For what it's worth, I'm 95% sure that Barack Obama was an MJ fan back in the day.

[Bicoastal]

Our President is obviously too politically savvy to make a public statement about such a controversial celebrity's death, but just thinking about the timeline of his life, and the music of his youth...

He began his freshman year at Occidental College the year Michael's second best album, the party-friendly "Off The Wall," came out. And we know he did a fair amount of partying at Oxy...

And then in 1982 when "Thriller" dropped, Barack was a Senior at Columbia, an unattached 21-year-old black man living a stone's throw away from the Apollo Theater, where the Moonwalk was famously premiered...

See, on the campaign trail, O always referenced the crowd-pleasing music of Stevie Wonder, but let's face it--Barack was in the 5th grade when "Signed, Sealed, Delivered" hit the charts, and he wasn't even halfway through High School when Stevie hit his creative peak with "Songs in the Key of Life." I'm fairly sure Obama wasn't rocking out to 1982's "Ebony and Ivory" in College; the future #44 was undoubtedly strutting his stuff to "Billie Jean" and "Beat It."



I have no proof of this, of course, but I calls 'em like I sees 'em. Plus, everyone bought Thriller when it came out--why not Barack Obama?

[billyoc]

1. He's my age, I guarantee he was.

:hi:

[tekisui]

2. I would be willing to bet that anyone aged 30-60 was a fan at some

point in their lives.

[3waygeek]

3. You lose...

this 46-year old has been thoroughly indifferent to him and his music since day 1.

[tekisui]

4. I never win at bets. I should quit making them.

x(

[Bluzmann57]

6. I'd be willing to bet that you're wrong

I'm 51 and I own zero Michael Jackson recordings. I have said elsewhere in DU and other places that Jackson would not have been as popular as he was without Ms. Koko Taylor and other great Blues artists who preceded her.
Ok though, if you consider that I admired his dancing ability and thought "Thriller" was likely the best video ever made as being a fan, then you got me. But as far as I'm concerned, being a fan and having respect for talent are two different things.

[wilt the stilt]

8. I agree

i am in communication with a lot of my high school friends(1969). One of the guys sent out a email about his death and Farrah'a. not one answer except mine that stated if it was the Beatles,Rolling stones and Mrs. peel then he would have heard from us. To our age group he was way too young. We listened to Acid Rock.

[Merlot]

9. Nope. He never really was on my musical radar.

Of course I heard all his music, it was impossible to miss. But to me it was just pop, and I was into rock and roll & blues.

I did watch some of his videos since his death (I didn't watch MTV back in his era either). I like the music, it's fun and upbeat. But would I choose to listen to it or purchase it? probably not.

[madmom]

12. Your lose here too, never saw the attraction myself. Not my kind of music.

[quantass]

17. I totally Agree -- Virtually everyone in that age group was a fan

[sandnsea]

5. Undoubtedly

(But we all loved Stevie too)

I don't think these pics were influenced by Stevie Wonder.

[Bicoastal]

7. Yeah, exactly--look at the one in the middle.

You can almost hear him belting out a falsetto "HEE hee!"

[Colobo]

10. I'm 25 and Dangerous was one of the first cassettes I was truly into.

[ZombieHorde]

11. I am 96% sure he was a big fan of the movie Zombie Holocaust. nt

[Hutzpa]

13. He is a closeted MJ fan

yipeeeee.......



:P :P

[HopeOverFear]

14. Agreed.

[Morning Dew]

15. I've never owned an MJ album or single.

I did eagerly await the premier of the Thriller video though... my baby sister and I were big on MTV in those days and I was a John Landis fan.

[snake in the grass]

16. I'm 4 years younger than Obama...

...and I did not buy "Thriller". As a matter of fact, I never liked Michael Jackson. The only song I like that he was involved with is "Dancing Machine". In 1983 my father was in middle management for Pepsi Cola and received 20 Jackson tickets for two concerts taking place in my home town. He ended up taking several of my friends (even my best friend's mother), but I stayed home.

The point of this story? Some of us were completely immune to the effects of the "Great Gloved One". Besides, Prince was always far superior to Jackson in music and performance, and is one of the most underrated guitarists living today.