If you know me at all, you know that music is probably in the top 5 words that describe me. I am never happier or more in tune (no pun intended) with myself and the world around me than when I am engulfed in amazing music. I guess I should start with my definition of amazing music. After all, it might be a little different than yours. For me to think of something as amazing, it must first contain at least one of the following: a beautiful melody, intricate harmonies, or interesting rhythmic combinations. It must be performed by someone who is a gifted singer, instrumentalist, or writer/composer. And finally, it must evoke one or more of the following: raw emotion, deep thought, or the inability to stay in a bad mood, no matter what has happened. :) (That's for the "this-is-cheesy-and-kind-of-sucks-but-it-just-makes-me-feel-good" category.) Not everything I love is "good"... but it has heart and soul, and it means something to me.
I'm sure I could launch into a treatise about technique and tone quality, expression and breath support... but that would be boring. Just keep in mind that my opinion on anything musical is completely colored by the fact that I spent 5 years getting a degree in music. And most of my friends are extremely talented musicians. They aren't all classically trained, but they share one thing - the ability to make good, interesting music. My life is blessed because the world is filled with people who can make music that has meaning and substance. Unfortunately, the world is also filled with parents who want so badly to keep from hurting their children's feelings that they encourage them to go make asses out of themselves on international television. Thank you, American Idol, for ruining our musical sensibilities.
I have a hard time appreciating that show for what it is because almost everyone I know is more talented than the people who win. Granted, I had a couple of seasons of must-watch-Idol-ism... but it just became exhausting. I'd rather sit in my living room listening to the incredible music of the Beatles, Nickel Creek, Mozart, Billy Joel, Queen, Morten Lauridsen, and Rodgers and Hammerstein on my iPod than watch American musical taste degenerate before my very eyes... which brings me to my next point: I accidentally stumbled upon the recent Michael Jackson night. You take someone as iconic as Michael Jackson, and it's bound to be either amazing or hideous. Most of what I saw was pretty close to hideous, though not entirely without merit. The good thing Idol did for me was remind me that I had about $17.10 left in iTunes gift card money, and I'd been waiting on something worth buying.
You wanna know what I bought? That's right folks - The Essential Michael Jackson. HELL YES. I should probably give you a little backstory on my love affair with MJ. He was my first musical crush. In fact, I can distinctly remember the first time I saw the Thriller video on MTV - we lived in Arizona then, which would have made me about 3 years old. I had nightmares for weeks (because of the werewolf scene and all the dancing dead people... and I'm not gonna lie - that Vincent Price monologue still kinda scares the bejeesus out of me), but I was hooked. Billie Jean, Beat It. I used to beg my mom to play the Thriller record, and I would hide in the closet when it got to the scary Vincent Price part. But I LOVED it. I grew up in the 80s, and Mr. Jackson was at his solo height in those years. I owned the movie Moonwalker, and I watched it at least once a week for several years. I even joined the MJ fan club. Seriously. Loved that man. I actually wanted to marry him. I realize now that our relationship never would have worked, being that I'm not usually attracted to plastic dolls. But I digress.
The point is that I grew up on the music of Michael Jackson, and despite the fact that his reputation is clouded by media fodder, he is one hell of a talented dude. Not every song is great. But how many people can say that they've never put out a bad song? No one who has made any money doing it, that's for sure. But what he gave the world is a catalogue full of interesting music - some of it has a message, while some of it is just plain entertaining. He was daring and innovative, melding traditional bubblegum pop with soul, R&B with disco, and so-called "black music" with metal. He was the first black artist to get regular rotation on MTV, and you could probably argue that his early videos helped MTV even stay on the air. (I'll save my rant on what MTV has become for another day...)
What we lack today in a world full of people like Britney Spears is actual musical integrity. Michael Jackson could sing and dance at the same time. You go back to the early Jackson 5 days, and there is no denying that he could sing his little 9-year-old ass off with more soul than most people have when they've lived for decades. It's been fun listening to the Essentials because I've been able to hear his journey from kid voice to young adult to the more gritty mature sound he developed. And the whole time, those pipes were smokin'. Now some people might laugh at me for writing all this, but I challenge you to find anyone else with his level of vocal ability, dance/choreography skills, and pure entertainment value... with a career spanning at least 4 decades... and the best-selling album of all time... in spite of everything we know that's weird about him. Yeah. Exactly.
So, in closing, I'd encourage you to step away from the American Idol, and go in search of some American (or even not-so-American) Classics. You just might be surprised by what you find... and you might be even more surprised that what you really loved 20 years ago is actually still good today.
