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Is he that big?

by: MATT GLEASON World Scene Writer
Thursday, July 09, 2009
7/9/2009 3:35:31 AM

Jennifer James waved her hands in front of her eyes. She didn't want to cry, but during Michael Jackson's televised memorial service Tuesday afternoon, her tears fell anyway, especially when Jackson's daughter simply called the King of Pop "Daddy."

"He was a lot of things to a lot of people — good and bad — but he was 'Daddy' to his kids. It was this very deep human moment," said the 41-year-old Oklahoma City woman who blogs about Generation X at Jenx67.com.

Looking back on Jackson's career, James recently wrote on her blog: "I was the biggest Michael Jackson fan at Caney Valley High School in 1983, the year 'Billie Jean' and 'Beat It' became No. 1 hits two months apart.

"Jackson was plastered all over my locker. Nobody danced wilder and crazier than me when his songs were played at the Barnwarmer, Snowball and homecoming dances. I loved Michael Jackson."

Although her musical tastes evolved in later years, James said she can "appreciate who he was more than" she "ever did before."

"Part of that is because he didn't try to become a politician, a religious leader or an activist," she said. "He really did stick to his art. I think he was so much more of an artist than people gave him credit for being."

And that's the reason James foresees Jackson's music gaining yet another generation of fans.

"Michael Jackson's music, in terms of what's popular now and what was popular when I was a kid, has this timeless quality to it," she said. "I think it's going to experience this revival. Will it be at a cult-level following? I don't know. But certainly his fan-base spans multiple generations. I would think that would continue. His music was just so great."

The Jackson factor

So how influential was Michael Jackson on Generation X, which spans 1961-1981? Jennifer James offered her assessment.

Was Michael Jackson bigger than:

Ronald Reagan: “No. ‘Tear down this wall’ was great drama.

Nirvana singer Kurt Cobain: “Yes.”

The Internet: “No.”

MTV: “Yes. His work transcended MTV. It continued. The videos today are now on the Internet, so his art did not die with that medium.”

Atari: “Yes.”

The Gap: “Oh god I hope so.”

“Friends” TV show: “Yes.”

Flannel: “Was Michael Jackson bigger than flannel? Yeah, I think so, definitely.”

Matt Gleason 581-8473
matt.gleason@tulsaworld.com

Associate Images:

Michael Jackson fans watch his memorial broadcast live Tuesday from Los Angeles on a TV screen outside the O2 arena in southeast London where he was scheduled to play 50 shows. Lefteris Pitarakis / Associated Press

MJ FOREVER
Jennifer James: "I think he was so much more of an artist than people gave him credit for being."

Bigger than Cobain (center): yes. Than Reagan: Nah. Business Wire

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