If MJ had stayed normal-looking and normal-acting (well, relatively normal, he's a Jackson), and had the exact same musical output over the years, where would he be at in the music world today? What would have been the ideal route for him to take post-Thriller in order to stay most relevant musically? Would hip-hop have made him irrelevant anyway? Discuss.

probably would have been wise to learn how to play an instrument or write a song by himself

jonylawson said:

Believe it or not he does write quite a bit of his own stuff, you know little numbers like Billie Jean, Beat It, Don't Stop Till you get Enough, Smooth Criminal etc, probably you may have heard of them.

Maybe, just maybe, he'd be more widely recognized for his impact on modern music than as the punchline of jokes.

He'd have much more respect musically, and he'd have more fans.

The fan base was bound to shrink regardless of what he did (look at Springstein, Prince, Madonna, etc.), but still be large enough to ensure whatever he released mattered.

The problem isn't just that he is wierd, but that his albums simply aren't good enough to gain significant record sales, and that he musical landscape has changed significantly since his thriller days.

Imago said:

Strange that with non-stop and unprecedented negativity with the release of his last album of NEW material "Invincible", he managed to OUTSELL almost every other artist during that same time period. He sold well OVER 2 million in the US and between 8-10 million worldwide. This was done with one single released, no tour, basically no promotion after the record was released, no pop radio airplay. I would say that he had very significant record sales, especially compared to his peers. He outsold every single one of them. Let's keep things in perspective with FACTS.
[Edited 8/4/06 4:47am]

skyecute said:

I should have been more specific. I meant Significant record sales with respect to what he was selling back in his prime.

Just like Prince, Emancipation was a tripple abulm that went double platinum, but it doesn't come close to 1999 or Purple Rain. Market forces change. MJ is in the same vein, although his marketing machine is a bit more agressive, and his overall appeal is a bit higher.

But my point is that much of drop off in record sales is due to his bland and pointless albums since Thriller/Bad and changing forces in the market. His molesting boys didn't help, but his downward trend was inevitable despite.

darkstranger521 said:

It all depends on what you call normal. Normal by whose standards? If you are speaking of his appearance, I would say that his vitiligo(changing his skin to "white") is the biggest factor in people calling his appearance "not normal". Let's take this scenario:What if Michael had looked the exact same way all of his life/ Would we or society be discussing his looks as "not normal"? Of course, we wouldn't. I would dare say to anyone that Michael looks more normal than Mick Jagger ever could. Do we accept Mick's looks because he looks like society thinks that he should? As for Michael behaving "normal", I would say that he acts far more normal than a LOT of celebrities. Do we think that Ozzy Osbourn is normal? I don't, others dismiss his abnormal behavior as acceptable.With the intense, INTENSE scrutiny that MJ has(can't even go to take a piss without people talking about that), I would say that he is definently more normal than people WANT to believe.

Imago said:

Your post was very valid until you made the pointless and UNPROVEN statement about "molesting boys." The day that anyone proves that statement will be the day that I stop supporting Michael and stop being a fan. However, since I know that will never be proven, how can you prove something that never happened, I know that I will always be a fan.

skyecute said:

ok, ok. I should have been more specific. Sorry. I mean, the likelyhood of his molesting boys didn't help.

Less litigation and documentaries trying to explain himself and show the world that he's not weird and more albums and possibly movies.
[Edited 8/4/06 6:33am]

skyecute said:

Mick Jagger doesn't look abnormal, he just looks old, and old people pouncing around on the stage can look really at times foolish.

MJ on the other hand looks abnormal because he has basically gone from looking like this;



To this;




And even if you want to use the theory that the main factor is Vitligo that is what makes him looks so different, the problem is everything that MJ has done to himself that has nothing to do with Vitiligo i.e the plastic surgery, Make-up and even hairstyles is geared to make him look more "white"...and that's why the skin disease theory sounds hollow to many people.

And no, I don't think Ozzy Osbourne behaviour is normal, infact when I first watched the The Osbournes I thought he was a stroke Victim

whatsgoingon said:

Co-sign. I was a big Michael Jackson fan, hell, I grew up on the Jackson Five. But over the years he turned me off with his silly behavior and destroying his blackness. I don't buy the 'vitiligo' theory at all.
[Edited 8/4/06 7:55am]

vitiligo??!!-do his fans realy buy that?

realy??

you realy realy believe that???

Were you expecting Michael to be the perfect human being on the planet without making bad choices and mistakes?

Krytonite said:

wow.

whatsgoingon said:

"Make-up and hairstyle to make him look more white?" Isn't that a very strange statement coming from a Prince fan? Have you not noticed the make-up and hairstyle that Prince wears? There's nothing "black" about it. In case you don't know it, the STRAIGHT hair is NOT Prince's natural hair. Just wanted to get that point across.Btw, the straight hair that Snoop wears is not his natural hair, either. Is it ok for some to wear their hair straight and Michael can't? I certainly hope that is not the case. Finally, yes fans do accept that Michael has vitiligo. For the record, there is no one who would WANT to be THAT white, for ANY reason. Even bleaching can't turn you that white.

do medicine-speak to a dermatolgist or do some research but please dont offend mj fans by saying that they all accpt he has vitilligo-

the man has fucked with his skin to look like a white man

If I can bleach my anus and make it look as pasty as Mayte's ass, then Michael can find a way to bleach his skin.

CuntOMatic said:

anus.... Mayte.... Bill, is that you?

I don´t think that his eccenticities are all that bad. That´s what makes those stars more unique. "Normalcy" might seem to be boring.

The only thing that hurt him most are those unproven allegations, because up till 1993 he was IT! After that the negativity around him intensified and now there´s almost nothing but the negativity. As if people forgot what he did. Nowadays it just insult and stupid jokes that people have for him.

dag said:

That's not true. By 1993, he was pretty unpopular in the US, and after 1995, his skin kept getting even whiter and nose nose even pointier.

What a pathetic loser he is.

CuntOMatic said:

That quite true. By the Bad era people were asking "WTF is he doing with his face..and is he nuts". The "wacko Jacko" phrase was coined well before 93 allegations. The allegations just made things even worse than they were already.

as a dad myself-what must his poor mum think-he was such a beautiful kid

And, for the vitiligo-theory believers, understand that many people with the skin disorder use makeup to cover the pale spots. Makeup toned to their darker complexion.

Michael, if his story is true, decided to bleach his skin to be white instead of to cover up the spots.

Again, that story might be believable if he also hadn't altered his facial features and taken to wearing straight-haired wigs to look white.

Or if he hadn't "fathered" children who also look astonishingly white.

There's too much evidence to suggest MJ hates his black ancestry, for me to believe his vitiligo story.

ThreadBare said:

Thank you!!

But you'll never sway MJ's hardcore fans. They stick by him no matter what. Dude is pathetic - he looks like a f-n alien.
[Edited 8/5/06 10:56am]

whatsgoingon said:

But he still wasn't anywhere near "unpopular." "Will You Be There" was a hit in '93. In 1995, the History album and its first two singles ("Scream" and "You Are Not Alone") were big hits.

If he had been "normal", he would be in the same boat as the other entertainers from the 1980s. He would either be retired or playing smaller venues and festivals. If he made a new album, it would never get any radio airplay because of shit hop (unless he sold his sound out to shit hop).

The thing that has kept him around for all these years, is that he hangs out with those damn kids. I've seen kids that aren't old enough to be into music sit in front of the TV and love Michael Jackson. He's like Mr. Rogers or Barney.
.
.
[Edited 8/5/06 14:21pm]

I think, if MJ weren't trapped in between his Mother's religious overzealousness and his father's cruelty, he would've been a relatively normal gay man.