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Original poster

Michael Jackson, veto?

206 replies

InkyPinkyPonky95 · 02/01/2021 21:56

It's up to you to decide whether you think MJ is a pedo or not, everyone is entitled to come to their own conclusion... but I think he was guilty and it's kind of ruined his music for me.

I won't storm out of a restaurant if one of his songs comes on! but I won't play his music myself because I can't separate his music from how disgusted I am by him.

That being said, for those that do believe he is guilty do you now veto playing his music? Has it ruined his music for you too? Or have you found a way to compartmentalise your feelings about it?

Side note: I understand not everyone thinks he's guilty, that's fine! Completely up to you to decide what you think. Not here to judge, just to hear other people's feelings.

OP posts:
percheron67 · 02/01/2021 23:31

Never met him although i know someone who new him well and trusted him. He seemed to have lots of problems that could be due to his abusive? upbringing. I don't think he was guilty of anything other than wanting to stay a child in some ways. I adore his music and hope that poor chap rests in peace.

MoiraNotRuby · 02/01/2021 23:40

I liked his music but I'm with you OP, wouldn't listen to it now.

I apply this to art artists as well as music, film etc - I saw a documentary about Klimt and he was such a nasty arsehole, I took down my print of The Kiss. For me there are so many decent people in the world, and so very many overlooked women, I don't need to have anything to do with the bad guys thanks.

onedayinthefuture · 02/01/2021 23:48

I was a massive fan of his but it was the leaving Neverland Documentary that opened my eyes and I knew then. Wade took a lot longer to come to terms and admit the truth, it was having a child of his own that did it I think, the reality of how precious a child is, how innocent he was. Both Wade and James have children of their own and I think that has been a huge part in why they did the documentary.

nevernotstruggling · 03/01/2021 00:05

I think it's possible entirely to avoid product of persons you morally disagree with. I've boycotted nestle for 30 years!

shellshock77 · 03/01/2021 00:15

I listen to his music all the time. Anything up to Off the Wall - his voice on songs like We've Got a Good Thing Going is perfection to me. I don't listen to his later music often, some of it is brilliant, just not a style where I would own the record.

I think he is guilty, but I can disconnect the two - maybe because it's his early music I love, I don't know.

TrickorTreacle · 03/01/2021 03:00

Wacko Jacko eh.

While I don't think he was a paedophile, he was incredibly naive to think that he could invite children and their familes to Neverland for stop-overs, thinking that the tabloids wouldn't spot this.

I still listen to Jacko and my favourite song of his is "The Girl is Mine", but I'm sure that's politically incorrect nowadays and someone will release a trans version of it at the expense of our spaces!

Rolf Harris and Garry Glitter on the other hand though are rightly consigned to the bargain bin, gone without trace.

XDownwiththissortofthingX · 03/01/2021 03:03

I think the allegations are true, but I thought his music was absolute shite before any of the allegations were made, so no, it hasn't "ruined" him for me because I couldn't stand his music anyway.

XDownwiththissortofthingX · 03/01/2021 03:07

I'm always bemused by the people that still think that he was just misguidedly trying to be 'friends' with young children. Seemingly the child pornography the FBI found at Neverland and the documented times he plied minors with alcohol are just coincidences.

ChestnutStuffing · 03/01/2021 04:16

@JustOneMoreStep

I'm a secondary school music teacher and actually thought about this alot and its written into my departmental policy! Actually, despite his music being popular, if isn't musically anything special so we don't study him as an artist like we do some others (Elvis or Betales for example, who also have social dilemmas associated with them). He does invariably come up in discussion work associated with various topics though and we do discuss it. The children always seem to know of some rumors (which they usually present as fact) and I am careful to point out that although he displayed many behaviours publically which we would not consider socially acceptable or 'normal', he was never convicted of any crime. This doesn't mean he was guilty of anything but it also doesn't mean he was innocent. I also explain that as a department we do not listen/study/perform his songs out of respect for the alleged victims.
What I always wonder about this is how far are you going to take it? There are all kinds of composers, and modern pop musicians, with seriously problematic pasts.

Some of them are important enough that you can't really leave them out though, can you? Wagner?

Or what about painters, or dancers, or scientists, or philosophers?

MJ is not a big problem because although he was talented and in some ways important in Mowtown and pop music, you don't really need to go deep into that for a general music education.

But what if he was crucial?

SuperCaliFragalistic · 03/01/2021 05:45

People who do bad things can be talented in completely unrelated areas. I work with offenders and I definitely wouldn't dismiss everything good they had ever achieved because of the bad stuff. A murderer can be an artist, a paedophile can be a musician. I still enjoy Michael Jackson's music.

SuperCaliFragalistic · 03/01/2021 05:50

I stayed in an Airbnb this year that had a nice picture on the wall. Looking closer it was signed by Rolf Harris. It gave me a chuckle, I'm not sure I would buy his work myself, but it was alright.

Peanutbutterblood · 03/01/2021 07:02

I play his music

nosswith · 03/01/2021 07:54

I agree with you OP. Morrissey is not played in my house because of some of the objectionable opinions he has uttered in recent years, far less bad things in my view than having strangers' children in your bed.

speakout · 03/01/2021 07:59

I am the same OP.

In fact I struggle to listen to a lot of the music from that era, even stuff like Bowie, Rod Stewart, so much at that culture was tied up with barely teenage children "groupies", no questions asked.
In fact I rarely even listen to male artists at all, not a conscious choice, just find that's where my tastes lie now.

Russellbrandshair · 03/01/2021 13:16

Totally agree about morrisey - I think he’s an absolute wanker. Racist and misogynistic.

palmstar · 03/01/2021 13:59

Won't play his music and I do judge if it's playing in a public venue. There's millions of other artists to listen to. He may not have been convicted but he certainly was not innocent.
He makes my skin crawl.

SapatSea · 03/01/2021 14:26

speakout I feel the same about 70's music. I also think a lot of 50's and 60's music artists were abusers too (chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis etc) . My banned list grows longer everyday, examples: R Kelly, MJ, Bowie, Iggy Pop,Led Zep, James Brown, Rev Al Green. I'm also listening to fewer male artists,just keep reading horrible things about them. A lot of lyrics are just awful as well.

I used to live near Ditchling and their local arist Eric Gill raped his daughters. The village museum have a lot of his etchings and models and spent a lot of time discussing and deciding what to do about his work. They finally decided to still show them but with a big warning about his crimes. I think if I was the person who lives in his old house with the blue plaque I'd ask to have it removed.

Russellbrandshair · 03/01/2021 20:12

@SapatSea

I was so loathe to delete r Kelly from my playlist because his late 90s music had so many memories for me in the r n b clubs we used to go to. Then I watched surviving r Kelly.

I have never deleted a playlist faster 😕

duckinatruckwithmuck · 03/01/2021 20:13

I used to play his music and loved it until I had my own children. Suddenly the thought of someone harming my children the way he hurt other people's children became apparent and has totally put me off his songs. I can't play them or sing along to them anymore.

Meredusoleil · 03/01/2021 20:47

@onedayinthefuture

I was a massive fan of his but it was the leaving Neverland Documentary that opened my eyes and I knew then. Wade took a lot longer to come to terms and admit the truth, it was having a child of his own that did it I think, the reality of how precious a child is, how innocent he was. Both Wade and James have children of their own and I think that has been a huge part in why they did the documentary.
Exactly this. I have several of his albums and can't deny what a talented musician and dancer he was.

But I can never unsee what was on that documentary, so his music will be forever tainted now in my eyes 😢

Notimeforaname · 03/01/2021 21:08

Got a huge MJ portrait this Christmas. Proudly hanging on my wall. Blast his music every day so clearly hes innocent to me (and the courts) but I understand how people feel.
I immediately stopped using Chris browns music in my classes after what hed done was known. So I get it.

namechange7438 · 03/01/2021 21:08

On the fence about MJ - he's not on my playlists but I wouldn't protest if I heard his music... I might raise an eyebrow though!

The one who I physically cannot listen to at all is Ian Watkins or any of his music! Makes me cringe. I had posters of him on my wall and loved some of the earlier Lost Prophets music - I cannot listen to it at all now and would be horrified if I ever heard it played anywhere.

Snog · 03/01/2021 22:59

I love his music and always will.
If you look at famous artists from the past lots had very dodgy personal lives and many exploited women. We don't boycot their work in galleries.

RobinRedford · 03/01/2021 23:15

I’m also on the fence, I swing back and forth with my opinion and have no idea whether he was guilty or not so I’ll stay in the middle.

I wouldn’t switch off the radio if it were to come on but don’t seek it out either.

IamtheDevilsAvocado · 03/01/2021 23:29

I'm not a particular Jackson fan.

Just because he wasn't found to be guilty does NOT mean he did not sexjally offend..

Innocent until proven guilty is a legal precedent...
It's what you are supposed to start from in court.

Many many people are guilty that are never convicted.... Isn't the rape conviction rate less than 5%....many many offences aren't persued SIMPLY as there is not a realistic chance of. Conviction

Eg lack of medical evidence... Eg historical cases.. 'careful' rapist 🤢.

Or the conviction wouldn't add substantially to a prison term... If the person is already serving lengthy sentences for crime.

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