Spidey . I like your name. I have a few ? for you but answer at your leisure.
What are your thoughts and your feelings towards the biopic in progress?
I am cautiously optimistic. It's going to be VERY hard for me. I can't/won't see tribute act shows. Having seen MJ perform in person, it's nowhere close to the same experience and it feels almost like a caricature to me. I have seen both Cirque Du Soleil shows and the MJ Broadway show. Both are good, but there is just that "suspension of disbelief" that is hard to do when looking at someone other than Michael. I HATE when people try to imitate his voice (unless it's Chris Tucker LOL), and especially his looks (he was uniquely unique in his appearance, and any attempts to look like him feel insulting to me). I do like that it is his nephew playing him. That was smart. I am fearful of the approach. I agree 100% that Michael was innocent, but I fear that if the movie tries TOO hard to push this, it will backfire. I like how the musical basically separates the two things. I don't think you can solve this conflict for most people. So to me, you have to let it go. So we will see. I'm nervous. I haven't read the script, but I'm guess it will be similar to the musical in that it will "end" around the Dangerous era. Perhaps right around when the settlement occurs and MJ "moves on." But the problem is that we know he isn't able to move on. Sigh.
How did you feel when m released Dangerous? Did you see a huge change/shift art/ thought wise?
Gosh, I loved Dangerous. In fact, I loved every release and got them day one after Thriller: Bad, Dangerous, History, BOTDF, Invincible. I really loved the shift in the music. I think it fit the current "feel" of pop music for the time, and unlike much of the music from that era, still holds up really well today. That was another album you could play start to finish without getting tired of the songs or wanting to skip the songs. It was made during a time when albums were still meant to be played/experienced on the whole in terms of pacing/style/tone. Perhaps it was the last of MJ's albums to do this. You could make the case for History, I guess, but Dangerous felt like his last true "record" in that sense for me. I was a teenager at that point, so I loved some of the hard hitting songs. But his voice was so magical/pure in songs like Heal the World. So I just loved the whole thing and thought the shift was great. I had experienced the shift with Bad, too, so I was kind of used to a shift in music, his appearance, his style....I liked that about it. It was not like today where you could follow artists every day. He would drop something and be all over the place for months, and then literally DISAPPEAR. It was a drought. And then when he came back, he was like this new person...with new magic, new energy...something to discover all over again.
Thoughts on when he let OW in his home?
Oh man. I was at the edge of my seat for that special. I watched it live in front of the TV with my parents. I wanted him to show THEM why I admired him so much. So when he beat-boxed, moon walked, and explained things like his abusive dad, or vitiligo, I felt like it vindicated him from people who felt he was "weird" or whatever. It made him human in the sense that people (who needed to do this) could finally connect dots. I thought the special was perfect. I wanted more! It was so hard when they cut to a commercial break...I didn't want any of it to end. I remember wanting to see more of Neverland itself. And I remember wishing his hair was different. LOL. But this was all happening when the worst headlines about him were that he was "weird," "lightened his skin," etc. So for me, it brought him back to the top in the eyes of people who had something again him. I was so proud to be a fan after that night. And I thought Oprah did a good job, except when she talked about his virginity. He handled that well, but that felt so uncomfortable. Now, I can't stand her. She did him wrong. Just like nearly everyone he trusted and "let in." People that weren't his true friends would work their way in, get what they wanted, and then not even have the courage/respect to hold him up. Oprah is one of those in my eyes.
What are your fave moments?
The entire Bad release. The album, the music videos, the music, the tour. I LOVED the Dangerous tour special on HBO. I LOVED the superbowl performance. I was so excited for the other HBO special. I was devastated when that canceled b/c of his health. I really loved the History album release, actually. Those music videos were amazing and I saw it still turned people into fans, especially in my age group. I saw people I never would have guessed listening to You are Not Alone, Earth Song, and Scream. People were still proud to be MJ fans. After history, it was no longer "cool". I'm sure there are many other moments, but that is what immediately comes to mind.
Any MJ posters that you recall being a fave? books etc.
My favorite poster of ALL Time is "The Magic Continues" from the Bad Tour. I still have that poster. It's incredible. My favorite book was "Moonwalker" and the Vogel book. By far, the best. I avoided the tabloid/sensationalist stuff from people like Taraborelli, Halperin, etc.. I also read "Redemption" which is awesome. I wish that book had better press and sold more. That was truly vindicating.
Thoughts on when m released Dancing The Dream ?
I could never afford Dancing The Dream when it came out. And it was hard to come by in book stores. This was before Amazon of course. I remember finally finding a couple at my library and reading it. I enjoyed a lot of the poems and felt that it showed Michael Jackson as a true artist. It revealed a lot about his passion for writing, performing, and how he uses that to try to do more in the world. To truly make the world a better place. I also really enjoyed the pictures.
Boy. That's hard. If I had to take just ONE song from that album, I'd have to go with "Man in the Mirror." Because of his voice, the meaning, and also just because of his performances of it. Like the Grammy performance in 88. WOW. That's one of his best performances EVER.
Thanks in advance. x
Wait - You experienced being at Superbowl 93? Let me go and have a coffee. Will be back.
LOL. Yeah, that was super cool. I happened to be at a large party for that Super Bowl with tons of kids my age and adults. EVERYONE was glued to the TV. It captivated everyone. At the time, I couldn't understand HOW he kept popping up on the scoreboards and then on the stage. I'm shocked no one has tried to repeat that. I honestly thought that Usher would choose that as his tribute part to MJ this year. That performance was so cool. And how freaking BALLSY of him turn that show into an appeal for humanitarian aide.
Fun thread!!!
I’ll answer on my part but that will take a while because it’s so much to type!! 
