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Michael Jackson encyclopedia : songs, career and family: The lone #1 single from the 32-million selling Dangerous, “Black or White” spent seven weeks atop the Billboard charts. Directed by John Landis (“Thriller,” National Lampoon’s Animal House) the first quarter of its video reveals Jackson’s mischievous child-like streak, with Culkin towing out Spinal Tap-sized speakers, amplifying the volume to “ARE YOU NUTS!?!,” and shredding so hard that George Wendt gets ejected into the stratosphere screaming “Da Bears.” But this was Michael Jackson, not O’ Shea. Being King of Pop meant the need for mass appeal. The “Black or White” video exists as a microcosm of Dangerous itself. It potently affirms Jackson’s manhood, offers passionate screeds against racial strife, gang violence, and a parasitic American media. This is the album as multi-media spectacle, a precursor to Lemonade, with accusations of infidelity substituted for videos of Macaulay Culkin doing air guitar windmills to a Slash guitar solo and lip sync rapping about turf wars.

Hours after TMZ announced Michael Jackson‘s death, something “magical” happened. Everyone decided it was safe to be a fan of the King of Pop again. In a matter of minutes, maybe less, the whole world (more specifically, America) forgot about the corny punch lines they once shared to friends at the water cooler or the countless parodies they had come to enjoy, all of which developed this unfortunate post-2000 personification of an artist that, more or less, had become a modern myth. Up until that point, the name Michael Jackson didn’t necessarily spark memories of, say, Thriller, Bad, or the often forgotten 90’s masterpiece, Dangerous. Instead, trashy tabloids and shitty gags in Scary Movie, South Park, etc. took precedence. It’s a crap deal for someone who’s arguably the most inimitable force in music history, but that’s how things were prior to June 25, 2009. Still, death’s a curious thing.

Got to Be There (1972): Chances are most of y’all haven’t even HEARD this album. Correct that oversight immediately. Now, Michael’s solo debut certainly doesn’t have the glitz you’d expect from a guy known for his bedazzled socks but give him a break – his first attempt to break away from his Jackson 5 roots sees him coming into his own sound. And man, his angelic voice instantly turns heads. Michael’s reliance on covers hurts this set just a bit but he handles them all so expertly that it’s hard to consider them a detriment. Listen to this set and you’ll immediately realize why this kid was destined to be a legend. Forgotten Favorites: “Rockin’ Robin,” “Ain’t No Sunshine,” “Girl Don’t Take Your Love From Me”.

Michael Jackson family: Mocienne Petit Jackson’s (Michael Jackson’s daughter) books are now available in french! For our dutch readers: We komen meer te weten over de vele traumatische ervaringen van de hoofdpersoon, haar depressies en talrijke worstelingen om alle ellende te verwerken en achter zich te laten. De schrijfster geeft ons duidelijkheid door middel van verschillende flashbacks. Mocienne blijft het reilen en zeilen van Michael Jackson voortdurend volgen. Zo komt zijn – vermeende – kindermisbruik voorbij, komen de vele rechtszaken die er rondom zijn persoon hebben plaatsgehad aan bod, zijn twee mislukte huwelijken, zijn metamorfose, de geboorte van zijn drie kinderen en – last but not least – zijn voortijdige dood. Mocienne komt langzaam maar zeker tot de verbijsterende conclusie dat de maffia een grote en destructieve rol in zijn (én haar) leven heeft gespeeld, waarbij dient te worden aangetekend dat zijn familie, en in het bijzonder zijn moeder en vader, in dit opzicht veel te verwijten valt. Tot op heden heeft Mocienne geen enkele medewerking van de familie Jackson gekregen om een DNA-test te doen, teneinde te kunnen bewijzen dat zij wérkelijk Michaels dochter is. Lees het boek hier Michael Jackson Books.