Rolling Stone: LA Reid Talks Michael Jackson
18/04/2004
Michael Jackson is the world's greatest entertainer. One of the most explosive performances I've ever witnessed was Jackson sliding across the stage at the Motown twenty-fifth anniversary show. Just watching that made us all know: That's what greatness is, and anything that doesn't measure up to that is beneath greatness. Before him there were the Beatles and Elvis and Frank Sinatra; Michael Jackson takes his place right alongside those greats.
I'm almost the same age as Michael, and I was one of the original fans. I first saw him at the Ohio State Fair, when I was very young; the Jackson 5 were performing with the Commodores. Michael came on, and that voice of his rang over the whole fairground. I was deeply touched by that voice from the very beginning.
"Billie Jean" is the most important record he's made, not only because of its commercial success but because of the musical depth of the record. It has more hooks in it than anything I've ever heard. Everything in that song was catchy, and every instrument was playing a different hook. You could separate it into twelve different musical pieces and I think you'd have twelve different hits. Every day, I look for that kind of song.
Michael has influenced so many artists, some of whom are picking up on the grandeur and showmanship of his live performances. You can see his influence in his sister Janet, in Justin Timberlake, Usher, Britney Spears, and in Jennifer Lopez and Mariah Carey. You can see his influence in the dance moves -- the syncopated choreography -- that a lot of young artists use. And a lot of them have picked up his work ethic. When you look at a Britney Spears production or a Justin Timberlake production, or if you look at an Usher production, you really see that they took a page out of Michael's book; they went to rehearsal, and they must've worked eight hours a day, because their shows are flawless, as Michael's shows were flawless.
There are many, many people who think of Michael as a spectacle, and it's sad. All of it has taken away from our ability to see him for the artist he really is. A world without Michael Jackson would be a very, very different world. And I think we should all feel very blessed that an artist of that caliber came into our lives, because he has enriched our lives.
Source: Rolling Stone
In poche parole, dice che Michael è il piu' grande intrattenitore del mondo, e che la sua influenza nella musica moderna è ovunque.
Dice che Billie Jean è un pezzo incredibile, il migiore di MJ(va be'... per questioni tecnicho/artistiche, e non per questioni di successo)
Dice che molte persone pensano male di Michael,pensano che sia un tipo strano etc etc...e dice che tutto cio' è molto triste, perchè il mondo senza Mj non sarebbe lo stesso, e che dovremmo sentirci benedetti per il fatto che un artista del suo calibro faccia parte della nostra vita, perchè Mj arricchisce le nostre vite.
P.S. Io sono commosso, anche perchè chi ha detto queste parole è uno con due palle quanto una casa.