Tom
Proud Member
I was born in '93, I'm 16 so I know how you all feel. It really depresses me that I wasn't able to remember any major Michael release... I was born way too late
I was born in '93, I'm 16 so I know how you all feel. It really depresses me that I wasn't able to remember any major Michael release... I was born way too late
Awwwww
I missed the 70's and the Thriller era. I was just this little girl then to fully appreciate MJ. During the BAd era I thought he was this super out of this world celebrety, perfect dancer and completely out of reach. I really got closer while Dangerous and HIStory.
But you see, I arrived too late to the forums, so I feel like I missed the last years of MJ, while we were waiting for This is it
Oh, how cool. Which one? Michelle? Lucy? Eleanore? Penny? Jude? Madonna?
I have one thing to say to fans of the 1990s / 00s - you are the most remarkable and be proud of your independent minds, faith and courage..especially if you were in school when you became a fan...it will be your generation of fans that has the privilage of keeping Michael's legacy alive and will live your lives alongside his beautiful children. See that as your mission and you wont feel depressed about not getting to live through the 70s and 80s.
L.O.V.E XX
Aww that was nicely said :huggy:I have one thing to say to fans of the 1990s / 00s - you are the most remarkable and be proud of your independent minds, faith and courage..especially if you were in school when you became a fan...it will be your generation of fans that has the privilage of keeping Michael's legacy alive and will live your lives alongside his beautiful children. See that as your mission and you wont feel depressed about not getting to live through the 70s and 80s.
L.O.V.E XX
this has made me feel so sad but also comforted because me and my mother have talked alot about this lately. I was born in 81 and have some 80s mania memories. I have video footage of myself on my mum's 21st b-day party hiding behind her skirt when everyone was dancing to Thriller because I was scared of Vincent Prices' voice. I remember the long hot hazy Bad mania summer when an MJ Bad tape in your cassette player was as natural to have as we all have mobile phones now. If you had one you were cool. The market stalls were full of pin badges and scarfs and Lookin' magazine (and Smash Hits) had a regular poster; they were so regular you took it for granted. I remember on 'wet break' and end of term treats at school our teacher would go to the Ritz video store and pick up 3 videos for us to choose...The Goonies, Neverending Story and Moonwalker...there was a big vote and Moonwalker would win because the boys liked the bit where MJ turns into a car and the girls loved Michael. I remember Dangerous coming out and all of a sudden basketball was cool in the playground (Jam video) and Bart Simpson wore an MJ t-shirt. Heal the World was my big awakening to global issues at 10 yrs old.
My mum was born in 63 and when MJ passed it shook her world cos he had always been there. Her Michael was this amazing genius but beautiful boy who she got to see on TOTP (Top of the Pops)..again as others said it was a different media world - you had to be a lot more patient. My mum said one of the outstanding things about J5 / Jacksons and even OTW MJ was that there WAS a colour barrier (even in the UK) - she tol me that J5 got in all the teen mags - they were the only black icons in those mags and it was the rebel white teen girl who admitted they fancied the group / individual member as there was this unspoken colour barrier. My mum remembers when OTW came out (she was late teens) MJ was breaking those barriers down as the fresh, classy disco music was too good for everyone to deny and this was around the time when colour become less of an issue - MJ helped this because he was so incredible in every way - ignorance and fear werent strong enough to beat 'the force' to quote the song. Thriller is remembered by my mum as the time when everyone would stay in (like we do for the XFactor final) because Thriller was goin to be shown on one of the 3 channels. Michael was a dream pin up with the Llama or Bubbles - a kind of disney / cant do no wrong prince hero, full of innocence and magic.
Post 1993 was a different world for MJ fans. We had little, fragmented magic moments like HIStory statue floating, Earth Song xmas no.1, the HIStory tour,Brit Awards 96, WMA 96/97?, Oxford speech, MJ and Friends concerts all the video releases..GHOSTS was amazing and I dont think it has enough coverage or even discussions by fans...the MJ Sony demo in London 2001/2?, , All incredible. Despite these moments 93' was the end of the bubble burst and MJ was persecuted for the rest of his life by the evil media we all live with. When we have had time to get perspective on this terrible crime I am sure we will be able to get justice for Michael..sadly at the moment we are still living through it.
I have one thing to say to fans of the 1990s / 00s - you are the most remarkable and be proud of your independent minds, faith and courage..especially if you were in school when you became a fan...it will be your generation of fans that has the privilage of keeping Michael's legacy alive and will live your lives alongside his beautiful children. See that as your mission and you wont feel depressed about not getting to live through the 70s and 80s.
L.O.V.E XX
This is a beautiful thread you've highlighted. Honestly, nothing will stop me from being sad about missing out on the 80s (and earlier) of Michael's career. The paragraph about life post-93 made me cry. I'm so sad thinking about beautiful, magical Michael being broken by the allegations and the media just tearing him down relentlessly. It's so sad the way the writer describes it as the bubble bursting. Like I cannot stop crying about this. It's so sad to never know what it was like to see Michael before all of this, when he was purely beloved. I'm so sad for him and for the world.
I love this whole thread. As ever, I came across it by accident. As per, I can't remember what I was looking for but it popped up and I couldn't resist taking a look. There are several comments I wanted to bump but I went for this one, partly bc it has a UK focus but also bc she does a great job of painting a vivid picture of what it was like.This is a beautiful thread you've highlighted.
Again, my recollections are somewhat different. Certainly things became inexpressibly awful from late '93 onwards, as we know. But it wasn't all bright and beautiful before that. Although, she does say - "Despite these moments 93' was the end of the bubble burst" - so perhaps she means that things started to go wrong much earlier than 1993. Which would be a more accurate story, imo.Honestly, nothing will stop me from being sad about missing out on the 80s (and earlier) of Michael's career. The paragraph about life post-93 made me cry. I'm so sad thinking about beautiful, magical Michael being broken by the allegations and the media just tearing him down relentlessly. It's so sad the way the writer describes it as the bubble bursting.
It's always going to be unbearably sad and painful, isn't it? There's just no way round that. My week so far illustrates it quite nicely. I'm feeling low, tearful and unsettled. Monday I was wandering round the board like a lost soul trying to find a thread where I could post a Jackson's brothers memorial video for Michael. I found this thread - which is uplifting - but it also made me feel even more tearful than I already did.Like I cannot stop crying about this. It's so sad to never know what it was like to see Michael before all of this, when he was purely beloved. I'm so sad for him and for the world.
It's fab, isn't it? I definitely feel like I'm being given this lovely opportunity to relive some stuff and pay more attention this time around or find more layers in it than I did before or just ... I dunno. It doesn't feel quite like a rediscovery. Feels like, um ... I don't know what to call it but, whatever it is, I love it. Just finding that you thought you loved him but, actually, you really love him deeper than you ever knew or thought you could. If that makes any kind of sense, lol.To me, all of these gems and discoveries just makes me fall for him all over again and again.
Am I right in thinking one of your brothers bought you a lovely edition of Moonwalk for your b'day?Always listening to him on the radio and watching his performances, I felt like I was right there in the moment, and my brothers growing up with that as well really make our sibling bonds more special as well.
It totally makes sense to me dear lol it's a good way to put it.It's fab, isn't it? I definitely feel like I'm being given this lovely opportunity to relive some stuff and pay more attention this time around or find more layers in it than I did before or just ... I dunno. It doesn't feel quite like a rediscovery. Feels like, um ... I don't know what to call it but, whatever it is, I love it. Just finding that you thought you loved him but, actually, you really love him deeper than you ever knew or thought you could. If that makes any kind of sense, lol.
Am I right in thinking one of your brothers bought you a lovely edition of Moonwalk for your b'day?
That was because in the '80s he had a very big machine behind him.I'm one of those "older" fans who witnessed MJ's magic in the 80s. Well, it was indeed magic. And not only MJ, but all the references about him in the movies, commercials, fashion,... I don't think MJ would have had the magnitude with This Is It he had with Thriller and Bad era in the 80s. It was really huge.
The machinery is not enough. It all depends also on how the public reacts to that constant MJ presence in the commercial media. Back then MJ was received almost like a Marvel super hero. In the 90s however, as soon as his image was tarnished, it was the fall. Not music wise, but simply this constant doubt in people's mind following the accusations in 1992/93 was when the super hero became the super vilain in average Joe's mind. The 2003 accusations killed him eventually, and recently with Safechuck and Robson it buried him even deeper in the people's subconsciousness as a super vilain. No machinery can fix this as long as the accusers hide the truth.That was because in the '80s he had a very big machine behind him.
For example, his record companies/labels spared no expenses when it came to the production of his music videos.
Also, his record companies/labels used to advertise him hugely and on a global level (via TV, magazines, etc).
Michael Jackson used to take the lion's share of Epic and CBS Records promotion funds, which also enabled him to have that giant, costly and theatrical BAD Tour.
These things do not diminish his talent as an entertainer in the '80s, but they certainly contributed greatly to his worldwide success and impact during that period.
Sure, Beverly Hills Cop - two guys are walking in Thriller outfit on the streets, it makes Eddie Murphy laugh; Eddie Murphy makes reference of MJ in the hotel at the reception; Goonies - MJ is mentioned; Lethal Weapon 2 (I think) - at one point in the dialogue between Danny and Mel they make reference to BAD; The Cosby Show - season I - posters of MJ all over kids' rooms, in one episode they go to BAD concert; Back To The Future II - a digital MJ speaks on a TV screen, BEAT IT song blast when M.J. Fox enters the bar; Back To The Future III - M.J.Fox moonwalks and sings Billie Jean; Alf in one episode sings Billie Jean; etc. Those are the ones I have on my mind right now, but there's plenty more out there.@BUMPER SNIPPET you speak of of references in 80s movies, can you name a couple?
I'd forgotten these. Fab!!Sure, Beverly Hills Cop - two guys are walking in Thriller outfit on the streets, it makes Eddie Murphy laugh; Eddie Murphy makes reference of MJ in the hotel at the reception;