MICHAEL
When I was a freshman in high school, Takashima came up to me with a smirk and said, "You seem like you'd like this, so give it a listen, it's like a bible."
It was a movie review segment called Cinema Hustler from the radio show "RHYMESTER Utamaru's Weekend Shuffle" (commonly known as Tamaful).
What Takashima showed me was a masterpiece episode where, regarding a film set in Helsinki with a warm, nostalgic atmosphere, he
fiercely grilled the inconsistencies in the story and trashed the food served in the film as "diarrhea soup", a masterpiece episode. After that, I watched many more times as Utamaru would get angry and harshly criticize this director's works as if they were his parents' killer.
The combination of the logic and perspectives delivered by Utamaru, a Waseda graduate and rapper, and his choice of words derived from hip-hop culture—which was more outlaw back then—really struck a chord with me.
The "diarrhea soup" episode was incredibly good, and I went back through the archives to listen to other segments within Tamaful, not just "Cinema Hustler," but also "Saturday Night Lab," "A↑Kogare Special," and "Bon-yari Consultation Room."
Back then, there were no radio podcast platforms like there are today, so I would download the MP3 audio files uploaded to the TBS website and just keep filling up my WALKMAN with them.
What I particularly liked was the legendary episode of the feature segment "Saturday Night Lab" where Gota Nishidera of NONA REEVES appeared, titled "The Theory That Ichiro Ozawa and Michael Jackson Are Almost the Same Person."
Even though I didn't really know Michael Jackson or Ichiro Ozawa, it was interesting, and from there I started listening to NONA REEVES and Michael Jackson.
The fact that I like pop and city pop today stems from this. From my way of thinking and expression to my musical tastes, I was heavily influenced by Tamaful.
The fact that I still listen to Tamaful's successor radio show, After 6 Junction 2, really highlights how sharp high school Takashima's insight was.
Takashima lost touch with everyone immediately after graduation, so no one knows where he is. I think about him sometimes and wish I could see him.
About the movie "MICHAEL"
Now, regarding the currently released movie "MICHAEL," it is the first foreign film to have a secondary audio commentary screening, and Gota Nishidera is in charge of the commentary.
I went to see it on the opening day, so there was no secondary audio screening yet, and I watched it normally in IMAX.
My impression after watching it was that I was very satisfied!
The good points
・The live performance footage was worth watching ・The skill of Jafaar's (who plays Michael) dancing ・The BGM melodies are motifs of the next songs, which is irresistible for Michael fans ・It serves as a gateway for people who don't know much about Michael to learn about his personality and way of thinking as a human being
The "Hmm" points
※Understanding that the story had to be twisted to depict Michael's tumultuous life (since the movie only goes up to the 80s), I still want to write this
・I understand that it becomes noise in terms of the plot, but the relationship with Berry Gordy Jr. (founder of Motown) is too different from the facts
・Because breaking free from his father's control became the main story, Michael's internal conflicts seem diminished
・For those who don't know Michael Jackson's background, the story jumps around too much, so there probably wasn't much catharsis at the end
・I understand the various circumstances, but there is a loneliness in the story progressing as if Diana Ross and Paul McCartney didn't exist at all
I read "The New 'Michael Jackson' Textbook," written by Gota Nishidera when Michael passed away, back in high school, and I reread it recently before the screening started.
That didn't happen when I was in high school, but I felt like crying many times while reading it.
The pain of becoming too famous and no longer being treated as a human, and the pure artistic spirit of wanting to create truly wonderful works, came through in the lines from biographies of him and the celebrities around him, and I'm really glad I reread it.
I think it's amazing that he gathered so much information and wrote such an easy-to-read book.
Personally, Michael's lines here really touched my heart.
It reminded me of the rehearsal scenes in 'THIS IS IT'. He was persistently giving sensory instructions to the keyboardist over and over, and the atmosphere was a bit tense.
But when you see the finished product, everyone is convinced.
We are also able to receive a work without compromise, and I am grateful for that.
Before I knew Michael, I was like most people and thought of him as a troublesome celebrity.
And I had the impression that his death was a 'slow suicide'.
But if you watch the 50-year-old Michael who makes no compromises to create a perfect work in 'THIS IS IT', that impression disappears completely.
I've digressed, but after learning about Michael's life, watching the movie 'MICHAEL' left me with the impressions mentioned above.
Jaafar Jackson is the son of his brother Jermaine, so he is Michael's nephew.
Jaafar's dancing was very good. It seems he practiced the dance for the intro of 'Billie Jean' for about half a year.
Throughout the whole film, the dancing and the music were worth watching in IMAX, and that alone made me feel it was worth seeing this movie.
Also, I think this is a work that can slightly change the public's image of Michael, who became famous for things other than his music.
In this movie, you realize that he wasn't just a superstar who reached the top, but that Michael Jackson was also an artist who struggled to sell and create great work, and who performed wonderful songs and dances.
That's why I want many people to see it. Our generation should have fewer negative images of Michael than the older generation.
However, when I recommend it to friends, they often ask about child abuse or his skin color rather than his musicality, which leaves me with mixed feelings.
Also, regarding the 'hmm' points of the movie, I thought it was probably unavoidable due to circumstances such as the existence of living people involved, the content determined by court rulings, the feelings of those close to him regarding the work, and the fact that Michael's life was so full of turmoil that it couldn't all fit on film.
Perhaps those parts might be supplemented or explained in an audio commentary.
'Why did the Jackson 5 leave Motown?'
'Why did the Jackson 5, which everyone still knows so well, become The Jacksons before we knew it?'
I think another hour would have been needed just to depict that.
However, even so, in the film, shortly after becoming famous as the Jackson 5, he is already an adult Michael, and the story jumps too much.
And the break with Motown and the significance of performing the 'Billie Jean' moonwalk at the Motown 25th anniversary special change one's perspective by 160 degrees depending on whether or not you know the background, so that is also a missed opportunity.
What bothers me the most is that in order to wrap up the story well, Michael's struggles in the film were limited to his escape from his father's control.
It was a bit disappointing that it seemed to be reduced to domestic problems.
That said, the excitement of the scene where the first note of the intro just before the 'Bad' tour played repeatedly as if to tease, and the live performance began, blew everything away.
I was grinning so much during that scene. I kept repeating to the acquaintance I went to see it with, 'I'm so glad I came to see it.'
I want to talk about things like that with people close to me, but it's hard to find anyone. I even posted about it on my Instagram story, embarrassing as it is, but I got no reaction from anyone.
I was so eager to talk that I even sent a message to my high school math teacher (now the principal) on his Instagram post about watching 'MICHAEL'.
We talked about how it would be fun if there was a part 2.
In reality, even if a part 2 were produced, I might not watch it. It might be too hard to look at it directly on screen.
Summary
With the release of the movie, I spent a wonderful time listening to and watching many of Michael Jackson's works all over again.
What I love about Michael Jackson's songs is their unique, addictive rhythm and that gentle voice of his.
In particular, songs like Black or White and Smooth Criminal have such amazing rhythms.
I can't even count how many times I've listened to the tom-tom part in Rock With You.
As someone who is a complete amateur when it comes to music, I think the criteria for a wonderful pop song is
a melody or rhythm that makes you feel, even when hearing it for the first time, 'Ah! This is it! This is exactly what I wanted to hear!!!'
Michael Jackson's masterpieces were what made me start thinking that way.
There was a time when I only listened to loud rock, but I've started to think that what I truly love might be the pop music I listened to over and over during my formative years.
Finally, I will announce my Michael Jackson Top 5 (which changes all the time!)
1st Place: Rock With You
2nd Place: Bad
3rd Place: Smooth Criminal
4th Place: Man In The Mirror
5th Place: Heal the World
The End!