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I was sleeping. I slept for about three hours. Now I'm awake, feeling as if someone poured coffee directly into my veins. I'm kind of tired, but too revved up to sleep. Bizarre.
Well, August sure did fly by. My Michael Jackson fascination is still ongoing, so it's time for a vid dump, methinks. One of the most enduring oddities about Michael Jackson was that wispy voice he seemed to speak in. You know the one:
But all you have to do is find some concert footage of MJ where he speaks to find out straight away that the shrill, babyish voice everybody satirized was not how he really talked. (Or even a terribly accurate description in the first place. As the first clip demonstrates, it wasn't like he went around speaking in a falsetto or anything. It was just a high chest voice.) MJ wasn't a bass or anything, but he certainly had a man's voice. In his later years, he used his real speaking voice more often in public, but when he was on stage, the difference was especially dramatic. For example, here's an adorable set of clips taken from his "HIStory" tour, where MJ chats with the audience:
This is a more recent example from 2006, where he uses his stage voice after accepting an award from Beyonce:
Jackie:
Jermaine: not as high, maybe, but certainly soft.
So, in conclusion: Say, say say, what you want to say.
Well, August sure did fly by. My Michael Jackson fascination is still ongoing, so it's time for a vid dump, methinks. One of the most enduring oddities about Michael Jackson was that wispy voice he seemed to speak in. You know the one:
But all you have to do is find some concert footage of MJ where he speaks to find out straight away that the shrill, babyish voice everybody satirized was not how he really talked. (Or even a terribly accurate description in the first place. As the first clip demonstrates, it wasn't like he went around speaking in a falsetto or anything. It was just a high chest voice.) MJ wasn't a bass or anything, but he certainly had a man's voice. In his later years, he used his real speaking voice more often in public, but when he was on stage, the difference was especially dramatic. For example, here's an adorable set of clips taken from his "HIStory" tour, where MJ chats with the audience:
This is a more recent example from 2006, where he uses his stage voice after accepting an award from Beyonce:
Really, just find some concert footage where he talks, and you will hear him sound like this. Michael was a high tenor. His brothers Jackie and Jermaine also have higher pitched, soft speaking voices.
Jackie:
Jermaine: not as high, maybe, but certainly soft.
So, in conclusion: Say, say say, what you want to say.
It's Demo Time!!
Jul. 27th, 2009 01:56 pmWe've all heard and loved MJ's finished products, so now hear the Maestro at work, tweaking lyrics and arrangements. I'm always curious about the creative process anyway, but some of these demo tracks are also comedic goldmines.
1. This is a really early test-run of "Billie Jean" before Jackson had the lyrics all worked out. In my opinion, this is pretty much the King of Demo Tracks EVAR. The fan-made video is absolutely hysterical, and you just can't top actually hearing Michael Jackson's voice spouting complete gibberish like "BUTTERCUPADAY HEY HEY HEY!"
2. Demo recording of "Give In To Me." The lyrics are subtly altered from the final version, but listen especially close at 3:00. Love is a what, MJ? :-D I almost like this version better than the final cut. The arrangement is quite pretty, and I really dig the falsetto vocalizations MJ launches into at 4:11 and 5:00 minutes.
3. Demo of "The Girl Is Mine." The final version of this song is a duet with Paul McCartney; this is just MJ, singing the whole thing solo. Again, I kind of prefer it to the final one, mostly because I don't think Jackson's voice blends all that well with McCartney's. I love them both, but my ears don't like them together. Personal preference. (I'm working on an "MJ Collaborations" post that will delve into this a bit more.)
4. "Working Day and Night." This has an intro by Quincy Jones on it from the 2001 Special Edition re-release of "Off the Wall." Michael apparently had siblings Randy and Janet in the studio with him during this session, and you can hear them being quite normal with each other at the beginning and end of the song. ("Randy! Get off my feet!") Haha.
1. This is a really early test-run of "Billie Jean" before Jackson had the lyrics all worked out. In my opinion, this is pretty much the King of Demo Tracks EVAR. The fan-made video is absolutely hysterical, and you just can't top actually hearing Michael Jackson's voice spouting complete gibberish like "BUTTERCUPADAY HEY HEY HEY!"
2. Demo recording of "Give In To Me." The lyrics are subtly altered from the final version, but listen especially close at 3:00. Love is a what, MJ? :-D I almost like this version better than the final cut. The arrangement is quite pretty, and I really dig the falsetto vocalizations MJ launches into at 4:11 and 5:00 minutes.
3. Demo of "The Girl Is Mine." The final version of this song is a duet with Paul McCartney; this is just MJ, singing the whole thing solo. Again, I kind of prefer it to the final one, mostly because I don't think Jackson's voice blends all that well with McCartney's. I love them both, but my ears don't like them together. Personal preference. (I'm working on an "MJ Collaborations" post that will delve into this a bit more.)
4. "Working Day and Night." This has an intro by Quincy Jones on it from the 2001 Special Edition re-release of "Off the Wall." Michael apparently had siblings Randy and Janet in the studio with him during this session, and you can hear them being quite normal with each other at the beginning and end of the song. ("Randy! Get off my feet!") Haha.
It's been a week since the public memorial for Michael Jackson. The world is marching on. For the past couple of days, the swell of Jackson press has started to subside a little, though you can bet when the toxicology report comes out it'll all get whipped up again. Anyway, I'm still crazy obsessed, and have been abusing my parents' bandwidth to mine youtube for everything and anything Michael Jackson. I've decided today's post will feature interesting and possibly-lesser-known (or "new to me," if you like) Jackson short films that I found.
1. "Captain Eo"
On wikipedia
And imdb
The first one is called "Captain Eo," and anybody who went to Disneyland between 1986 and 1994 probably knows about this one. If you don't, then all you really need to know is that Disney thought it would be an awesome idea to have Michael Jackson and George Lucas collaborate on a video for a new 3D attraction. After all, Lucas and Jackson were both pretty much at the peak of their popularity, so Disney probably thought that by combining their powers THEY COULD TAKE OVER THE WORLD!! Lucas got his buddy Francis Ford Coppola to direct, and Angelica Huston was brought in to star opposite Jackson, and $30 million dollars later, this was the result:
Summary: Eo is a terrible spaceship captain. Thank god for his transformative powers of song and dance.
I'm told it was pretty spectacular to see in 3D at the time. Really cutting-edge stuff. And even without the benefit 3D and with the grainy vid quality, I am impressed with the graphics. And hey! An awesome song and dance number! I just can't get past Hooter. (A foreshadowing of Jar Jar Binks to come, perhaps?) "Captain, there's something weird out there!" indeed. The only explanation I can think of is that Hooter was drunk and high the whole time.
2. "Moonwalker"
The Nostalgia Critic reviews "Moonwalker."
Released theatrically everywhere but the U.S., where it was direct-to-video, Moonwalker was pretty much Jackson's only feature-length movie project that I am aware of. It's essentially a compliation of concert footage and promotional material highlighting Jackson's long career, followed by a string of music videos for his album "Bad" (well, mostly just "Speed Demon," "Leave Me Alone" and "Smooth Criminal") that end with Jackson turning into a robot and blowing up Joe Pesci. Really. The Smooth Criminal part is hands-down the best sequence. The one on youtube I found is in 9 parts.
3. "Ghosts"
A short "making of" video.
Made in 1996, "Ghosts" is basically a remix of "Thriller," but spiked with a heavy dose of Stan Winston mindscrew. Lots of mindscrew. It's an over-the-top dance spectacle, sure, but "Ghosts" is also legitimately creepy. Some of it, like the bit with the mirror ("Who's scary now?!") and when his face crumbles, feel like glimpses inside his head, and the implications are seriously unsettling (hello, body dismorphic disorder). The video tries to incorporate some humor (Haha, that mom keeps hitting her child!), and as always there's an attempt to play up a sense of childlike wonder, but the themes and visuals are just so disturbing that there's no way the concoction is going to go down smoothly. The production values are high, the choreography is fantastic, and Michael Jackson isn't a bad character actor, either. If you like Edward Scissorhands, then you'll probably get a kick out of "Ghosts."
1. "Captain Eo"
On wikipedia
And imdb
The first one is called "Captain Eo," and anybody who went to Disneyland between 1986 and 1994 probably knows about this one. If you don't, then all you really need to know is that Disney thought it would be an awesome idea to have Michael Jackson and George Lucas collaborate on a video for a new 3D attraction. After all, Lucas and Jackson were both pretty much at the peak of their popularity, so Disney probably thought that by combining their powers THEY COULD TAKE OVER THE WORLD!! Lucas got his buddy Francis Ford Coppola to direct, and Angelica Huston was brought in to star opposite Jackson, and $30 million dollars later, this was the result:
Summary: Eo is a terrible spaceship captain. Thank god for his transformative powers of song and dance.
I'm told it was pretty spectacular to see in 3D at the time. Really cutting-edge stuff. And even without the benefit 3D and with the grainy vid quality, I am impressed with the graphics. And hey! An awesome song and dance number! I just can't get past Hooter. (A foreshadowing of Jar Jar Binks to come, perhaps?) "Captain, there's something weird out there!" indeed. The only explanation I can think of is that Hooter was drunk and high the whole time.
2. "Moonwalker"
The Nostalgia Critic reviews "Moonwalker."
Released theatrically everywhere but the U.S., where it was direct-to-video, Moonwalker was pretty much Jackson's only feature-length movie project that I am aware of. It's essentially a compliation of concert footage and promotional material highlighting Jackson's long career, followed by a string of music videos for his album "Bad" (well, mostly just "Speed Demon," "Leave Me Alone" and "Smooth Criminal") that end with Jackson turning into a robot and blowing up Joe Pesci. Really. The Smooth Criminal part is hands-down the best sequence. The one on youtube I found is in 9 parts.
A short "making of" video.
Made in 1996, "Ghosts" is basically a remix of "Thriller," but spiked with a heavy dose of Stan Winston mindscrew. Lots of mindscrew. It's an over-the-top dance spectacle, sure, but "Ghosts" is also legitimately creepy. Some of it, like the bit with the mirror ("Who's scary now?!") and when his face crumbles, feel like glimpses inside his head, and the implications are seriously unsettling (hello, body dismorphic disorder). The video tries to incorporate some humor (Haha, that mom keeps hitting her child!), and as always there's an attempt to play up a sense of childlike wonder, but the themes and visuals are just so disturbing that there's no way the concoction is going to go down smoothly. The production values are high, the choreography is fantastic, and Michael Jackson isn't a bad character actor, either. If you like Edward Scissorhands, then you'll probably get a kick out of "Ghosts."
The Michael Jackson Memorial
Jul. 7th, 2009 04:45 pmI watched it on CNN's live internet feed. The Jackson brothers each wore a single sequined glove in tribute to Michael as they placed his gold casket on stage.
Jennifer Hudson's rendition of "Will you be there" was spectacular. Girl has an amazing voice. John Mayer's guitar instrumental of "Human Nature" was contemplative, skillful and subtle. Brooke Shields gave a deeply touching and emotional eulogy in which she quoted Michael Jackson's favorite song, "Smile." Then Jermaine Jackson took the stage after her and sang it, and you could see him fighting tears. Queen Latifah read a beautiful eulogy of Jackson written by Maya Angelou. I will be eternally grateful to Magic Johnson and Motown mogul Gordy for their fond and funny memories of the King of Pop that kept the whole thing from being too unbearably serious, and for once, I enjoyed a sermon by Al Sharpton, who addressed Jackson's three kids and said, "Your daddy wasn't strange. What was strange was what your daddy had to deal with." The finale was "We Are the World" and "Heal the World," two of my absolute favorite sappy songs ever, sung by Jackson's backup singers, his eulogizers and most of his family, and the whole thing was capped off by a few short words from Jackson's 11-year-old daughter Paris, who told the assembled crowd, through tears, that her daddy was the best, and she loved him very much.
And I'll admit it, I cried. There will never be another Michael Jackson. He changed music, he changed celebrity, he really did change the world.
Jennifer Hudson's rendition of "Will you be there" was spectacular. Girl has an amazing voice. John Mayer's guitar instrumental of "Human Nature" was contemplative, skillful and subtle. Brooke Shields gave a deeply touching and emotional eulogy in which she quoted Michael Jackson's favorite song, "Smile." Then Jermaine Jackson took the stage after her and sang it, and you could see him fighting tears. Queen Latifah read a beautiful eulogy of Jackson written by Maya Angelou. I will be eternally grateful to Magic Johnson and Motown mogul Gordy for their fond and funny memories of the King of Pop that kept the whole thing from being too unbearably serious, and for once, I enjoyed a sermon by Al Sharpton, who addressed Jackson's three kids and said, "Your daddy wasn't strange. What was strange was what your daddy had to deal with." The finale was "We Are the World" and "Heal the World," two of my absolute favorite sappy songs ever, sung by Jackson's backup singers, his eulogizers and most of his family, and the whole thing was capped off by a few short words from Jackson's 11-year-old daughter Paris, who told the assembled crowd, through tears, that her daddy was the best, and she loved him very much.
And I'll admit it, I cried. There will never be another Michael Jackson. He changed music, he changed celebrity, he really did change the world.
The AP released a little over a minute of footage from Michael Jackson's last rehearsal. The article, with a link to the video clip, is here. Michael's moving a little slower, and you can't hear him sing, but he looks to be in pretty good form, considering his age and all the press about how drugged out and ill he might have been. I find it interesting that the article points out that he's "thin." When was he not?
(And he appears to have his late 80's hair back! Pulled back from his face, and quite possibly permed, which is my absolute favorite of his hairstyles. THANK GOD. I hated the long, straight hair he'd been sporting the past few years. It really did not flatter his face AT ALL. Wonder why he never tried cornrows? I think that might have looked good on him. But I digress.)
If they do release the whole thing as a DVD/album of some kind...I just may have to buy it. The fact that he's doing "They Don't Care About Us" (one of my faves) is almost reason enough. If it includes "Dirty Diana" and "Heal the World" too, then there won't be any question of "may." (It's a foregone conclusion it'll include "Beat It" and "Thriller.")
I still think it's unlikely Jackson would have managed all 50 planned concerts, but I'm starting to think that he might have actually pulled some of them off. Maybe. Assuming he wasn't strung out on uppers. I'm just gonna have to wait for the test results to come back before I make up my mind. Either way, I used my iTunes account for the first time today...to buy Michael Jackson music.
I totally cannot explain my sudden fascination with Michael Jackson except that I guess I always was sort of intrigued by him. I was born in 1984, so all I ever really knew was the white, feminine-looking "weirdo" Michael Jackson that nobody could figure out. I think all kids of the late 80's and the 90's were born with a built-in fascination with Michael Jackson. I guess mine has lain largely dormant. And though there's a lot of his discography that doesn't really do it for me, the stuff that I do like I really, really like. Which is why news that he left a mountain of unreleased recordings makes me very happy.
And if you really want to get in the right mood to mourn the man, you must watch these two clips. The first one aired on TV in 1992, and after watching it two or three times I was almost bawling. The worst part? It was a freaking Pepsi commercial. The second video is a longer version of the ad that was recut into a proper short video and included (I think?) with the DVD release of all the short films from his album, Dangerous. And I'll admit, the longer one did officially make me cry. (Damn you, Pepsi!)
Pepsi ad (56 sec.):
Recut short (1:21):
(And he appears to have his late 80's hair back! Pulled back from his face, and quite possibly permed, which is my absolute favorite of his hairstyles. THANK GOD. I hated the long, straight hair he'd been sporting the past few years. It really did not flatter his face AT ALL. Wonder why he never tried cornrows? I think that might have looked good on him. But I digress.)
If they do release the whole thing as a DVD/album of some kind...I just may have to buy it. The fact that he's doing "They Don't Care About Us" (one of my faves) is almost reason enough. If it includes "Dirty Diana" and "Heal the World" too, then there won't be any question of "may." (It's a foregone conclusion it'll include "Beat It" and "Thriller.")
I still think it's unlikely Jackson would have managed all 50 planned concerts, but I'm starting to think that he might have actually pulled some of them off. Maybe. Assuming he wasn't strung out on uppers. I'm just gonna have to wait for the test results to come back before I make up my mind. Either way, I used my iTunes account for the first time today...to buy Michael Jackson music.
I totally cannot explain my sudden fascination with Michael Jackson except that I guess I always was sort of intrigued by him. I was born in 1984, so all I ever really knew was the white, feminine-looking "weirdo" Michael Jackson that nobody could figure out. I think all kids of the late 80's and the 90's were born with a built-in fascination with Michael Jackson. I guess mine has lain largely dormant. And though there's a lot of his discography that doesn't really do it for me, the stuff that I do like I really, really like. Which is why news that he left a mountain of unreleased recordings makes me very happy.
And if you really want to get in the right mood to mourn the man, you must watch these two clips. The first one aired on TV in 1992, and after watching it two or three times I was almost bawling. The worst part? It was a freaking Pepsi commercial. The second video is a longer version of the ad that was recut into a proper short video and included (I think?) with the DVD release of all the short films from his album, Dangerous. And I'll admit, the longer one did officially make me cry. (Damn you, Pepsi!)
Pepsi ad (56 sec.):
Recut short (1:21):
Check out Jackson's 2007 interview in Ebony magazine.
Dudes, he's like...normal in it. And shows just how shrewd, intelligent and abso-freaking-lutely brilliant he is/was. (But whoa are those pics airbrushed!) Over the past few days, the mass of crazy press about Jackson's final days, what people saw or didn't see, said or didn't say has just been insane, and it mostly just convinces me that most of us totally didn't understand the guy at all. Whether that was due to deliberate misinformation on his part (and he's done that in the past), or the fact that society just doesn't know what to do with people that can't be boxed and labeled except for boxing and labeling them anyway, truth be damned, will probably never be entirely clear. That's a large part of why he's been so fascinating for so long. I take the view that the truth is generally somewhere in the middle of the extremes, and it'll be interesting to see what Jackson's identity and legacy finally look like when all the dust has settled.
I have been forming my own theory on exactly what was going on with Jackson's face, too. I think he definitely fibbed about the amount and types of work he'd had done, but I don't think he had as much work done as most people tend to think. For example, check out the music video for "Dirty Diana." (Embedded below.) This was recorded in 1988 and while his facial structure was certainly exotic and not natural, as the majority of his female fan base will attest, it was still strikingly attractive. He was also about 30 years old at the time, when his skin was more elastic and plump. Take this face, add twenty years of aging, remove the plumpness and elasticity, (plus a new chin and maybe a mouth and eye job at some point) and bang, you have the Michael Jackson face of 2009. Angular bone structures just don't tend to age well, especially when coupled with weight loss. So yeah.
Other conclusions I have drawn are:
A) He was not a pedophile. Not at all. He genuinely loved children, and was targeted and exploited for it because of his eccentric habits.
B) It seems likely to me that he was gay, or bi and not comfortable about it. Which is totally understandable.
C) He was an incredible artist with a stage presence that is simply unmatched. I can't believe it took so long for me to look pass the tabloids and see the talent.
Dudes, he's like...normal in it. And shows just how shrewd, intelligent and abso-freaking-lutely brilliant he is/was. (But whoa are those pics airbrushed!) Over the past few days, the mass of crazy press about Jackson's final days, what people saw or didn't see, said or didn't say has just been insane, and it mostly just convinces me that most of us totally didn't understand the guy at all. Whether that was due to deliberate misinformation on his part (and he's done that in the past), or the fact that society just doesn't know what to do with people that can't be boxed and labeled except for boxing and labeling them anyway, truth be damned, will probably never be entirely clear. That's a large part of why he's been so fascinating for so long. I take the view that the truth is generally somewhere in the middle of the extremes, and it'll be interesting to see what Jackson's identity and legacy finally look like when all the dust has settled.
I have been forming my own theory on exactly what was going on with Jackson's face, too. I think he definitely fibbed about the amount and types of work he'd had done, but I don't think he had as much work done as most people tend to think. For example, check out the music video for "Dirty Diana." (Embedded below.) This was recorded in 1988 and while his facial structure was certainly exotic and not natural, as the majority of his female fan base will attest, it was still strikingly attractive. He was also about 30 years old at the time, when his skin was more elastic and plump. Take this face, add twenty years of aging, remove the plumpness and elasticity, (plus a new chin and maybe a mouth and eye job at some point) and bang, you have the Michael Jackson face of 2009. Angular bone structures just don't tend to age well, especially when coupled with weight loss. So yeah.
Other conclusions I have drawn are:
A) He was not a pedophile. Not at all. He genuinely loved children, and was targeted and exploited for it because of his eccentric habits.
B) It seems likely to me that he was gay, or bi and not comfortable about it. Which is totally understandable.
C) He was an incredible artist with a stage presence that is simply unmatched. I can't believe it took so long for me to look pass the tabloids and see the talent.
Dream Log: Wacko Jacko
Jun. 30th, 2009 08:53 amThe late King of Pop made a surprise guest appearance in my subconscious mind this morning, in an offbeat dream sequence that also featured a cameo appearance by Family Guy's Brian. Why my brain happened to think those two characters would go together, I have no idea.
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