category like this is so subjective that the temptation is to just go with what has held the spot 'till now with very little examination of how deserving it is.
So what should be the best video if it isn't "Thriller"? Damned if I know. Though I do like "November Rain" for allowing us to ponder the eternal question of why someone would dive through a cake in an attempt to escape a summer thunderstorm.
Many of us thought that we had reached the end of being surprised by things Michael Jackson does. Even if you put aside the whole creepy thing about young boys, it's hard to top dangling babies out of windows, making your kids wear masks, or the plastic surgery.
But Mr. Jackson doesn't like to disappoint. Apparently, he's now being sued by the Sultan of Bahrain for reneging on some agreement to produce songs with him. Apparently, the Sultan was investing in the resurrection of Jackson's career. Is it possible that they have a different understanding of what constitutes off-putting freakishness in Bahrain?
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