No this isn’t about a band called Analysis.

I realized something. Since I’ve been listening to some pop, I’ve noticed that there are certain “artists” in the pop genre who are true musicians — write their own music, are very particular about sound, production quality, etc., write music for others write, direct and edit their music videos, and create a look and personality for their persona that fits with the artistry of their music. Basically, they’re producing more than a fleeting sound or product — these people produce art.

Not everybody likes their art, but that’s not the point. They’re true artists, and that’s not the norm in pop. Some might find them odd, strange, weird or even off-balanced. But that’s part of their nature.

These artists (in the pop genre anyway) only come around every once in a great while.

If you follow my blog or know me at all, you know at least one of the two people I’m talking about.

Michael Jackson. True artist and perfectionist.

But now? Lady Gaga.

I never thought I would feel the same way about another pop musician — utter respect for what this person does. But Gaga has it. Not sure what it is, but MJ had a lot of it and Gaga does too.

To illustrate a small facet of my point, here are some comparisons of their music videos and songs.

Both artists created a song that is a strong statement of their feelings toward a particular social issue of their era.

Michael Jackson: Black or White. Lady Gaga: Born this Way.

Black or White is obviously about racial issues. In the song Jackson proclaims “it doesn’t matter if you’re black or white.”

Born this Way is a strong statement about the LGBT community — you were born this way. Be proud of who you are.

How many pop stars tackle social issues at the risk of losing their popularity? Not many.

And then there’s the artistry behind music videos — pioneered by Michael Jackson. Music videos lost their momentum in the 90s but resurfaced more recently with the advent of youTube. Gaga picked up on this early and started making mini-movies the way MJ did.

Judas (which I blogged about a while ago) is an example of Gaga’s take on cinematic videos. Telephone is another example.

Michael Jackson has a TON of cinematic videos. The most epic and obvious — and original — is Thriller. I looked at a few of his videos before I decided which one was most like Telephone. I think Remember the Time is because it features a lot of famous people and it has kind of a title sequence. And there’s action that occurs outside the music.

Runner’s up were Smooth Criminal and the full version of Bad, which was directed by Scorsese.

Anyway, I know this is probably going to piss a lot of Gaga fans off because Michael Jackson is so controversial. It’s probably also going to piss off a lot of Michael Jackson fans because Gaga is so new and seemingly fleeting.

But I really think Lady Gaga has something special. And I hope she can stick around and keep producing new and exciting and beautiful things the way that Michael Jackson did.

Share on Facebook

It’s been two years, and I still forget that he’s gone.

But, his memory lives on! In plastic. Which is kind of perfect if you think about it.

What am I talking about? I’m taking about MJ. Naked. And plastic.

It’s an action figure. The 1984 Michael Jackson doll that I obtained 2 years ago from eBay. Sans clothing. I didn’t set out to buy a naked doll. Sickos.

I thought it would be cool to own an MJ doll, so I bid on it, thinking I wouldn’t win anyway and that if I did, I could definitely just buy an outfit. But MJ doll outfits are crazy expensive. And I’m not going to make clothes. Tiny things on sewing machines are not fun.

Anyway, I’ve had MJ for 2 years. And he’s just kind of hung out in obnoxious places around my apartment. But why not DO something with him?

I introduce to you: Livin’ Off the Wall — nakedmj.tumblr.com

So MJ is now in my purse and he goes where I go so I get the best photo ops.

Today’s installment is appropriate, but kind of depressing. Not usually the style. I’ve been taking lyrics and other MJ-inspiration for the material.

ENJOY. And yes, I realize this is probably the most hipster thing that I’ve done, but realizing that makes me NOT a hipster. Or something like that.

**if you’re looking for my crazy weird obsessive sad MJ blog post, you should probably look two years back.

Share on Facebook

Are you ready for this awesomeness?

Every year Ames has a throwback prom to raise money for American Cancer Society and this year’s theme was Night of the Living Prom. Zombies. Prom. Zombies. Prom. Prombies?

Of course, I had to cram myself into this awesome black dress I bought for last year’s prom that isn’t made to actually fit a human being. It’s a size … ?? I don’t know. 28 inch waist with 24 inches for a chest? Hmm.. yeah. I turned the back into the corset and laced it up to fit me. Frankensteined a dress for zombie prom.

Mark and I decided to do 80s glam punk — Billy Idol style. I made Mark a shirt out of a PBR t-shirt and some fabric scraps. And of course, I made us a corsage and a boutonniere.

It was a good mix of zombies and prom goers. We had a fabulous time. The band showed up in Ghostbusters costumes (complete with proton packs) and played the ghostbusters song! Thriller was played halfway through the night and a group of us danced to it. I didn’t learn it, but I jumped in and improved anyway.

That’s about it. Free beer and punch. Lots of dancing. Lots of fun times. Undead. And alive.

Here are some pix!

Share on Facebook

So in honor of my favorite celeb, this year’s prom theme is Night of the Living Prom. Well, not sure if it’s in honor of him, but either way, we’re learning the Thriller dance so most people can do it and it will be awesome.

In case you forgot, Prom is a charity event in Ames that is held every year.  It’s a throwback prom with a cool theme. Last year’s was Revenge of the Prom.

Anyway, last weekend they held a group practice to learn the dance, but I went home for the weekend to introduce Mark to my family (which went really well, BTW).  So, needless to say, this uncoordinated chica must learn this thing on her own.

So, I began.

And, I’m going to be videoing my progress and blogging about it that way I actually get this thing learned so I don’t look like a tool and so I can pay homage to the King like I always wanted to. Plus, life isn’t complete until you know how to dance like a zombie.

Share on Facebook

Yes. I am SO blogging about this. I’m trying to hold onto it as if it actually happened and wasn’t part of my random sick and twisted dream world.

I met MJ.  Yes. MJ. In my dreams (of course. the man IS dead according to popular belief).

I was at one of his rehearsals for This is It and he went backstage. He had shorter hair like he had during HIStory (when I REALLY fell in love with him and when he became a HUGE part of my life).  We danced together and he said he liked my moves.  Yes. He liked my moves.  For those of you who’ve seen me dance, you know this is when I realized this HAD to be a dream.

So we sang “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’” together and danced.  It was amazing.  That man was a genius.  His music, talent and heart will live forever.

I’m just glad I could resurrect him in my dreams.

Share on Facebook

WARNING: There is not one cohesive thought in this post.  Also – if you don’t know me very well, I am a HUGE Michael Jackson fan.

Where were you when JFK died? Where were you when Elvis died?

Whenever I heard people ask those questions I always thought that my generation’s “where where you when _______ died?” person was going to be Michael Jackson.

Well. I never would have imagined in my 10-year-old mind that I was going to get a text message from several people all at once with the news while I was driving home.

I always imagined he would be shot by a crazed fan or collapse on stage in the middle of a performance.   Not a cardiac arrest at home. Michael Jackson was inhuman. I didn’t think something so common would lay him to rest.

Normally I don’t get sucked into the media and the celeb hype  - mostly due to the fact that I’ve seen how the media treated MJ and other talented people like him and pretty much drove them insane.. or to their death (Princess Di? Anybody remember her? I do).

Well, I can’t really help it this time.  I’m really truly sad about the death of Michael Jackson.  More or less I saw it coming, but didn’t actively think about it until it really happened today.  I remember hearing a while back that his estate was being auctioned off…then hearing he was going to go on his last tour in Europe.  I thought to myself, “That tour will be the death of him. He’s not going to make it through one performance.”  I swear I thought he collapsed at a performance a few years back. Those concerts are intense if you’ve ever seen a live taped show. He was way too frail for all the dancing, let alone the singing.

I havent seen much of him lately, mostly because I’ve been trained to ignore most of what gets shown in the news or in tabloids when it has to do with MJ.  And because after I saw him hold his child out the window of a balcony several years back (and yes, I remember exactly where I was when that happened because it was such a scary/bizzare image), I decided from there on out I was going to remember him for what he was and for the way he was when I grew up watching him - a talented musician and dancer and a loving person.

His career has been over for a long time. It’s been hard for me to watch the decline. And sad for me to see him pop up in the news ocassionally.  The media just can’t get enough of him, even when he’s not doing anything interesting.

It was only a matter of time before this happened. He’s been slowly deteriorating along with his career. He was so frail back in ’95 when he released HIStory and has been declining even more since then.  I remember hearing at one point that he weighed 98 pounds. It’s like he’s just been miserable and living in an alternate reality for the last 15-20 years. Somebody said something about him abusing prescription drugs. I don’t blame him if that’s true.  How else would you get through a day in an alternate reality?

As I’m listening to Thriller, I notice, again, how he’s singing “girl I could thrill you more than any ghoul could ever dare try.” All of the songs he ever made that were about women or had sexual undertones (In the Closet anybody? I was so not allowed to watch that video when it came out) have seemed…well…off.  Even forced.  I never really saw him as a man, which was why it was weird to me when he had children.

Not to mention, I’m more sad for his children. It’s so horrible that somebody with that much love to give wasn’t able to sanely give it to his children and provide for them in an acceptable way. I always thought his children should have been taken away from him because he wasn’t mentally fit to be a parent. Besides that, those poor kids have been getting the same kind of negative attention that MJ was, and might end up growing up and having the same sorts of problems.  This to me is the biggest tragedy.  All he ever wanted was to have a real childhood and he thought that by having his own children he might get to enjoy some of the same simple pleasures of childhood he missed or at least watch from afar. It seemed like he was too interested in enjoying them himself to be a proper father to those children. I just hope too much damage hasn’t already been done and that those kids can grow up knowing their father loved them and that he was a very talented and gifted person.

As far as the molestation allegations go, I hate that topic. I’m torn as to whether or not he did it. It could have been a ploy to get money from him, or the allegations may have been true. Either way, it was a terrible situation, and if it’s not true, this exremely gifted, talented and caring individual’s name will be forever tarnished. I feel like more people from my generation are going to remember him for THAT than for the wonderful things he gave to the world (more than just his music).

Anybody remember Ryan White?  MJ spent a lot of time with him when he was dying from AIDS. White was one of the first major cases of AIDS that was popularized in the media as being not related to the homosexual community – thus a huge step forward for LGBTs in the 80s.  His school kicked Ryan out because of fear and ignorance, and MJ and a few other key celebrities stepped up and spent time with him and helped get his story out. MJ wrote Gone to Soon for Ryan White after he died in 1990.

What about USA for Africa and We Are the World?  C’mon people. Who put that together?  Heal the World?  He was into the environment before it was as imperitive as it is now, and before it was ultra hip.  Man in the freaking Mirror for crying out loud.

That’s the Michael Jackson I’M going to remember.

Ask anybody who’s anybody in the music industry (not even limited to R&B or pop) and I will bet that MJ was one of their influences.  I know he’s on my list.  Billie Jean was a huge reason that I always wanted to play bass. Maybe now I’ll finally pick it up and learn how.

I feel like I grew up with MJ.  In a weird way. I used to tape all the stuff on TV about him and watch it for hours on end. I knew everything about him – the good stuff that the media would show when he was producing music and videos that were popular – not the bad stuff they would show when he wasn’t doing much of anything. It’s like they were poking him with a stick sometimes.

I remember Michael kidding around behind the scenes in the making of Thriller.  I always remember him smilling and happy … I guess that was Thriller-era MJJ.  Before all the media hype. The Elephant Man’s bones… bubbles the monkey… child molestation…oxygen tank…countless nose jobs (okay maybe this one has got to be true)… bleaching his skin…etc.  Anybody rememeber the video for Leave Me Alone? Even his attempt to poke fun at these weird tabloid allegations didn’t make the situation any better.

For the record, if anybody’s ever seen his mother OR La Toya, they’ve got the same kind of skin pigmentation disease.  I can’t remember the name for it, but it’s basically when you lose all your pigment in your skin.

And Blanket… oh my god.

I can’t even collect my thoughts. It’s all so ridiculous when I get to thinking about it.  What a shame. I’m glad he was here and that we were able to enjoy all the gifts that he was blessed with. I will continue to enjoy his music and talent – maybe not so much in the closet anymore.

Share on Facebook