Michael Jackson

Nelson George, who covered [lastfm]Michael Jackson[/lastfm] for more than quarter of a century, re-examines the Gloved One’s career in a book that goes on sale today. Thriller — Michael Jackson, A Musical Life not only re-traces Michael’s hits and headlines, but gauges his impact on the American pop culture. [pullquote quote="In '84, I did a book The Michael Jackson Story, a biography of Michael. It's really weird to come back full circle, 25 years later and look at this life." credit="Nelson George"]It also looks at the amazing revival of his interest in the year since his death, noting, “Right now, he is the biggest [selling] recording artist in the world… again. And this is largely because people are saying, ‘Whatever happened, whether the accusations are true or untrue, they’re not important to why we love Michael Jackson.’”

A former editor at Billboard magazine, George also offers an interesting counter-argument to those who think Jackson’s father, Joe, was abusive or cruel to his kids. He prefers to see him as one whose emphasis on preparation and detail put his children in line to become stars.