Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Littlejohn and Michael Jackson

Daily Mail columnist slams Jackson-induced hysteria!

Just like we're all canny football managers during the World Cup and why-the-fuck-did-he-select-Peter-Crouch, with the death of Michael Jackson everybody is passing judgement on music. Soul, Mowtown and dance, they know it all. Even Littlejohn. "Elvis, he wasn't", the unexpected music expert pontificates in today's Daily Mail, "Nor was he Sam Cooke, James Brown or Otis".

Then he informs you that "Mob grief proves Britain is more wacko than Jacko". Just in case you were wondering, the same paper today is lined with one Michael Jackson-related revelation after the other: "Tribute to Michael at emotional awards ceremony", "Who was buying drugs for Jacko?", "So what was the truth about Jackson's sexuality?", "The last pictures", "Michael Jackson's father cut of of will", "Jacko's nanny reveals", "I saw in his eyes he was dying", and a further selection of Jacko-centred pieces.

Could it be that Littlejohn was referring to his own beloved paper? Does he even read it?

3 comments:

Chris Baldwin said...

Actually, Elvis he pretty much was. Both called the King in spite of only producing relatively small amounts of great music. Both wildly extravagant. Both appear to have lost their way and died in middle age. As a pop cultural phenomenon he was comparable to Elvis, perhaps more than anyone else. Neither had the creativity or back catalogue of a Dylan or a Prince, but it's not always about that.

Anita said...

However, forgive me but in my opinion for once Littlejohn got it right. As they say, even a stopped clock gives the right time twice a day. Overnight Michael Jackson went from an international joke and a pederast to a worshipped supertalent. People are fickle (including, especially in fact, those at the Daily Mail) and it can be quite revolting.

I agree with Chris Baldwin though that Jacko was a massive cultural phenomenon. No documentary about the 80s would have any credibility without a section on Jacko's music.

Chris Baldwin said...

Once a celebrity dies the tabloids seem to forget all the negative stuff they've written about them and act as if they've always loved them. It was like that with Princess Diana. Obviously she was never accused of the awful things Jackson was accused of, but she was certainly not a universally revered figure in the press before her death.