On Michael Jackson

I was absolutely spellbound by Ms. Jefferson’s take on Michael’s life of pathos and injury, and her brilliant use of word and metaphor alike. As an amateur writer, I love her lyrical style of writing and it was a lesson for me. As a human being, I was hugely engaged, saddened and enlightened by her account of what was the oh-so-tormented genius of Michael Jackson. The book was so good, I was actually saddened when it ended, it was that good! Regina G DOWNING, author of “ Summer’s Rain,”(Margaret D Regan).

I’m a terrible reviewer of books. I was interested in learning more about Michael Jackson after watching the documentary Leaving Neverland, and this is a very good place to start. It’s not a definitive book on the pop star, but it’s not meant to be, it’s more of an essay. It’s also not a puff piece, meant to sell records or tickets to shows. As it’s a short book, I will probably read it again.

Ignore the one star reviews of this book! Margo Jefferson is on target when scrutinizing the inner workings of Michael's life and mind. "On Michael Jackson" is written through the perspective of academics and investigative journalists, or what I refer to as the "eyes in the sky". This book is not a tribute to an idol by a love sick fan! So if that's what you're looking for, be gone! This is adult reading for sentient minds and for some reason MJ's most ardent fans can't handle the truth. Mostly a thesis with biographical snippets sewn in, Jefferson's work discusses the controversial points of Michael's childhood, stardom, and sexual disorders. More importantly, it comments on America's obsession with the negative aspects of celebrity culture and the entertainment industry's exploitation of child stars. It's also telling of Jackson's paradoxical nature. I was shocked to learn that Jackson, a man who was constantly reaffirming his compassion for children and humanity, never cried once after seeing David Lynch's "The Elephant Man" over twenty times. While this little manuscript was written before his death, I believe the work is more about us than him. What kind of a society are we that we allow spectacles such as the disintegration of a troubled, aging star to feed our need for entertainment. In defense of Margo Jefferson, she must be one formidable writer if she has managed to set off so many people with only 150 pgs.

I have read countless MJ books and this one was nothing special in comparison to the ones I had read prior.

I really really like this book. In the wake of Michael Jackson's premature death, this is the book to read. I have been reading it, thinking about it, studying its wonderfully animated analysis, comparing it to the information we are receiving and the tributes that are circulating through various media and it is so helpful, pure of spirit and just plain smart about the cultural issues that have shaped the performance and the reception of Jackson's fabulous and fascinating career. And it is so succinct--not a single syllable in excess--that I was dreading finishing it, savoring it, reading as slowly as I could, knowing that there was nothing else sensible to read on the topic. So I lost the book somewhere in the house to slow myself down, which gives me the pleasure of ordering the brand new paperback as soon as I possibly can. What great timing for me and for Margo Jefferson, a writer and an intellectual that I have admired for years and years and years.

This Book is a disaster. I opened the book and read through the first pages, last pages, and found out a rudeness in its author. She didn't show a basic respect towards this music icon (let us not mention the other impression Michael left on this earth). There is no pre-word, no after-word about Michael and why she is writing about him. Instead she started with calling the first chapter FREAKS.... I feel hurt and I feel offended and think:"how can a so called well-educated person be so rude and ignorant? Sure she is entitled to have her opinion, and I don't have to like it. But before you talk about somebody, you owe that person the basic courtesy to talk about him first for its identity with some kindness. Especially when this person does have so many accomplishments the world has witnessed and he has touched millions of millions people's life with different ages, races, nationalities,....." I was deeply woken by Michael's music and his ups and downs, especially his sufferings in the last decade of his life. Then I develop a strong affection towards him and want to really know him through his own music, words, and thoughts, as well as through the impression he left onto others. I have to say, I am a new fun who just know him in 2014. Then I started to buy his music and read anything I can find about him. This Book is a disaster. Don't buy it....Since I have been a loyal customer to Amazon, they gave me refund without asking me to send this book back. But I don't even want this book in my book collection. I think I will just burn it. Normally I am a balanced person, but this author's attitude is too outrageous for me to accept.

‘On Michael Jackson’ by Margo Jefferson was a book I mostly read on a train. It was a particularly fitting place to read this book because its main subject matter is journeys. Journeys to and from times, places, and people. As my academic study of the artist, Michael Jackson deepens in light of my book of critical essays, ‘The Dangerous Philosophies of Michael Jackson: His Music, His Art and His Artistic Afterlife’, I have come to understand how impossible it is to write about Michael Jackson without taking sides. Although written and published in 2006, three years before Jackson’s passing, Margo Jefferson comes to the artist with a slightly fresher and definitely more academic perspective. She comes to him through the prism of a viciously racist culture which birthed his fame, the light of childhood stardom which sexualises and commodifies children who never recover from their early fame. Jefferson also contextualises Jackson within his family. No one’s family is perfect. Most could be characterised as dysfunctional in one way or another. It’s just a case of degrees. In truth, the Jacksons aren’t all that different from any other American family. Many parents smacked their children under the guise of discipline, pushed their children to succeed in a variety of fields. It is the magnifying glass of fame which highlights every flaw in order to create a distorted, sensational caricature of reality. ‘On Michael Jackson’’s greatest strength is that it is a real attempt to marry the natural history of Michael Jackson to his personas. ‘Freaks’ is a particularly poignant chapter, presenting Michael’s mistreatment as originating from a disturbing freak-show heritage at the heart of Americana. It was quite unavoidable – exacerbated by his skin condition, vitiligo and his own personal struggle with his appearance. – Elizabeth Amisu, author of THE DANGEROUS PHILOSOPHIES OF MICHAEL JACKSON: HIS MUSIC, HIS PERSONA, AND HIS ARTISTIC AFTERLIFE and editor of THE JOURNAL OF MICHAEL JACKSON STUDIES.

２００７年の初版であること、著者がNEW YORK TIMESの批評家であることで、この本を購入しました。一連の追悼文ではなく、判決から２年ほどの歳月の時点で、あの裁判、そしてマイケルはどのように描写されているのかに興味が沸いたからです。裁判に関しては、「当初から、マイケルは判決どおりの潔白だった。」という視点に立って、弁護士、陪審員、メディアを別々に分析していますが、その内容は「マイケルジャクソン裁判」の原書「CONSPIRACY」と矛盾しない。マイケルの家族一人ひとりとの関係、天才子役だった他のタレントとの比較、ブラックミュージックの流れの中でのマイケル、とそれぞれ興味深い。 ただ残念なのは、彼が自ら語っていた「尋常性白斑病」についてはかなり懐疑的であること。そのため、「彼の音楽シーンでのスタイルは、白と黒だけではなく、男と女、民族、階級といった、全ての壁をクロスオーバーしようとするもの」との分析は納得できても、そこに、ＰＶでの変身の多様性を結びつけるのは納得できても、「だからあの整形。あの白いメークでしょう」となるのは、いかがなものかと思ってしまう。GAY疑惑にも、「本当のことはわからない。」に留まっている。しかも、彼女は、音楽評論家でないのはもちろん、個人的に、ポップを愛する感性も、マイケルの音楽への造詣もそれほどあるとは思えず（PVの描写などは、読んでいて、少し気恥ずかしくなる）その観点から期待すると、余り読む価値はないとも言えます。 それでも、子供時代の喪失という、多くの天才子役達が負った「傷」をマイケルの中にも見出し、それを終生背負わねければならなかった彼の人生という論点を、深く掘り下げた内容は貴重であること、事実の誤認もいくつかあるけれど、マイケルの業績を地道に辿り、究極はマイケルの天才性を、素直に認めている事などから、☆４つにしました。ファンの暖かい視点というのではないけれど、将来、「アメリカの文化論」の中で、マイケルがどのように語られるのか、その一つのサンプルを、良質の英語で読むと割り切って読むには、お勧めです。

Despite the huge numbers of articles, texts and stories (or should I say fairy tales) written about Michael Jackson, it is very very difficult to find anything that is credible, well thought through and non-sensational. Well, this is one of such texts, and it is sorely needed. Ms Jefferson dares to take on a topic and a viewpoint which not many of her peers would or do, and for that I say kudos to her. The text makes for fascinating reading, for those who adore the man, those who loathe him, and those who in fact know very little of this person whose life has been scrutinized so closely. However, the text is not perfect. What bothered me was that, while Ms Jefferson clearly did her academic homework thoroughly, some of the arguments and points she puts forward are based on inaccuracies. These are small things, such as song lyrics or music video details, but there are so many of them (the majority of examples contain a flaw of some kind) that it eats away at the credibility of the text. Revised once, this would be a brilliant text. As is, it feels as though Ms Jefferson was in a hurry to finish it and did not take time to check the details.

I wish I'd given this book 5 stars when I first reviewed it as since then I find I return to this book time and time again - it's so thought-provoking. This is a very well thought out book - musings - on the life and work of Michael Jackson. It is especially fascinating on child stars and what we ask of them. Worth reading by anyone interested in fame, our celebrity culture, race and gender. I would recommend this as THE book to read for anyone who is interested in, puzzled by or even repulsed by who they think Michael Jackson is. This book goes a long way to explaining what the man may be all about. It is a book for the open-minded, or those who wish to explore this subject in an intelligent way. I'd imagine that some MJ fans won't like this book but while Ms Jefferson's language and conclusions may seem harsh in places, on reflection, she does Jefferson does come down on MJ's side in the end. I heartily recommend On Michael Jackson.