Re: the change in michael's message and image after 'thriller'
i don't understand this idea that Michael would have stopped evolving, or that he would have been 'bland' had he not 'turned bad' so to speak. he was already exploring darker elements of life in his music. the only difference is that he didn't indulge or promote it. he spoke from an outsiders perspective, and used it as a lesson of what *not* to do.
take the lyrics of 'sunset driver' for example; 'living hot, doing what you should not. you've lost the plot'. i wrote an analysis of that song many years ago that offered the possibility that it was a message to brother randy, and what led to his fatal car accident.
also, 'billie jean'; 'so take my strong advice, just remember to always think twice' and 'be careful what you do, 'cause the lie becomes the truth!' a song about child paternity!
I think people are confusing being clean with being lightweight, and having no substance. that's clearly not the case with Michael. he took many risks within those parameters. I wouldn't be surprised if the song 'the man' was used as a Jehovah's witnessing tool. he already tackled social issues in a direct way with 'man of war' and 'strength of one man', with his brothers on their early cbs recordings.
there are so many directions he could have gone in. 'bad' wasn't the only option. the whole point of 'beat it' was that you can be 'cool' i.e stylish and talented, without being 'bad'. he redefined the term and proved that nice guys *don't* finish last. that's empowering!
I actually think his biggest artistic transformation, musically and visually, occurred between 'off the wall' and 'thriller'. it was organic as well.
why did Michael issue an apology for the panther dance if it was something he truly believed in? he had an opportunity to fully explain the context, but at the time he said that he just wanted to turn the animalists of the panther into a dance.. no mention of racism at all. in fact, those graffiti slurs were only added after the original broadcast. the video could have ended perfectly with the different faces melding into one with the message intact. it seems as though the final section was a spin off from his la gear commercial a year before, and had nothing to do with the song or rest of the video. he knew that it was going to be controversial.
which he would have been entitled to had he not been trying to simultaneously hold on to the child audience. how can you be grabbing yourself with 10 year old macualy culkin on set? how is it appropriate for young brandon adams to be grabbing himself whilst imitating Michael during the 'badder' segment in 'moonwalker'?
*that's* the main issue I have. the two worlds cannot coexist. sooner or later you must choose one. otherwise there is disharmony and chaos. which there was...
