Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’: The reaction to our Michael Jackson cover

Yesterday, I talked to nine different radio stations about Michael Jackson. Hello, Illinois! California! New York City! The timing made sense — yesterday, after all, was the day that Sony finally got around to reissuing Thriller in a 25th-anniversary edition, even though the actual anniversary date was late last year.

I was a little surprised by how many DJs asked some version of, “So, just what DO you miss about Michael Jackson?” (Um, dudes, that’s kind of what the whole story is about.) But on the whole, the radio folks seemed to share my enthusiasm for Michael. This was encouraging. One major premise of the piece is that Michael, in his prime, was a common reference point for just about anyone on Earth who cared about popular culture. If I’d heard nine different DJs — people who presumably appreciate music — say that they hated “Billie Jean,” I might’ve begun to question that basic conceit.

But the response seemed to substantiate my case. Other people recalled, as I did, the phenomenon of everyone gathering ‘round the TV to watch MJ’s music videos — the sense of community, of everyone on Earth listening to the same music at the same time. That’s a big part of what I miss. 

A couple of people wanted to talk about Michael’s fall from grace, but I didn’t really dwell on that—I don’t miss that part. For the most part the questions weren’t too tabloidish, although one guy did ask if Michael’s children were really his! (I didn’t even try to answer that one.) All in all, I was happy to share my enthusiasm for Michael with so many people in radioland. 

Next up in this space, I’ll reply to some of the letters we’ve gotten about the story.