I Got My MTV

So the MTV Music Video Awards were last night. I am twenty-three years old, which is younger than most of the artists nominated, but older than most of their target audience.


I will be the first to admit I don't totally understand youth culture. I don't think anyone does, including but not limited to youths them(our?)selves. But as of recently I love pop music, and I knew all the artists nominated for the VMA's for the first time since 2000, so I watched them. And I forgot what an incredible shit show the VMA's are. This year was no disappointment, rife with divas (Kanye), weirdos (Lady Gaga), and sporadic poignancy (Janet).


Without further ado, some observations from the night. I didn't tweet them, I promise.


--Sway hasn't aged a day (or changed his hat) since I stopped watching MTV almost ten years ago. Props to him.


--Pink and Shakira showed up in the same dress. Shock and horror! Whatever, they both looked great (though if I had to answer a People poll I'd probably vote for Shakira, mainly because I personally want to do her.)


--Madonna spoke about Michael Jackson and it was mainly sweet and a little bit weird and awkward, which is somehow fitting for him. She called him a hero, and for MTV, he definitely was. I don't know yet how I feel about her subtle accusation that we killed him; she might be right but she might be displacing. Maybe it's both and I just feel guilty for loving young Michael, knowing what the life did to him.


--Kanye West made a damn fool of himself as usual, by not only interrupting Taylor Swift's acceptance speech to rant about how Beyonce deserved the Best Female Video moon man, but by ripping the award out of the nineteen year old girl's hands just as she began to tearfully thank her largely pop-oriented fans for making her dream come true and giving a country singer a chance.
There are several things wrong with this:
1 - Taylor Swift is nineteen years old. Give her a break.
2 - It's a freaking MTV moon man. It means a lot to Taylor Swift because she's brand new to the business, she's MTV's almost exact target audience, and it's her first, but it really doesn't mean anything to anyone else, especially Beyonce. Save your soapbox and give the girl her moment.
3 - This was clearly less about Beyonce and more about Kanye's unflinching need to be the center of attention at all times, and the fact that the amount of time it took to talk about female artists was just too long for him to bear.


--Lady Gaga is a nut and I love her for it. She arrived on the red carpet with Kermit the Frog (he says it's not serious), changed costumes several times throughout the night, hung herself onstage, and dedicated her Best New Artist moon man to "God and the gays." More pop stars could use a sense of humor; that's why I prefer hip hop.

--Janet Jackson danced alongside her 100-foot brother in a hastily thrown-together tribute to the King of Pop. That's just beautiful. And really, really sad. And every time I see Joe Jackson's mug I'm reminded of the fact that, no matter our differences, everyone in the world can at least agree on the fact that Joe Jackson is a great big tool.


--Beyonce proved herself to be a beautiful, classy, professional lady and used her Best Video of the Year acceptance speech time to let Taylor Swift finish hers. I can't always agree with the message of her songs, but that was the best possible thing she could do to alleviate a lot of tension, give poor Taylor Swift her moment in the glitter, and distance herself from Kanye's great big mouth. Brava.


So there it is. There actually isn't much about the infamous award show that is different from the way I remember it a decade ago; some of the names have changed and there's a lot more tweeting involved. But the VMA's are clearly still the crazy, glittery, overwhelmingly classless, randomly sweet, earnest hot mess they always were, which is somehow comforting in this unstable world in which we live.


And I'll be listening to a lot of NPR today to make up for it, I'm sure.

Things I learned from the Michael Jackson tribute service and concert

MJ reaches down from the heavens.
And we are blessed.

After listening to Mariah Carey, Lionel Ritchie, Usher, and that girl from American Idol all sing.
After listening to Queen Latifah read a Maya Angelou poem.
After listening to Al Sharpton take an opportunity to shamelessly rant.
After listening to John Mayer play awful music.
After listening to every Jackson brother try to steal attention for themselves.
And after watching Brooke Shields cry before she even opened her mouth...

after all that I learned about Michael Jackson:

Michael Jackson was Jesus.
Michael Jackson fed the hungry.
Michael Jackson gave warmth to the homeless.
Michael Jackson tried to save the environment, but no one came to help.
Michael Jackson was the greatest entertainer ever.
Michael Jackson never lost a game of softball.
Michael Jackson was not only black AND white, he was also Asian and Hispanic.
Michael Jackson was a genius.
Michael Jackson ate friend chicken, so claims Magic Johnson.
Michael Jackson's laugh was actually that of angels laughing. (I think that's what Brooke Shields said.)
Michael Jackson was pure. Completely, and utterly without tarnish, pure. Yeah? OK.
Michael Jackson is going to live, forever.
Michal Jackson will, literally, live in our hearts forever.
Michael Jackson will heal the world.

Another Michael Jackson Post

I know it's already been written about here, but I still can't stop thinking about Michael Jackson.

The other day, as I was getting off the train at Belmont (I'm the one Gentleman who lives in Chicago), I noticed someone had put up a RIP Michael Jackson poster with a picture of Michael on it. He couldn't have been more than twelve in the photo. And I just started at it, and looked at it, and though about how, by the end of his life, Michael couldn't have looked any different from that picture. And it occurred to me that Michael's life is this completely unique blend of blazing triumph, and horrific tragedy.

On the one hand, you have the music. Everything from the Jackson Five, to probably about Thriller, where you just have this young star coming into his own, becoming something and someone who is going to leave a mark on popular music and culture that will last for all time. And then, you have pretty much everything after that, where Michael starts to lose control, and you end up with Bubbles the chimp, the molestation cases, Neverland, and the like. And, it seems to me, that Michael Jackson is always going to be one of the world's most baffling human paradoxes, achieving greater success than most people ever dream of, and at the same time, one of the most tragic downfalls known to man. And that's just got me thinking alot. What happened to him? What would his life have been like if he'd held on, if he'd grown into a person with a grasp on reality, and could really enjoy all that fame, and just kept on making music? What if the story had a happier ending?

It's a damn shame, and it brings me down. And I sure as hell hope he's at peace now, because, whatever you thought of him, the guy deserves at least that.

The King of Pop, in Memoriam

Michael Jackson died today, yesterday really but it's still today for me, at age 50.

There's not a lot I can say about him that hasn't already been said and re-hashed and joked about, but love him or hate him, he was probably the most famous, and most consistently famous, single person record breaking controversial superstar that there ever was. And that has got to take a toll on a person like I can't even imagine. He was far too young to go, but old and gone in ways that were terrible and sad to see, even years ago.

He was only alive for 50 years, but we were watching intently for 39 of them. We saw the rise, the fall, the rebirth, the mess and the glory. But whatever it was to us, tabloid news, fodder for jokes, shock and interest, it was his life. Tumultuous to say the least, but it was his, and now it's over.

So wherever you are, MJ, I hope you're at peace. And thanks for all the hits.

Thriller on Broadway: Bad Idea

Remember this cartoon?



I know right!!! Totally brings me back too. Well this new idea, as approved by the woman masquerading as Michael Jackson, reminds me of that cartoon.

Jacko has approved the rights for a group to make his Thriller video into a musical for the stage.

This is by no means the first time a major music star will take their iconic songs to the world of theater - but I still get the feeling this could be an extra special affair. Oh sure, Billy Joel was plagued by depression, but his songs helped make Movin' Out a success. Elton John's just kind of crazy, but he's done the music for a variety of Broadway shows including Billy Elliot and The Lion King. In fact, many musicals come from pop artists; just off the top of my head, I know of Franki Valli and the Four Seasons re-imagined in Jersey Boys, and heck, the ABBA musical Mamma Mia!

But Michael Jackson's Thriller - that just seems different, and knowing he's involved in the project makes it all the more fascinating. This might not just be bad, this could be epically bad.

Even if you disagree, you have to admit it can't be any more amazing than this, which I think we can agree should be filed under Good Idea:



The kicker is that Michael Jackson may not actually have all the rights to his REAL Thriller video. And now he's being sued. I think I'm disappointed, because I secretly want this to happen... out of morbid curiosity.

MORE INFO:
NYTIMES
PITCHFORK
POPEATER