Latest on MJJC

I Am a Fan, But... (What Makes You Heretic Among Other Fans?)

What i’m going to say next is same as suicide but i’m gonna say it

Billie Jean is not top 5 song by MJ
 
The 2001 MSG concert is not only great fun, it's secretly one of his best ever. Sep 10th is anyway. The main reason it's so uncomfortable is because of the awful camera work mixed with MJ's clear health issues affecting his appearance.

I guess my other heretic opinion is that MJ looked fine in the 2000s. 2001 was really just an off year and probably due to real health issues. After this his looks "settled", and without Karen Faye-esque awful makeup jobs, he looked pretty great naturally.
 
The only thing I like about the MSG concerts are the crowd reactions. It is glorious to see people being so happy to see MJ performing

Anyway I might be a heretic because I literally never ever watch an MJ music video (I made an exception to watch the 4K videos twice a few months ago).
I used to but I know them all from the top of my head, I Just rather listen to his voice than watch him dance I guess
 
filmandmusic said:
The only thing I like about the MSG concerts are the crowd reactions. It is glorious to see people being so happy to see MJ performing

Anyway I might be a heretic because I literally never ever watch an MJ music video (I made an exception to watch the 4K videos twice a few months ago).
I used to but I know them all from the top of my head, I Just rather listen to his voice than watch him dance I guess
Click to expand...
Well you can have the crowd reaction edit and I'll have the edit of MJ performing. But I know I'm alone in that. MJ's steps for me are honestly more important.
 
Invincible remains his weakest album. I truly only like Unbreakable and Whatever Happens. The title track I really dislike and there are way too many ballads. Needed much better balance. That's not to say I can't enjoy some of the ballads though.

I never truly digged I just can't stop loving you. Same as Can't let her get away, I just don't really dig the overall sound much.

I bet for some fans this could sound cliché because of course it would be Billie Jean. It's my favourite track. It's as timeless as it gets, I must have heard it a million times now and it doesn't get old, it doesn't ever bore me. And before someone thinks I'm a super new fan who hasn't heard it all....I've been a fan/supporter/admirer ever since I can remember. I'm turning 41 this year. :)
 
zinniabooklover said:
Apart from BOTDF and Invincible I don't like the covers of any of Michael's albums. Thriller is my least favourite album cover.
Click to expand...
Imo Invincible would've had a good cover had they used the original image. They made MJ look like "This Man" with the edited cover lol.
This_Man_original_drawing.jpg

The Thriller 25 cover is probably my favorite overall.
 
Agonum said:
Dangerous?
Click to expand...
I don't exactly dislike it but I don't love it, either. I think I'm mostly disinterested. I recently read Susan Fast's book on Dangerous and she had quite a bit to say about the cover art work and that was really interesting to read, very enjoyable. If I ever get around to reading the book by Isabelle Petitjean ('Dangerous - from Mark Ryden to Michael Jackson') I will probably learn a lot more about it and I'm sure that will be interesting, also. Whether I will ever get to *like* the art work remains to be seen.

Every now and then I have a look at it closely to see what it is that so many people find enchanting, fascinating, beautiful about the cover art. But I can't sustain any interest in it, I always get distracted.

I do want to read Isabelle's book, though. Have just re-read Brice Najar's review of it. Posting one paragraph from it in case you haven't seen it although I'm sure you have. It's been around for ages.

"It is therefore logical for the work of painter Mark Ryden to be initially approached. While they discovered this musical jewel that is the Dangerous album, fans usually lingered on its fascinating cover, before playing the Compact Disc (or the audio cassette, still frequently used in many homes in 1991…). Up till now, many of their questions had not necessarily been answered, since every one of them could make their own personal interpretation of this very detailed painting and it could be tricky to attempt to make a summary relevant to many different people. Nevertheless, Isabelle takes this initiative to demonstrate that even in such a complex context, it is not impossible to lift the veil on this work. Both men, Michael Jackson and Mark Ryden, with their own influences and experience that they have drawn from their thirst for culture in order to put their inspiration in tune. The meeting of these artists, so close and distant at the same time, when each one tried to get the best of the other, is the genesis of this fabulous album, and I confess that I was far from having fully grasped this nuance before starting reading Isabelle’s book. Through her work and conversations with Ryden, she managed to decipher all its nuances, and one has the feeling of a total discovery, almost in a troubling way. It is true that nowadays we may often find ourselves reading a book about Michael, with the feeling that we have already heard or read the information it contains, as if the artist had finally become a close friend we have known for a long time. This is not really the case when reading this opus related to Dangerous, when all these discoveries offering a wealth of learning opportunities give us a feeling of being an ant wandering among buildings. The world seems larger, the Jackson artistic universe has never seemed so timeless, breaking all the borders."

bricenajar.com

"La culture pop au panthéon des Beaux-Arts", Isabelle Petitjean-en - BRICE NAJAR

“Dangerous, from Mark Ryden to Michael Jackson” Isabelle Petitjean (Delatour France – 2016) For any King of Pop’s fan, buying a book dedicated to their idol is not something that should be taken lightly. Indeed, the publications in this field are numerous, and the legitimate demands of each and...
bricenajar.com bricenajar.com
 
zinniabooklover said:
I don't exactly dislike it but I don't love it, either. I think I'm mostly disinterested. I recently read Susan Fast's book on Dangerous and she had quite a bit to say about the cover art work and that was really interesting to read, very enjoyable. If I ever get around to reading the book by Isabelle Petitjean ('Dangerous - from Mark Ryden to Michael Jackson') I will probably learn a lot more about it and I'm sure that will be interesting, also. Whether I will ever get to *like* the art work remains to be seen.

Every now and then I have a look at it closely to see what it is that so many people find enchanting, fascinating, beautiful about the cover art. But I can't sustain any interest in it, I always get distracted.

I do want to read Isabelle's book, though. Have just re-read Brice Najar's review of it. Posting one paragraph from it in case you haven't seen it although I'm sure you have. It's been around for ages.

"It is therefore logical for the work of painter Mark Ryden to be initially approached. While they discovered this musical jewel that is the Dangerous album, fans usually lingered on its fascinating cover, before playing the Compact Disc (or the audio cassette, still frequently used in many homes in 1991…). Up till now, many of their questions had not necessarily been answered, since every one of them could make their own personal interpretation of this very detailed painting and it could be tricky to attempt to make a summary relevant to many different people. Nevertheless, Isabelle takes this initiative to demonstrate that even in such a complex context, it is not impossible to lift the veil on this work. Both men, Michael Jackson and Mark Ryden, with their own influences and experience that they have drawn from their thirst for culture in order to put their inspiration in tune. The meeting of these artists, so close and distant at the same time, when each one tried to get the best of the other, is the genesis of this fabulous album, and I confess that I was far from having fully grasped this nuance before starting reading Isabelle’s book. Through her work and conversations with Ryden, she managed to decipher all its nuances, and one has the feeling of a total discovery, almost in a troubling way. It is true that nowadays we may often find ourselves reading a book about Michael, with the feeling that we have already heard or read the information it contains, as if the artist had finally become a close friend we have known for a long time. This is not really the case when reading this opus related to Dangerous, when all these discoveries offering a wealth of learning opportunities give us a feeling of being an ant wandering among buildings. The world seems larger, the Jackson artistic universe has never seemed so timeless, breaking all the borders."

bricenajar.com

"La culture pop au panthéon des Beaux-Arts", Isabelle Petitjean-en - BRICE NAJAR

“Dangerous, from Mark Ryden to Michael Jackson” Isabelle Petitjean (Delatour France – 2016) For any King of Pop’s fan, buying a book dedicated to their idol is not something that should be taken lightly. Indeed, the publications in this field are numerous, and the legitimate demands of each and...
bricenajar.com bricenajar.com
Click to expand...
I really enjoyed this write‐up over at Art of Design: https://www.artofdesignonline.com/dangerous/dangerous
 
Mister_Jay_Tee said:
The 2001 MSG concert is not only great fun, it's secretly one of his best ever. Sep 10th is anyway. The main reason it's so uncomfortable is because of the awful camera work mixed with MJ's clear health issues affecting his appearance.
Click to expand...
Watch the full September 10th 2001 performance of The Way You Make Me Feel, then watch any performance of the song from any of the other tours (hell even the first night) and then you can tell me whether that concert was one of his best.
 
ArchieSmash said:
Watch the full September 10th 2001 performance of The Way You Make Me Feel, then watch any performance of the song from any of the other tours (hell even the first night) and then you can tell me whether that concert was one of his best.
Click to expand...
I'm aware of the editing.
 
ArchieSmash said:
I'm not talking about the editing (which indeed is pretty awful), I'm talking about the performance.
Click to expand...
The editing of his performance based on his health, yeah, I get it. The whole show is not too even for sure. Still. MJ even at his worst is still much more captivating than most on their average good days. Of course at 42 he wasn't as good as he was in the 80s/90s, especially under those conditions. But for the sheer iconism of certain moments, I just enjoy it a lot. The way MJ effortlessly out dances usher in his prime, specifically is why I say it's just so cool.
 
Last edited:
I’m going full heretic here but I think Usher outperformed Michael at the MSG. I missed the spark.
 
That too many fans seem to hate or actively tear down the R&B/Urban/NJS material in MJ's discography. And that don't seem right to me.
 
And that I think hanging out with Uri Geller, Arnold Klein, the Casios, in certain eras Liz Taylor, Sigfried and Roy, and others like that (Definitely BASHIR; MJ had absolutely terrible picks for television interviews and guest appearances later on), were quite cringe. Way more cringe than Heal the World or Lost Children or any of his art, which is always at least earnest and very human. Doing stuff in the odd end of Hollywood with so many weirdos like that, cameoing in a D List Movie like the Castaway Girls, I mean come on. Yet Chris Tucker never bothered me and I always love them together. MJ in the 70s and 80s would never be with guys like those others though. Just Emmanuel Lewis a lot but still. But it just varies depending on options I guess. I'm rambling a lot also.
 
Last edited:
Mister_Jay_Tee said:
And that I think hanging out with Uri Geller, Arnold Klein, the Casios, in certain eras Liz Taylor, Sigfield and Roy, and others like that (Definitely BASHIR; MJ had absolutely terrible picks for television interviews and guest appearances later on), were quite cringe. Way more cringe than Heal the World or Lost Children or any of his art, which is always at least earnest and very human. Doing stuff in the odd end of Hollywood with so many weirdos like that, cameoing in a D List Movie like the Castaway Girls, I mean come on. Yet Chris Tucker never bothered me and I always love them together. MJ in the 70s and 80s would never be with guys like those others though. Just Emmanuel Lewis a lot but still. But it just varies depending on options I guess. I'm rambling a lot also.
Click to expand...

I am not sure about some people you have listed. I think he was friends with the Cascio-family since the mid 80`s until his death. So in this timeline you would declare them as really good and loyal friends and you would not assume what happens after his death, not speaking of the Wade Robson-family and what they did. Not sure what is wrong with Sigfried an Roy. Michael was a fan of their show since the 80`s and there also pictures with him in the Bad-era.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top