This, to me, is unprecedented.

[Dmitry]

Michael Jackson songs banned from radio stations around the world
Read more at https://www.nme.com/news/music/michael-jackson-songs-banned-from-radio-stations-around-the-world-2457781#lXdJq8pxoxAHzeoy.99

https://www.nme.com/news/music/michael-jackson-songs-banned-from-radio-stations-around-the-world-2457781

It appears that MJ was a fucking creepo. Should his music be banned from radio waves? I'm somewhat torn about this.  Has this been done before? 

[Justin V]

R. Kelly was temporarily banned from Spotify, I believe.

[Scott Dolan]

Not to mention the Dixie Chicks fiasco. 

But, since dead men cannot defend themselves, I'll forego the knee-jerk reactions brought about by the new documentary. 

Not to mention that I will continue to be very diligent in separating the art from the artist. 

[mjzee]

It's simply commerce.  These radio stations don't want to have their brands associated with an (alleged) child molester.  There's not much upside for them to play his music, at least at this time.  If the hubbub dies down, they'll slowly start to reintroduce his music in the rotation.

Similar, actually, to the Dixie Chicks.  They're now often played on SiriusXM's Y2Country channel.

[JSngry]

According to

CNN, multiple major radio stations in New Zealand have stopped airing Jackson’s music including commercial broadcaster MediaWorks. Meanwhile, CBC reports that in Canada three major Montreal-based radio stations have pulled Jackson off air.

AROUND THE WORLD!!!!! THE WHOLE FUCKING WORLD!!!!

wait....maybe not the whole fucking world...

Let it play out.

He'll be back where he's been taken off, trust me. and if he's not, oh well. You gonna tell me that all the 96 octabajillion Michael Jackson records in the world are going to vanish from the collective global consciousness due to a moment of, uh, shocked reconsideration?

The accusations against MJ are not new, nor should they shock anybody but the most blind (which is admittedly a whole lot of people). But yes, dead people can't defend themselves, which in some cases might be a good thing. The sheer machine power of an all-in defense juggernaut built not around defending but instead protecting needs to be worked around, and the guy being dead might well be the only way for that to happen.

In my mind, I remain reasonably certain that he was a pedophile. I also remain reasonably certain that he was a severely damaged individual long before he was a pedophile (two words - Joe Jackson). And I remain absolutely convinced that he was one of the greatest entertainers/performers and, at times, artists of the 20th Century. Pedophile/Genius, both existing in the same space. Deal with that, world. Take your time, but definitely deal with that.

So yeah, let it play out.

 

[Scott Dolan]

6 minutes ago, JSngry said:

 

 

AROUND THE WORLD!!!!! THE WHOLE FUCKING WORLD!!!!

wait....maybe not the whole fucking world...

Let it play out.

He'll be back where he's been taken off, trust me. and if he's not, oh well. You gonna tell me that all the 96 octabajillion Michael Jackson records in the world are going to vanish from the collective global consciousness due to a moment of, uh, shocked reconsideration?

The accusations against MJ are not new, nor should they shock anybody but the most blind (which is admittedly a whole lot of people). But yes, dead people can't defend themselves, which in some cases might be a good thing. The sheer machine power of an all-in defense juggernaut built not around defending but instead protecting needs to be worked around, and the guy being dead might well be the only way for that to happen.

In my mind, I remain reasonably certain that he was a pedophile. I also remain reasonably certain that he was a severely damaged individual long before he was a pedophile (two words - Joe Jackson). And I remain absolutely convinced that he was one of the greatest entertainers/performers and, at times, artists of the 20th Century. Pedophile/Genius, both existing in the same space. Deal with that, world. Take your time, but definitely deal with that.

So yeah, let it play out.

 

Couldn't have said any of that better myself. 

And in this modern world of microwavable outrage, it shouldn't take long. The next trigger is right around the corner, and oh, hey, he really had some great tunes, didn't he?

*global group hug*

[JSngry]

The Jacksons are very protective of their name and their brand. And I get that, really I do. I've been to Gary, Indiana (one time), and it was one of the most toxic (literally) environments I've ever experienced, the air was poison. I almost vomited and could not imagine anybody actually living there, good lord no. So I get that it was a long way up for the Jacksons and that everybody involved busted all kinds of ass against all kinds of odds to let their God-given talents break through all the bullshit. And I get that that's a very real side of this coin, very real.And I also get that Joe Jackson was probably going to be an abusive asshole no matter where he lived. But Gary didn't help any, ok?

But hey, Michael was a weird dude, and I'm totally ok with his pedophilia being called out (ok, alleged pedophilia), as long as it's called out in a broader context of what made this family so hardcore about everything, and how that quite likely warped beyond redemption the most gifted of the bunch (and certainly scarred all the others) while at the same time seeking to understand not just what happened, but why it happened this way. I don't seek sympathy, but I do want understanding. Understanding is not an excuse.

So what I'm looking for is a full look at all the factors that went into creating this brilliant performer, as well as the damaged soul within. None of it's probably pretty, but oh well. We've had the pretty. Now it's for the rest of the story.

[Scott Dolan]

Well, let’s not be hasty. It’s not really the “rest” of the story. Something we’ll never really get. You can’t truly get the rest of the story with the lead actor having exited stage left. We’ll get unsubstantiated asides, and maybe some spinoff series, but that’s it. 

Michael Jackson’s story was cancelled and taken off the air without a season finale. 

[JSngry]

More of the story, then. The parts that a high-powered defender machine was able to deflect when their client was alive.

And of course there will be hype, exaggeration, and perhaps outright lies. There was certainly all that when MJ was being defended, and there will be some now.

Stuff balances out over the long haul, but/and the harder it gets distorted, the more distorted is the rebound. But...onward.

Until it all gets said, maybe this says it all:

 

[Dmitry]

Back to the original point of silencing an artist due to a crime committed or implied...The Cosby Show is all but wiped off the air.  For now at least, it’s taboo.

[Scott Dolan]

Cosby was convicted, so that's a slightly different story. 

Most people are unable/unwilling to separate the art from the artist, which I completely understand. As I said, I take the opposite route, but that's strictly a personal decision on my part. 

[Brad]

12 hours ago, JSngry said:

Now it's for the rest of the story.

Channeling your inner Paul Harvey? 

[JSngry]

Page two....

[Brad]

13 minutes ago, JSngry said:

Page two....

When I lived overseas, Armed Forces radio, which we could access on our short wave, would play him. His “Page Two” was his calling card. 

[Scott Dolan]

20 minutes ago, JSngry said:

Page two....

Good day! 

[Dmitry]

When words ring true-

Billie Jean is not my lover
She's just a girl who claims that I am the one
But the kid is not my son...

Yep.

[Brad]

1 hour ago, Scott Dolan said:

Good day! 

Another classic. 

I wonder how many people remember him nowadays. 

[Scott Dolan]

I doubt the majority of people watching the Super Bowl when the excellent “God Made a Farmer” commercial came on knew he was the narrator. 

[JSngry]

Growing up in ultra-conservative oil patch East Texas when I did, Paul Harvey was huge. Huger than huge. Local radio stations would take out full-size billboards with his face on it. Work stopped (as did lunch breaks!) when he came on the air.

As happened with many of his age/ideological inclination, the 70s made him increasingly uncomfortable and a few times he really stepped in it. REALLY stepped in it. Embarrassingly so sometimes. He used to be fun. By the time it was all said and done, I did not at all enjoy hearing him.

Nor was I the only one. He became yet another one of those polarizing figures in the overall cultural landscape, and then he just sort of withered away. It was like he didn't get it at all, and doubled down on what was bringing him down. The marketplace responded in turn, and by the end, the SNL parody of him (was that Joe Pisocpo, who was that?) was all that was left of him - a cranky old white guy who rambled about all kinds of weird shit in a vaguely paranoiac ranty kind of way. The sparkle was long gone, as were people who remembered what it had sounded like when it was there.

So that's what happens, people tarnish their reputations, they get relegated, and then, after the dust settles, maybe, other parts of their legacy get examined and perspective is gained. So....

Stand by.....

for NEWS!!!

[Dan Gould]

15 minutes ago, JSngry said:

Growing up in ultra-conservative oil patch East Texas when I did, Paul Harvey was huge. Huger than huge. Local radio stations would take out full-size billboards with his face on it. Work stopped (as did lunch breaks!) when he came on the air.

As happened with many of his age/ideological inclination, the 70s made him increasingly uncomfortable and a few times he really stepped in it. REALLY stepped in it. Embarrassingly so sometimes. He used to be fun. By the time it was all said and done, I did not at all enjoy hearing him.

Nor was I the only one. He became yet another one of those polarizing figures in the overall cultural landscape, and then he just sort of withered away. It was like he didn't get it at all, and doubled down on what was bringing him down. The marketplace responded in turn, and by the end, the SNL parody of him (was that Joe Pisocpo, who was that?) was all that was left of him - a cranky old white guy who rambled about all kinds of weird shit in a vaguely paranoiac ranty kind of way. The sparkle was long gone, as were people who remembered what it had sounded like when it was there.

So that's what happens, people tarnish their reputations, they get relegated, and then, after the dust settles, maybe, other parts of their legacy get examined and perspective is gained. So....

Stand by.....

for NEWS!!!

A few observations re Paul Harvey.

He basically followed me in my relatively short-lived radio career (mid-90s Tallahassee). He was a fixture on the powerhouse country station WTNT where I started.  Shortly after I left for Mello 105 (soft adult contemporary) TNT let their contract lapse, and the owner of my new station grabbed him. This was where I really heard him regularly because of when we ran his stuff.  The fact that he went from powerhouse country to upper-top ten in the market soft adult contemporary says something about his market at the time.

The guy was a freaking brilliant broadcaster.  Whether "The Rest of The Story"  or his noontime 15 minute hit, his delivery was a seminar in cadence and timing and what it means to paint a picture in words.  Absolutely perfect, all the time.

At the time I goofed on him around the office but as I moved on to a true voice-over career I realized how good he was.

And ... now you knooowwwwww ... The REST of the story.

[JSngry]

The Rest Of The Story was good until the end. It was the noon thing that got weird.

[Scott Dolan]

Oh, no question. Text book delivery and voice. There should be a compulsory Paul Harvey course for anyone looking to get into broadcasting. 

Though I will say that I learned early on that The Rest of the Story was likely more fiction than fact when he told the story of this little boy that was kept awake by an owl every night, to the point of frustration that made him catch and kill the owl. Then when he realized what he’d done, with tears streaming down his face, he swore he’d never harm another living creature ever again, and do whatever he could to protect and exult them. 

That boy’s name? Walter Elias Disney. 

Problem being that the story is complete bullshit. None of that ever happened to a young Walt Disney. 

Didn’t change my opinion of him, but it did clue me that some, if not all of those stories were fabrications for the sake of great storytelling. 

[ghost of miles]

2 hours ago, Scott Dolan said:

Oh, no question. Text book delivery and voice. There should be a compulsory Paul Harvey course for anyone looking to get into broadcasting. 

Though I will say that I learned early on that The Rest of the Story was likely more fiction than fact when he told the story of this little boy that was kept awake by an owl every night, to the point of frustration that made him catch and kill the owl. Then when he realized what he’d done, with tears streaming down his face, he swore he’d never harm another living creature ever again, and do whatever he could to protect and exult them. 

That boy’s name? Walter Elias Disney. 

Problem being that the story is complete bullshit. None of that ever happened to a young Walt Disney. 

 

He also went on to kill Bambi's mother!! 

[Scott Dolan]

And NOW you know... the rest of the story.

[JSngry]

Yeah, that Disney/Paul Harvey story might seem harmless enough a fabrication, but, you know...there's a line somewhere between entertaining your audience with fiction without being too careful about fact and just spreading bullshit to an uncritical audience who will take everything you say as gospel, because, you know, Paul Harvey is "one of us".  They will believe anything "he" says, and not entertain an even sideways does of skepticism that it is not 100% accurate exactly as he said it.

There can be a problem with that, ya' know?