MJ: The Genius of Michael Jackson
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- €13.99
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- €13.99
Publisher Description
The definitive biography of Michael Jackson, a “vivid…gripping...authoritative account of a world-changing force of nature” (Rolling Stone), celebrating the King of Pop’s legendary contributions to music, dance, and popular culture.
From the moment in 1965 when he first stepped on stage—at age seven—in Gary, Indiana, Michael Jackson was destined to become the undisputed King of Pop. In a career spanning four decades, Jackson became a global icon, selling over four hundred million albums, earning thirteen Grammy awards, and spinning dance moves that captivated the world. Songs like “Billie Jean” and “Black and White” altered our national discussion of race and equality, and Jackson’s signature aesthetic, from the single white glove to the moonwalk, defined a generation. Despite publicized scandals and controversy, Jackson’s ultimate legacy will always be his music.
In an account that “reminds us why Michael Jackson was, indeed, a ‘genius’ entertainer” (New York Newsday), Rolling Stone contributing editor Steve Knopper delves deeply into Jackson’s music and talent. From the artist’s early days with the Jackson 5, to his stratospheric success as a solo artist, to “Beat It” and “Thriller,” “Bad” and “The Man in the Mirror,” to his volatile final years, his attempted comeback, and untimely death, Knopper draws on his “critical and reportorial savvy in assessing Jackson’s creative peaks and valleys,” (USA TODAY) exploring the beguiling and often contradictory forces that fueled Michael Jackson’s genius. Drawing on an amazing four hundred interviews—ranging from Jackson’s relatives, friends, and key record executives to celebrities like will.i.am and Weird Al Yankovic—this critical biography puts his career into perspective and celebrates his triumph in art and music. This is “a thoughtful look at an artist who grew up in a segregated mill town and who, for the rest of his life, made music to bring down walls” (Chicago Tribune).
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Music reporter and Rolling Stone contributing editor Knopper (Appetite for Self-Destruction) chronicles the meteoric rise, fall, and untimely death of the King of Pop in this inarguably exhaustive but sometimes unsatisfying biography. With hundreds of personal interviews conducted by the author, this may be the most comprehensive chronology of Jackson's life currently in print. Unfortunately, Knopper errs heavily on the side of business rather than music even though the book's title would seem to indicate the opposite and the various musicians, lawyers, and executives who shaped Jackson's career (though some hits, like "Thriller," receive suitably rigorous write-ups). The exception is his coverage of the history of the Jackson 5, which is recounted in extraordinary detail. Knopper also focuses on Jackson's personal life, especially the infamous molestation charges. Though his attention wanders a bit too far from Jackson's artistic genius, Knopper has nevertheless produced a fascinating account of the tortured artist's tumultuous life that will be an invaluable resource to music historians and fans alike.