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Pop music critic Robert Hilburn on Michael Jackson

Victory2004 said:
And this whole "hunger for fame" crap.
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This statement makes no sense, most performers are trying to get some sort of fame. If not there would be no reason to get a record contract or get into show business. They could just perform in bars as a covers singer or band. Why would Mike be so concerned about being an "oldies act" or being rejected by fans because he wasn't "cute little Michael" if he wasn't worried about fame?
 
The whole time I lived in Los Angeles.
Robert Hilburn never wrote a decent word about Michael Jackson.
He definitely never supported his career.
Robert Hlburn writing in the L.A. Times newspaper
praised everything Bruce Springsteen
and Prince ever did, and nothing Michael Jackson ever did.
Robert Hilburn is being totally self-serving to write anything
about Michael Jackson now.
So, here's a very personal
GO TO HELL, ROBERT HILBURN
from me. :punk:
 
How could it be soulless?
HIStory is filled with his heartbreak and pain!
Listen to how angry he is in Scream! How sick he is of the media and their lies!
Listen to They Don't Care About Us and how hurt he was by being railroaded in 1993. How he knows the *system* doesn't work for people of color or minority.
What about Stranger In Moscow? Feel how lonely he is even though the world stands in awe of him.
This Time Around, he finally says he's not gonna just be the worlds doormat any more.
With Earth Song he tells us to straighten up and fix this planet before it's too late. He's always preached that!
D.S./T.S- that is talking about the D.A. how much more personal could you get?
The only thing everyone ever wants from him is Money.
Michael said his most personal song is Childhood. How could that be soulless?
Tabloid Junkie saying again- don't believe everything you read or see with the media. Give him a fair shake to tell his side of everything. There's always three sides to a story: Your side, my side, and the truth.
What more does this guy want? To see Michael's tear stained face? To touch his broken and battered soul? To feel his pain? To live his life for just one day?
It takes a very gifted, special, kindred spirit to deal with as much as Michael did and make it through.
How many of us could have held our heads up high with dignity and respect after 1993? How many of us would be able to live, laugh, and love after 2005?
I'd have thrown in my towel back in 1993.
 
Of course MJ was obsessesed with fame. All the things he did in public for attention!
Michael wanted to be Number one, he was a perfecionist. You can't sold so many albums and you can't be successful if you are not famous. 1 plus 1 is... 2!!!! :)

As far as the albums are concerned... Anyone, who thinks that MJ didn't do anything after Thriller... well they have no idea about music... One of the critics, who gave Dangerous grade 3.5, gave Paris Hilton grade 4... Is that a joke?

Bad was really good, Dangerous is one of the best albums ever, HIStory has many masterpieces and is in general very solid, BOTDF is... well it's weak because of crappy remixes, Invincible is average, but probably better than 95% of the commercial music released after 2001...
 
benscarr said:
I agree. There is a view shared with journalists that Michael's career was over after Thriller but that's not true. I remember the Thriller era very well, and Thriller was huge in the UK, but the whole Thriller era was mainly USA based. Bad may not have been sold as much as Thriller, and in the USA the Bad era wasn't as big as Thriller (even though he had 5 No.1's of Bad unlike on the Thriller album), but on a worldwide scale the Bad era with the amazing Bad Tour is what set Michael's name in stone as a then living legend who would never need to record another song or tour again. Here in the UK it is actually forgotten that the Bad album is Michael's biggest selling album here.

I agree with some of Robet Hillburn's views, even some of critical views of Michael at times trying too hard to please radio listeners and the music become more calculated post Thriller (but in my view post Bad). But Michael did continue to make amazing music throughout his career post Thriller, and the Bad album is awesome in my opinon, I've always loved that album. And Michael's career never ended in failure, he continued to release music that was a success even in this decade in which Michael Jackson was seen by many as a freak.

I agree that Michael wanted huge fame (many artists and bands do but deny it), but he didn't want fame just for the sake of it. In my view Michael knew from a young age his talent was in a genius level and he was uncomparable, and he knew for his talent to be given the credit it deserved he had to reach the highest level of fame which was up there with Elvis and The Beatles. And Michael was talented and intelligent enough to know how to make amazing music and come up an iconic image and persona to do that. Of course Michael paid a huge price for his success and fame, by the media backlash he faced starting in 1984. But in the long run he created such amazing music, performances and a persona that the level of fame he was supposed to be obsessed with has given the immortality in death Michael had always wished for. I would actually say Michael was obessed with perfection of his art more so than fame.
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wonderful post. I agree wholeheartedly. I think most US critics are seeing only one trunk, or one hind leg, or one tail of the elephant that is the Michael Jackson phenomena all over the world. and that's fine for them because it serves their purpose of setting up a box in which to place this performer/person. it gives them satisfaction in terms of categorization -- a paramount need for music writers.

but it's not the whole story of the phenomenon that is Michael Jackson. I believe we're looking at the bare beginnings of what's to become the posthumous Michael Jackson phenomenon. and most US critics cannot imagine the scope of it. so it's okay, let them write what they need to. it's THEIR truth, not reality.
 
Arty said:
?? I disagree. Everything about the Off the Wall peroid is better than the History Peroid.

Off the Wall Album is a masterpiece. One of the most soulful albums ever recorded.
History is a very very good album but Off the Wall is better. The songs his singing etc is better.
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I agree with that. Off The Wall is my favorite Michael Jackson album, but HIStory is a brilliant album and Michael on top form despite a few over produced songs.

Another thing with journalists, and mainly USA journalists is that when talking about Michael's career they give inaccurate information about sales statistics. For example Rolling Stone magazine (which claim Michael had no tip on his nose and wore a plastic one) say Invincible was a flop album with sales of only 2 million. Well they fail to say the 2 million album sales were USA sales, and leave out the fact the album sold 10 million worldwide and 5 million withing it's first 3 or 4 months making it Michael's fastest selling album, despite not being his best album. I for one, don't think sales make an album great and it was always an added bonus Michael's amazing albums had huge sales. But the reason so many fans often mention Michael's album sales, is because the media often say Bad is a flop album because it didn't out sell Thriller, or Dangerous is a flop album as it didn't contain as many hit singles as Bad etc. Then Invincible is a flop album because only USA sales are mentioned. And fans talk about Michael's sales statistic to counter the media critics because they are always more than what current hot artists and bands are selling at that specific time, and it shows that Michael always remained a relevant artist throughout his career despite the negative media.

I remember looking at some book about Rolling Stone magazine in a bookshop around 3-5 years ago. And there was an article by Robert Hilburn about Michael and it was fairly criticle about Michael, with him saying something like he wished he'd never praised Michael during the Thriller era. And that Michael was constantly wanting to be praised in the press etc.

I know at least in middle America the Jackson 5 weren't as famous in the USA between 1973-78, and played smaller venues both in the USA and Europe and that at least in the USA it was the Shake Your Body (Down To The Ground) single that reignited interest from middle America in The Jacksons. But Michael always remained a superstar with African Americans during that period pre Destiny album. It's also a known fact that Michael was thought of as a potential adult superstar by music executives, as noted by Katherine that Epic only wanted to sign Michael in 1976 not his brothers. So this contratdicts Robert Hilburn's claim that Michael's success with the Off The Wall album was unexpected. I'm sure as Quincy Jones has said, many people thought Michael was as successful and famous as he was ever going to be before Off The Wall but I'm sure people know Michael would be a star as an adult.

Some of the things Robert Hilburn says I agree with, other things I think he has no idea what he's talking about.
 
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CherubimII said:
The whole time I lived in Los Angeles.
Robert Hilburn never wrote a decent word about Michael Jackson.
He definitely never supported his career.
Robert Hlburn writing in the L.A. Times newspaper
praised everything Bruce Springsteen
and Prince ever did, and nothing Michael Jackson ever did.
Robert Hilburn is being totally self-serving to write anything
about Michael Jackson now.
So, here's a very personal
GO TO HELL, ROBERT HILBURN
from me. :punk:
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yes, it's a long known fact that Hillburn is a Springsteen-whore. can't blame him there because I love and adore the Boss. but yep, this is really self-serving of him.
 
the more i learn about how those critics enjoyed torturing Michael , the more i know how strong he was..
to face all this hatred and racism alone by himself , shows that he is a super being.
 
How could souless music touch so many souls around the world? Michael touched me to the point where I would cry listening to many of his songs. He put his heart into his music and it is cruel for that man to say it was souless.

His latter music may not have sold as many as his early work but that didn't mean his career was over. Invincible was a very good CD. Break of Dawn was a beautiful song that they wouldn't play on the radio.

I posted a topic in on this forum about whether Michael realized how much we loved him. We didn't go by what the critics said, we went by what his music and what he did to our hearts. I hope Michael didn't listen to this critic and believe him.

I do remember reading that so much of his self worth was in his performing and that's why he strived for perfection with all that he did. In the LWMJ program he did say that a fan came up to him and his brothers. He said the fan was excited to see them and asked where Michael was. The brothers point him out and this fan said, to his face, Ew, what happened to you? That was cruel and I'm sure this made him even more concerned about his appearance.

So many people were so cruel to him. My heart breaks for what this beautiful soul had to endure.
 
CherubimII said:
The whole time I lived in Los Angeles.
Robert Hilburn never wrote a decent word about Michael Jackson.
He definitely never supported his career.
Robert Hlburn writing in the L.A. Times newspaper
praised everything Bruce Springsteen
and Prince ever did, and nothing Michael Jackson ever did.
Robert Hilburn is being totally self-serving to write anything
about Michael Jackson now.
So, here's a very personal
GO TO HELL, ROBERT HILBURN
from me. :punk:
Click to expand...


Thanks, I hadn't realized that. It did seem at the beginning of that interview Hilburn basically said that he had no interest in 'pop' music and was more into the rock acts, but only went to do the J5 interview because it was an interesting 'little' story. Those were his words.

But my only question is, if Hilburn always wrote negative things about Michael, why did Michael keep talking to him until the mid-1990s? IDK. . .

I guess another person trying to put their biased spin on Michael's career. :(
 
I dont believe Michael had an "overriding need for celebrity" at all. Given Michaels huge worldwide popularity he has ALWAYS strived for privacy, something that even now he cannot get.

Some of this I agree with, but on the whole I immediately become uninterested whenever I read such blatant disregard for a string of albums and music that knocked the socks of so-called artists of the moment. Michael still achieved amazing sucess even at the toughest of times. No one else could do that. Michael had already won the hearts and minds of a dedicated fanbase and gained many new ones during these times of so called "soul-less music".

So really, whilst I agree fame has inevitably led Michael to live an isolated and lonely life, the talent has always been there, and perhaps even sadly, it is this lonliness that endeared him to so many people with such heartfelt words and music.
 
LOL...I want to share my story because most of you don't like BODTF. I know most of you will laugh but I became his fan in 1997 when the Blood on the dancefloor album came out. I was 9 and didn't knew anything about him or his problems (though I remembered his TDCAU video which I loved) and I was just amazed by the music and his voice. I simply felt something special. I've been his fan ever since! So has my cousin :p

Oh my poor BOTDF :(
Not many like you but you'll always be special to me! You made me discover MJ!
 
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BOTD brings back great memories for me, Ghosts premiered in a West End cinema in London and then the second leg of the HIStory tour kicked off in Germany.
 
I love BOTDF! I have extra copies of it everywhere, even in my SO's car so I can listen when we drive somewhere...
 
I think there's a lot of truth in the article and I think the problems in Michael's life were very multifaceted and complicated. I just wish he'd found some peace - maybe he did, I don't know - and that things had turned out differently.
 
DuranDuran said:
This statement makes no sense, most performers are trying to get some sort of fame. If not there would be no reason to get a record contract or get into show business. They could just perform in bars as a covers singer or band. Why would Mike be so concerned about being an "oldies act" or being rejected by fans because he wasn't "cute little Michael" if he wasn't worried about fame?
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Much like it makes no sense to say everything he did after thriller was "souless".
 
emmah24 said:
I dont believe Michael had an "overriding need for celebrity" at all. Given Michaels huge worldwide popularity he has ALWAYS strived for privacy, something that even now he cannot get.

Some of this I agree with, but on the whole I immediately become uninterested whenever I read such blatant disregard for a string of albums and music that knocked the socks of so-called artists of the moment. Michael still achieved amazing sucess even at the toughest of times. No one else could do that. Michael had already won the hearts and minds of a dedicated fanbase and gained many new ones during these times of so called "soul-less music".

So really, whilst I agree fame has inevitably led Michael to live an isolated and lonely life, the talent has always been there, and perhaps even sadly, it is this lonliness that endeared him to so many people with such heartfelt words and music.
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co-sign
some of this I agreed with some I didn't
but leaving out MJ's album post thriller is crazy to me.
as well as comparing OTW to History
OTW and History offer different types of music
but sonically History is a superior album even to this day.

There is some filler, but if you listen to it without precoceived ideas of what an Michael Jackson album is supposed to sound like or be people would appreicate it.
I remember when the album was nominated for album of the year and the NARAS president said people had to strip away all of the nonsense and just listen to the album objectively. When they did that most agreed it was a great album.
 
CherubimII said:
The whole time I lived in Los Angeles.
Robert Hilburn never wrote a decent word about Michael Jackson.
He definitely never supported his career.
Robert Hlburn writing in the L.A. Times newspaper
praised everything Bruce Springsteen
and Prince ever did, and nothing Michael Jackson ever did.
Robert Hilburn is being totally self-serving to write anything
about Michael Jackson now.
Click to expand...
I remember that well, too. He was one of those critics who was always trying to "straighten out" Michael, never realizing that if you made Michael just like everyone else, then he'd be just like everyone else. I'm glad Michael hung up on him. An intelligent man and a good writer, but ultimately tedious and predictable with all the Springsteen/U2 can do no wrong nonsense. His sudden sympathy for Michael comes awfully late.
 
His heart may have finally stopped beating Thursday afternoon,
but it had been broken long ago.
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Sounds like a guilt trip to me, Mr. Hilburn. The Jacksons actually entrusted you by letting you into their home to do interviews. You traveled with Michael. You knew the real Michael, so how could you heartlessly write such trash about him. Just to be a part of the in-crowd?

Now in death, it's safe to tell the truth about him and utter regrets? I hope you can sleep at night, Mr. Hilburn.
 
As for Michael making souless music after Thriller, I think They Don't Care About Us and Stranger In Moscow is among of the most soulfull (not as in the genre soul) songs Michael ever recorded, and a song that really expressed how he felt in about what was happening to him in 1993.
 
LiberianGhost said:
Sounds like a guilt trip to me, Mr. Hilburn. The Jacksons actually entrusted you by letting you into their home to do interviews. You traveled with Michael. You knew the real Michael, so how could you heartlessly write such trash about him. Just to be a part of the in-crowd?

Now in death, it's safe to tell the truth about him and utter regrets? I hope you can sleep at night, Mr. Hilburn.
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There is elitism mindset amongst journalists and media. If journalists sensationalize someone and create a false guilt verdict, journalists will stand by their decision even after someone is proven innocent and if another journalist comes out to state otherwise then that journalist is attacked. An example is how Bill O'reilly treated Aphrodite Jones. Listen carefully to what he says and how he says it as if she belongs to a gang.

"but you're one of us!"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTNlB4GURgs
 
Kizmic said:
There is elitism mindset amongst journalists and media. If journalists sensationalize someone and create a false guilt verdict, journalists will stand by their decision even after someone is proven innocent and if another journalist comes out to state otherwise then that journalist is attacked. An example is how Bill O'reilly treated Aphrodite Jones. Listen carefully to what he says and how he says it as if she belongs to a gang.

"but you're one of us!"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTNlB4GURgs
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I think this is very true.
And when it comes to music critics, there is also a sertain elitist mindset.
"Authentic" is a term that is the word to look for in this article.
Somehow it seems to me thay everyone accepted "happy" Michael, but they had problems with him expressing other emotions. So what is authentic? Thriller was a very "calculated" and well produced album. While some of his later work was definetly more experimental.

To me, that is the same thing as wanting Michael to be the same, stay the same, as he experienced while becoming adolescent.
 
Is Will you be there soulless?? :smilerolleyes: Keep the faith?? Man in the mirror?? and so on
 
benscarr said:
"It's beautiful at the shows when people join together. It's our own little world. For that hour and a half, we try to show there is hope and goodness. It's only when you step back outside the building that you see all the craziness."

Michael's hunger for fame and success struck me as increasingly obsessive and unhealthy.

Even though 1982's "Thriller" was the biggest-selling album of all time, Michael told me one night that his next album would sell twice as many copies. I thought he was joking, but he had never been more serious.

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As years went by, I watched with sadness as his music went from the wonderful self-affirmation and endearing spirit of "Thriller" to something increasingly calculated and soulless. His impact in the marketplace waned accordingly. It appeared that his desperate need for ultra stardom -- the "King of Pop" proclamation -- and his escalating eccentricities made it difficult for audiences to identify with him.

Even some of his "Thriller" fans were ultimately turned off. In the public mind, he went from the "King of Pop" to the "King of Hype."

When I surveyed leading record industry executives in 1995 to determine pop's hottest properties, Michael wasn't in the top 20.

One executive said flatly: "The thing he doesn't understand is that he'd be better off in the long run if he made a great record that only went to No. 20 than if he hyped another mediocre record to No. 1. The thing he needs is credibility."

Another executive said simply that Michael was "over."

Michael was furious when he called me the day after the story ran in The Times.

How could I betray him by writing such lies?

Couldn't I see the record executives were just jealous?

I tried gently to tell him that I thought there was some truth in what the executives were saying and that he had lost touch with the qualities that once made him so endearing.

"That hurts me, Robert," he said, his voice quivering.

I felt bad.

I started to say that he could be as big as ever if he would only . . . , but I couldn't complete the sentence.

Michael hung up.

After that, I followed his life from a distance -- the child molestation charges, the battle with painkillers, the marriage to Lisa Marie Presley, the increasingly bizarre lifestyle.

Although he would periodically announce recording projects or touring plans, I couldn't imagine, after all the humiliation and disappointment, that Michael could find the strength to step in front of the public again. I thought the fear of failure was too great. It was easier to stay in a fantasy land.

So I was surprised when he announced that he was returning to the stage in a few weeks and was even more surprised when he sold out 50 nights at the O2 Arena in London.

Maybe Michael was stronger than I thought. It took enormous courage to be willing to go back on stage for what could be a make-or-break moment -- and the ticket demand must have given him hope. Despite all that had happened, he saw that he was still loved by millions of fans.

In the best scenario, Michael, 50, would have triumphed in London, not only erasing his mountain of debt but also restoring to himself the sense of invincibility that fame represented. Failure in those shows, however, could have left him even more wounded and vulnerable.

As the July dates neared, I imagined Michael's anxiety mounting day by day, even hour by hour. There must have been days when he felt he could do it, could reclaim his crown with a series of breathtaking performances and stand forever alongside Elvis Presley and the Beatles in pop music lore.

But what if he was wrong?

What if he wasn't strong enough, physically and emotionally? What if he couldn't live up to expectations?

What if no amount of adulation could make him feel safe again?

The stress must have been immense -- and maybe in the end it was too much for his broken heart.

Robert Hilburn was The Times' pop music critic from 1970 to 2005. Parts of this article are excerpted from his memoir, "Corn Flakes With John Lennon, and Other Tales From a Rock 'n' Roll Life," which will be published in October.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

You can also watch a video interview of Robert Hillburn talking about Michael, which is interesting and has two rare photos of Michael from 1981.
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Hillburn like so many American journalist were/are jealous that Michael has surpassed both Elvis and the Beatles in talent and WORLDWIDE fame; hence, this absurd statement and demeaning article.
 
Ohood said:
the more i learn about how those critics enjoyed torturing Michael , the more i know how strong he was..
to face all this hatred and racism alone by himself , shows that he is a super being.
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Absolutely.
 
benscarr said:
As for Michael making souless music after Thriller, I think They Don't Care About Us and Stranger In Moscow is among of the most soulfull (not as in the genre soul) songs Michael ever recorded, and a song that really expressed how he felt in about what was happening to him in 1993.
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not to mention Speechless -- one of the most beautiful, soulful, poignant songs I've ever heard.
 
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