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MJ: The Genius of Michael Jackson By Steve Knopper

Today I ran across this book review of Knopper's book in the Los Angeles Review of Books-it's written by Toni Bowers, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania.
The review is really long-it's practically a book itself-but she writes beautifully, and it's way more than an analysis of the book (and she also throws in Sullivan's and Taraborelli's 2009 book in here). She goes in depth to explain exactly why this book and the others so miserably fail Michael.
This review is also a great analysis of Michael, the man and the artist-even her footnotes are interesting.

She has a real gift and I think maybe she should write a biography. Here's the link-I won't copy and paste the actual text, since it's so long-

https://lareviewofbooks.org/review/time-for-something-different
 
I read it yesterday too and thought it was very good. I was delighted when I saw someone tweeted it to Knopper:D
 
Bubs said:
I read it yesterday too and thought it was very good. I was delighted when I saw someone tweeted it to Knopper:D
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oh, I did not know that. Hahaha. That's hilarious.
She totally destroys his book with real facts and research.
 
barbee0715 said:
oh, I did not know that. Hahaha. That's hilarious.
She totally destroys his book with real facts and research.
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That's why Joe Vogel's book is revelation in the artistic appreciation of MJ. Knopper and all these middle-aged white male rock critics are biased and biggoted.
 
dewey said:
OMG, barbee, thank you so much for pointing me to this. :hug:
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I thought about you in the middle of reading it-I love how she just trashes him with facts and logic. And makes him sound like a really incompetent, lazy writer in the process. LOL.
 
That review was one of the best, most eloquent and insightful things about Michael Jackson I read in the last few years. I am so grateful that Toni Bowers joined the circle of admirers of Michael and I hope she writes more on him. The fan community needs people like that.
 
morinen said:
That review was one of the best, most eloquent and insightful things about Michael Jackson I read in the last few years. I am so grateful that Toni Bowers joined the circle of admirers of Michael and I hope she writes more on him. The fan community needs people like that.
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I agree. Exactly so that these writers, critics and authors cannot just shake down every criticism of their take on MJ as just "crazy fans not being able to handle criticism of their idol". This one-sided, forced, artificial narrative on MJ has been going on for way too long in the mainstream media and I completely agree with Bowers that it leaves one puzzled as to why yet another book was needed with the exact same narrative and tone as Taraborelli, Sullivan and what is usual from the mainstream media and when the author is just doing the exact same thing again. There is no new approach, no deeper research or analsysis, no new attitudes. Just the same ol' again. Then why even bother to write a book? Especially only 2-3 years after one of your colleagues did just the same.

I find it interesting as well - and Bowers noted it too - that Rolling Stone authors one after another now put out all these MJ books in quick succession when RS tended to have rather dismissive and hostile attitudes against MJ in the past. It almost seems like that now they are trying a different strategy: on surface act sympathetic, get people buy and read your book, but then be just as dismissive of MJ and his art inside the book and keep forcing down that narrative on people's throats. Just new tactics to get the RS narrative on MJ out to the masses, the narrative that says that MJ was an artistic lightweight at best, someone whose art is not deserving of serious analysis and discussion, so let's just get to the juicy stuff - eg. tabloid rumours.

Fortunately this will not get any better results for the RS narrative on MJ than their past activities in their magazine did. People will continue to like Michael Jackson and his music, it will continue to mean a lot to a lot of people. And something that means so much to so many people all over the world - and that on the long term, proving it's not just some temporary fad or hype - , would deserve to be taken seriously at last perhaps. But probably RS journalists are not the best people to do it. RS never really got MJ - so please RS just leave him alone then and just keep worshipping Dylan and the Beatles. That's what you are best at. There are critics and analysts who do get MJ and his significance, however.
 
respect77;4135277 said:
I agree. Exactly so that these writers, critics and authors cannot just shake down every criticism of their take on MJ as just "crazy fans not being able to handle criticism of their idol". This one-sided, forced, artificial narrative on MJ has been going on for way too long in the mainstream media and I completely agree with Bowers that it leaves one puzzled as to why yet another book was needed with the exact same narrative and tone as Taraborelli, Sullivan and what is usual from the mainstream media and when the author is just doing the exact same thing again. There is no new approach, no deeper research or analsysis, no new attitudes. Just the same ol' again. Then why even bother to write a book? Especially only 2-3 years after one of your colleagues did just the same.

I find it interesting as well - and Bowers noted it too - that Rolling Stone authors one after another now put out all these MJ books in quick succession when RS tended to have rather dismissive and hostile attitudes against MJ in the past. It almost seems like that now they are trying a different strategy: on surface act sympathetic, get people buy and read your book, but then be just as dismissive of MJ and his art inside the book and keep forcing down that narrative on people's throats. Just new tactics to get the RS narrative on MJ out to the masses, the narrative that says that MJ was an artistic lightweight at best, someone whose art is not deserving of serious analysis and discussion, so let's just get to the juicy stuff - eg. tabloid rumours.

Fortunately this will not get any better results for the RS narrative on MJ than their past activities in their magazine did. People will continue to like Michael Jackson and his music, it will continue to mean a lot to a lot of people. And something that means so much to so many people all over the world - and that on the long term, proving it's not just some temporary fad or hype - , would deserve to be taken seriously at last perhaps. But probably RS journalists are not the best people to do it. RS never really got MJ - so please RS just leave him alone then and just keep worshipping Dylan and the Beatles. That's what you are best at. There are critics and analysts who do get MJ and his significance, however.
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Respect77, I totally agree with your post - 100%. These so-called “journalists” and “authors” of various books, magazine and newspaper articles, online posts and “blogs,” etc., all have one one thing in common: They all write, publish, broadcast and post whatever would draw the most attention from readers, viewers, listeners and Internet users (whether such Internet access is through a computer or a Smartphone).

Such books, articles, T.V. and radio programs, and online comments posted from a variety of Internet Web sites are, mainly, sensationalistic ones made public for the purpose of spreading vicious rumors and outright lies about Michael and his career, rather than each of these “authors’ ” being honest, thought-provoking and factual in their “reporting” of stories.

The “mainstream” media’s attitude towards Michael was mostly negative, especially, since his phenomenal success with “Thriller” - and it still is, pretty much - even though Michael, himself, has been gone for quite a number of years, now, at this point, and he cannot defend nor speak up for himself any longer.
 
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