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  • Friday Throwback – Stranger In Moscow

    As Money Mike wrote earlier, Michael Jackson turns 50 today. That is all sorts of weird to me. How can MJ be 50? And how old does that make me? I won’t answer that question.

    In celebration of MJ’s birthday, I decided to “throwback” to him. This is one of his strangest songs, but it’s also his most artistic and creative from his HIStory album. It’s always stood out for its feeling of loneliness and in my mind, is one of the most underrated songs of his career. The artsy black & white video fits it perfectly.

    – I bet you weren’t expecting a slow beat box from MJ.

    – Was his hair really that long, or are those extensions? I’m guessing extensions. Beyonce would be jealous.

    – How does it feel when you’re alone and you’re cold inside? I’m guessing very much like a Stranger In Moscow. Lord have mercy.

    – What is “armageddon on the brain” by the way?

    – Dude, catch the ball before it hits the … window.

    – We’re talking danger baby.

    – I think MJ might have lighter skin than the woman in the coffee shop.

    – That was one rainy day.

    When it was released in the US, I don’t think the single did much of anything, but of course, it was a hit overseas, like pretty much everything he puts out is.

    Next time when I walk down the street by myself I’m going to see everyone in slow motion, without color to their faces and just say that I have, “armageddon on the brain”.

    Happy Birthday Mike!

  • Here’s Something That’s Really Off The Wall: Michael Jackson Turns 50 Today

    The cover of Michael Jackson's iconic 1982 album "Thriller"
    The cover of Michael Jackson's iconic 1982 album "Thriller"

    I’ve spent many hours over the last several years typing article after article about not only Michael Jackson‘s influence on me, but his influence on pop culture as a whole.

    Despite the fact that he’s viewed (rightfully) as a egomaniacal, plastic surgery-addled, creepy train wreck these days, there’s no disputing that Michael was one of the largest (and the longest-running) pop phenomena in history (or HIStory). Sure, he himself was a product of a group of influences (Jackie Wilson and James Brown chief among them), but Jacko blazed (or at least helped to blaze) more trails than just about any contemporary artist. He certainly rewrote the rule book for black artists, breaking MTV’s embargo on R&B music (contrary to popular belief, MTV did play the occasional black rocker prior to “Billie Jean”) and rewriting just about every sales and chart record in existence. It should go without saying that a quick scan through today’s pop music scene reveals tons of artists, from Kanye West and Akon to Fall Out Boy and Rihanna to Usher, Justin Timberlake, Chris Brown and Ne-Yo: all directly crib from the rule book that Michael wrote. There weren’t Elvis sightings all over the Billboard chart in 1980, 25 years after his debut. However if you look at a Billboard chart from earlier this year, 25 years after “Thriller” took over the world, you’ll see that not only was a re-jiggered version of the album itself nestled securely at the top of the charts (not to mention an album by his sister that danced up and down the charts simultaneously), but songs like West’s “Good Life” and Rihanna’s “Don’t Stop the Music” directly referenced songs from the album. Regardless of what you may think of the man himself, to have that much direct influence so long after entering the music scene is a feat in and of itself. Public image be damned, this man deserves his rightful place next to The Beatles, Dylan, Stevie and James Brown…and that’s seriously not hyperbole at all. While I’ll wave my flag all day for MJ as a musical icon, I’m not one of those creepy uber-fans who lashes out at the media for being “ignorant” (sorry-just had a flashback to “South Park”‘s brilliant skewering of him) or even thought for a second about camping out at the trial site. Hell, I don’t even think the man has a skin disease.

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  • Clash of the Boy Bands: The New Kids Meet New Edition on “Full Service”

    If I’m fanatic about New Kids on the Block, I might be even more fanatic about New Edition-scary thought, isn’t it?

    So when it was announced that the New Kids’ comeback album “The Block” would feature a collaboration with the group that pretty much spawned them, I was pretty damn excited. So, less than a week before “The Block” officially hits stores, the song, “Full Service”, has leaked. The question, now, is has the teen idol summit meeting actually resulted in a great song?

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