MJ Studies Today XI
Abstract: In the November column, Kerry Hennigan examines the ‘why’ of the life and work of Michael Jackson. Column by Kerry Hennigan, editor of the monthly newsletter, A Candle for Michael, and administrator of the widely-subscribed Facebook group, Michael Jackson’s Short Film ‘Ghosts. REFERENCE AS: Hennigan, Kerry. “MJ Studies Today XI (14-11-16).” The Journal of Michael Jackson Academic Studies 3, […]
Episode 19 – Celebrating Dangerous 25: Michael Jackson’s ‘Dancing the Dream’
Abstract: This episode is a celebration of Michael Jackson’s 1991 album, Dangerous, which has its 25th anniversary this month. Karin, Elizabeth, and special guest, author Andy Healy discuss Michael Jackson’s 1992 publication, Dancing the Dream: Poems & Reflections. The three researchers draw new conclusions inspired by the chapter, ‘On Michael Jackson’s Dancing the Dream‘ in Elizabeth’s Dangerous Philosophies of Michael Jackson, […]
An Interview with Ryan Garey
Abstract: In this interview, Ryan Garey discusses his Master Thesis and how Michael Jackson influenced him and what he envisions for his future with Michael Jackson. REFERENCE AS: Garey, Ryan. “An Interview with Ryan Gary.” Interview, The Journal of Michael Jackson Academic Studies 3, no. 2 (2016). Published electronically 21/10/16. http://michaeljacksonstudies.org/an-interview-with-ryan-garey/. The Journal of Michael Jackson Academic […]
CHAPTER 6 – “I DON’T KNOW” BODIES DISRUPTING CULTURAL REPRODUCTION
Jackson ends the Bad album the same way he commenced it: with a question. In the same way that it is impossible to answer the question “Who’s Bad?” in any definitive way, the final question leaves us profoundly unsure. “Are you okay?” is sung dozens of times in the song “Smooth Criminal,” and the information […]
“Who’s Bad?” Disrupting Cultural (Re)Production Through Representations of Michael Jackson
Abstract: The dynamic process of producing and consuming commodities shapes not only individuals but also their relations with each other and their societies. Although popular culture theorists have often attributed to popular music the effect of securing the consent of subordinated people for their own domination, Michael Jackson’s pop music has the opposite effect: it […]
CHAPTER 3 – “EXACTLY WHICH MICHAEL JACKSON ARE WE TALKING ABOUT ANYWAY?” AGENCY AND IDENTITY IN BAD
Songs: “The Way You Make Me Feel,” “Speed Demon,” “Liberian Girl” The next three songs introduce the more specific normative constructs of gender, identity, and agency and go beyond troubling or disrupting them the way “Bad” did. They envision alternatives to hegemonic constructs and playfully experiment with different answers to questions such as these: What […]
CHAPTER 5 – DOUBLE ENTENDRE: THE MAN AND THE MEDIA
Songs: “I Just Can’t Stop Loving You,” “Dirty Diana,” “Leave Me Alone” Michael Jackson’s post-Bad career was very explicitly about redefining, questioning, subverting, and casting a critical eye on cultural assumptions (as Susan Fast documents in Dangerous). But he started these challenges on Bad. Hegemony has never been keen on admitting defeat, though, and the […]
CHAPTER 4 – “THERE IS NO DANGER” SANITIZING BAD AUTHORSHIP
Songs: “Just Good Friends,” “Man in the Mirror,” “Another Part of Me” (Captain EO) At the end of the last chapter, I hypothesized that hegemonic representations of Michael Jackson would generally aver their own authenticity in some way, while counter-hegemonic ones would disrupt any notion of fixity or permanence, even within themselves. This chapter explores […]