features
Musicians honor Michael Jackson
Alternative Press - Scott Heisel on 6/26/09 @ 2:09 AM - altpress.comNo matter who you are or where you came from, it's almost impossible to say that you weren't affected by the music, personality and unquestionable talent of Michael Jackson. As news broke of the King Of Pop's passing, we asked musicians to tell us what Michael Jackson meant to them.
"My earliest childhood memory is my mother, holding me in her arms and dancing with me to Thriller which she bought back in 1982 on vinyl. Thriller will always be one of the best and most successful pop records ever made as Michael Jackson was arguably the greatest pop songwriter of all time. His melodies and lyrics will forever affect the way good music is written and recorded. King of Pop, you will be incredibly missed."
DAVE ELKINS
Mae
"My earliest memory of Michael Jackson for me was when my mom bought my brother and me the Thriller album on vinyl when it came out. It was crazy! I seriously danced my ass off for the entirety of the album every time I jammed it. It was perfect in every feasible way. I remember seeing the video for the song "Thriller" and my life's goal after that was to learn the zombie dance at the end. Such grace and precision! Plus, that video scared the shit out of me, man! But, the biggest part of the whole Thriller memory and MJ as a whole, was the gatefold of the "Thriller" album. He was hangin' hard with a fucking baby tiger! That's Bad!"
RYAN PARRISH
Darkest Hour
"After I was born, my mom would sit with me and watch and record lots of music television to our Beta machine while she was home on her maternity. I'd watch those videos almost daily as I grew older, one of my favorite being a tape of the Motown 25 when Michael first busted out the moonwalk. When I was 4 years old, I wanted the red jacket he wore in "Beat It" so bad, my parents found a blue one like it and I would put it on and practice moonwalking in front of the mirror, trying my hardest to nail it, the spin and toe point included. The news of Michael's passing deeply saddens me and these are great memories that I will hold on to forever. Thanks Michael, for being an inspiration in my own music career, for being a model of how to always progress with your music, and for teaching the world how to dance and look cool doing it. I never had a chance to see you live, but I will always have my Beta tapes and the memories to live by."
EON SINCLAIR
Bedouin Soundclash
"I personally love Michael Jackson's music. I think he basically fronted the entire pop music industry. He took the classic rock style and added a hip hop flavor to it and started a whole new genre of music. The "Thriller" video basically sent dance music videos soaring, not to mention how his style of dance influenced everyone in the world. He had his flaws, as we all do, but I have to give credit where credit is due and I think he deserves as much musical credit as anyone else in his generation."
DEVIN SHELTON
Emery
"Michael has touched, influenced and inspired so many people including myself. "Beat it" and "Billy Jean" were 2 of my favorite songs growing up. I've been listening to them for as long as I can remember. He truly is the king of pop!"
AARON "BUBBLE" PATRICK
Bury Your Dead
"We heard about Michael Jackson's untimely passing during a soundcheck at our first show on tour. The atmosphere of the entire venue suddenly fell into a fog of surreal disbelief. MJ was one of those iconic figures who, while his appearance and persona may have been constantly permutating and fluxuating, his existence seemed permenant and infinite. How could MJ be dead? He is immortal. And at least in the musical universe, this is absolutely true. His legend as King of Pop will go on forever.
Each of us have a different part of MJ's expansive career that we personally gravitate towards, whether it be his years with the Jackson Five, his epic Thriller video, or the brilliant musical collaborations with Quincy Jones. You can't help but respect his artistry as a musician and performer, and his impact on the recording industry is undeniable. And whether or not the music we write is directly influenced by MJ's music, each of our lives have been impacted by the works he has given us. We as musicians are indebted to him. Michael Jackson will be sorely missed by us, his fans, and his legacy will live on forever."
REBECCA SCHLAPPICH
Kiss Kiss
"Michael was THE MAN. There was no one bigger than him when I was growing up, and it seemed like everytime he released a new single, video or anything at all, it was all anyone was talking about. Everyone loved him. Kids, parents, grandparents, everyone knew the songs and whether they admitted to it or not, secretly rocked out to them.
In recent times there has been so much negativity surrounding Michael, but I will remember him as the amazing performer and singer he was. He had an extremely tough upbringing being a child star and I don't think he ever felt completely comfortable with himself. It's hard to understand what it would be like to be in his shoes, but Michael's music will live on and be enjoyed by many generations to come.
Michael, you are missed more than you know."
SHANE TOLD
Silverstein
Many musicians also took to Twitter to express their feelings; here's an encapsulation of our scene mourning:
Ryan Ross, Panic At The Disco mj is gone? Listening to I want you back. R.I.P
Gabe Saporta, Cobra Starship just remember being a 4 yr-old immigrant; hearing "Bad" on the radio, and asking my mom, [insert thick hispanic accent]:
Amanda Palmer Dying of happy poetry today. Missing michael...
Four Year Strong RIP Michael, Ed and Farrah.
Hunter Burgan, AFI I just talked to my mom about how sad she felt when John Lennon died.
Travis McCoy, Gym Class Heroes MJ PARTY AT THE CRIB. CANDLE LIGHT VIGIL ON THE RIVER LATER. Never saw this one coming....
Chris Carrabba, Dashboard Confessional Listening to Ryan Alexander and thinking about the life of Michael Jackson.
Thursday Mourning Michael Jackson. Remembering hearing Thriller for the first time. :'-(
Jordan Buckley, Every Time I Die farrah fawcett and ed mcmahon must feel like those 2 dudes that got nailed to a cross right next to jesus. (that was my last one)
Bryce Avary, the Rocket Summer will never forget landing on a Memphis runway, turning on my phone and seeing the news that Michael Jackson passed away. This feels awful.
Aaron Gillespie, Underoath/the Almost R.I.p king of pop
Gallows RIP Jacko. LA is definitely a weird place to be right now. If you own one of our old 'Bad' style shirts then keep it safe!
Jimmy Eat World Sad news about MJ. RIP. His music will last forever.
Joel Madden, Good Charlotte I'm getting off the computer. Gonna spend time with my family. It was a sad day. Need a break from all of this. Rest in Peace Michael.
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No offense to Hunter of AFI, but I don't understand or approve of the comparison of MJ's death to John Lennon's murder. John Lennon's music & life inspired many people to make this world a better place & to stand up & peacefully fight for their rights. I can't say the same about MJ, along with his questionable actions involving children. I'm also not saying we shouldn't have any compassion for his family, but this constant media coverage is distracting from important issues going on in our own country & in our world.
There's nothing I can really say that could truly depict exactly how sad I was, nor how sad I still am about Micheal's death. I definitely wasn't expecting something so horrible to occur, but I'm pretty damned sure that no one else was expecting it either. I just feel like I've been hit in the face with a sack of bricks. I really wish Micheal's family the deepest condolences and hope the REAL answer to this terrible event comes to light. To the fans around the world who loved him, I also send you my sentiments as well. I still remember hearing Michael Jackson for the first time. I still remember seeing the Thriller movie. Man, MJ may you rest in peace. We will always remember you.
I feel like I lost one of my closest friends. I grew up to michael jackson and now that he is gone, it feels like a part of my childhood went with him. He will be sorely missed. The man who cared for the world. may his music overshadow the scandals
um okay thelip285. you're kind of just bein a jerk. Yeah i LOVE john lennon as much as anyone else who reads AP but MJ helped make music what it is. i no you said no offense but it is kinda offensive that you think john and michael can't be in the same legendary pool cuz THEY ARE! all i know is that i LOVE being kept well informed about michael on the tv. who cares that it's taking away from coverage of some stupid, pointless war that we've been in for years now or that we have a black president. as far as i'm concerned michael's death IS an important world issue because it seems to me like the entire world is responding and mourning.
I definitely think AP should have a cover featuring MJ. MJ, no matter how you look at it, was a musical genious and to deny his influence on any genre of music would be idiotic. I still feel like there's probably an underground story that will always left buried with him. I miss MJ, and I really give out my sincerest and most heartful wishes to his fans, friends, and family. To his his friends and family, you people truly are the most lucky people in the world. MJ, there will always be a place for you in my heart.
MJ IS the MAN :] regardless of what he did, he was still amazing.