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Moonwalk

SmoothGangsta said:
If I were to expand upon my admittedly basic first comment, I think he just picked it because it sounded cool and was something that was recognisable and that everyone associated with him.

I don't think there's some deep thought or meaning behind it.
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That’s so much better. Thank you.
 
I'm not the biggest fan of the biopic being called Michael, it seems a bit weak and underwhelming.

Perhaps that's the whole point , it makes MJ appear human rather than the larger than life character.

Still gives me John Travolta vibes though.
 
filmandmusic said:
Maybe the biopic should be named moonwalker too
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I would prefer that to "Michael" honestly
I like it as the title of MJ's book, I feel like it's something that represents him really well.

I'd love to hear the Moonwalk tapes of MJ talking about his life. I remember when snippets leaked in 2009, shame we didn't hear more of them tapes.
 
Blues_Away2023 said:
I'm not the biggest fan of the biopic being called Michael, it seems a bit weak and underwhelming.

Perhaps that's the whole point , it makes MJ appear human rather than the larger than life character.

Still gives me John Travolta vibes though.
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Yes. Michael (Mihály, Mikhos, Miguel, Mikael, etc.) is also a very common name, so I don’t think it works as well as the name of the biopic compared to, say, “Whitney,” or “Elvis.” And they’ve already used it as the name of an album just a few years ago, dug gamit! I don’t know, it strikes me as kind of uninspired.

I wonder what Michael would have named it.
 
Agonum said:
Yes. Michael (Mihály, Mikhos, Miguel, Mikael, etc.) is also a very common name, so I don’t think it works as well as the name of the biopic compared to, say, “Whitney,” or “Elvis.” And they’ve already used it as the name of an album just a few years ago, dug gamit! I don’t know, it strikes me as kind of uninspired.

I wonder what Michael would have named it.
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Thriller - The Michael Jackson story. Probably overdone though and a bit too obvious.

The gloved one

Off The Wall

I'm just rambling on so excuse me 😬
 
“Man in the Mirror” is a strong title that I think could work pretty well as the name of the biopic.

“Dreamer” is another one.

By the way, why do you think he went with a variation of the autobiography title for the film? (Moonwalk [verb or noun] as opposed to Moonwalker [noun].)
 
Agonum said:
“Man in the Mirror” is a strong title that I think could work pretty well as the name of the biopic.

“Dreamer” is another one.

By the way, why do you think he went with a variation of the autobiography title for the film? (Moonwalk [verb or noun] as opposed to Moonwalker [noun].)
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Man in the mirror on its own would be a great title, I agree.

Unfortunately the title reminds me of the horrendous Flex Alexander film 😂


Jaafar got some big shoes to fill to beat this classic
 
I am a little sad MJ never got to make a part 2 - Moonwalk was released very early in his career.

Imagine if a part 2 had come in 2007 - with MJ's view of the trial, fatherhood, his career up to 2007 etc.
 
Blues_Away2023 said:
Man in the mirror on its own would be a great title, I agree.

Unfortunately the title reminds me of the horrendous Flex Alexander film 😂


Jaafar got some big shoes to fill to beat this classic
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Yikes!
 
Agonum said:
“Man in the Mirror” is a strong title that I think could work pretty well as the name of the biopic.

“Dreamer” is another one.

By the way, why do you think he went with a variation of the autobiography title for the film? (Moonwalk [verb or noun] as opposed to Moonwalker [noun].)
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Dreamer is very nice, agreed.
 
Also the Mooonwalk vs Moonwalker is something I've found strange myself. Something to consider I guess.

You got me thinking about the meaning of the title now even though I was pretty adamant he just picked it because it was cool :ROFLMAO:
 
Michael Jackson apparently wanted to secure a copyright on the name that he gave to his Moonwalk signature dance move.

So, this seems to explain why he later decided to officially give the 'Moonwalk' title to his autobiography, the 'Moonwalker' title to his 1988 film, and the 'Michael Jackson's Moonwalker' title to his Sega video games.
 
It's usually publishers who decide what a book's title is going to be, not the author or ghostwriter. In that case the publishing house thought it would be a good, commercial title.
 
Agonum said:
I’ve been thinking about Michael’s autobiography. How come he named it Moonwalk? And why was the movie named Moonwalker?
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Name it after the move you're best known for. It makes perfect sense.

I'd like to know why the move is called moonwalk to begin with. It has nothing to do with the moon, or walking on it. And we should all know that man has not been on the moon. Thanks Bart Sibrel.

en.wikipedia.org

Moonwalk (dance) - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org
It turns out that Michael popularised a very old move. I prefer the Backslide name.

Here is an interview with Michael Jackson's biographer, the real writer behind Moonwalk. First time I read it.

Interview: Stephen Davis, ghostwriter of Michael Jackson's autobiography, remembers the King of Pop. And his monkey. - On The Download

thephoenix.com thephoenix.com
 
SmoothGangsta said:
Also the Mooonwalk vs Moonwalker is something I've found strange myself. Something to consider I guess.

You got me thinking about the meaning of the title now even though I was pretty adamant he just picked it because it was cool :ROFLMAO:
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It’s interesting! I mean, if I were to write an autobiography, I would make sure to get the title just perfect. But, then, what is ‘perfect,’ in regards to the title of one’s autobiography? It can hardly be about maximizing recognition or drawing the greatest possible amount of attention for the sake thereof. No, it rather needs to conceptualize what your whole being is about.

An autobiography is like a time-capsule. It’s not something you produce at a whim, without carefully considering every single step you take along the way. It’s supposed to stand the test of time. If you’re only interested in money and impressive sale-numbers, I’m sure there are easier routes available. Because, in the end, an autobiography isn’t even meant for your contemporaries, but will serve its true purpose first long after you are gone.

Of course, all of the above is more or less idealized. But having said that: if you’re only slightly interested in longevity, and for your name to make a lasting impact, then you will ensure not to fumble your autobiography.

Moonwalk must have been a big deal for our beloved Michael. That’s why I say: There’s got to be more to the title than what one is lead to believe, I’m certain of it!

Now finally, I will present you with a short list of other musicians’ autobiographies, hoping it can serve the pondering over the hidden layers of Moonwalk.

Blues All Around Me —
B. B. King
The Godfather of Soul —
James Brown
Born to Run —
Bruce Springsteen
Satchmo —
Louis Armstrong
I, Me, Mine —
George Harrison
Starting at Zero —
Jimi Hendrix
Yes, I Can —
Sammy Davis, Jr.
I, Tina —
Tina Turner
Chronicles: Volume One —
Bob Dylan
 
kreen said:
It's usually publishers who decide what a book's title is going to be, not the author or ghostwriter. In that case the publishing house thought it would be a good, commercial title.
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That is certainly true when it comes to “lesser names” and smaller releases. But for Michael? I believe he was no less involved in titling his book than he was in titling his (Epic) albums.
 
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mj_frenzy said:
Michael Jackson apparently wanted to secure a copyright on the name that he gave to his Moonwalk signature dance move.

So, this seems to explain why he later decided to officially give the 'Moonwalk' title to his autobiography, the 'Moonwalker' title to his 1988 film, and the 'Michael Jackson's Moonwalker' title to his Sega video games.
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Wasn’t the game named like so rather because it just happened to be based upon the movie?
 
xam said:
Name it after the move you're best known for. It makes perfect sense.

I'd like to know why the move is called moonwalk to begin with. It has nothing to do with the moon, or walking on it. And we should all know that man has not been on the moon. Thanks Bart Sibrel.

en.wikipedia.org

Moonwalk (dance) - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org
It turns out that Michael popularised a very old move. I prefer the Backslide name.

Here is an interview with Michael Jackson's biographer, the real writer behind Moonwalk. First time I read it.

Interview: Stephen Davis, ghostwriter of Michael Jackson's autobiography, remembers the King of Pop. And his monkey. - On The Download

thephoenix.com thephoenix.com
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Interesting read, thanks for the link.

Some of the things he says bothers me. It seems to mostly pertain to later-day Michael, after his time with him. Rascist and sexist remarks about your former employer is not a becoming look for an autobiographer.
 
Hess said:
I am a little sad MJ never got to make a part 2 - Moonwalk was released very early in his career.

Imagine if a part 2 had come in 2007 - with MJ's view of the trial, fatherhood, his career up to 2007 etc.
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What a tragic loss indeed. 😔
 
Agonum said:
Interesting read, thanks for the link.

Some of the things he says bothers me. It seems to mostly pertain to later-day Michael, after his time with him. Rascist and sexist remarks about your former employer is not a becoming look for an autobiographer.
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Yes, he didn't leave me with a good impression either.
 
Because Motown 25 was his defining moment. And he didn't like emphasizing Thriller as much.
Richard76 said:
Because that was a good promotion for it. He literally was famous for BJ and moonwalk in 80s. At that time he didn't become a legend yet. He was just an influencer and popular entertainer.
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He was already the biggest star in the world. Already the most popular entertainer. He literally only diversified after that. It's nice that Dangerous was your first MJ record to hear though.
 
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