來源：MJJCN.com / theatlantic.com
文/ 喬•沃格爾（Joe Vogel）
翻譯：Badthriller
2012年9月11日 - 正在巔峰的邁克爾•傑克遜（Michael Jackson）消失了。
1984年，他無處不在：MTV、百事廣告、格萊美頒獎典禮、白宮、《滾石》（Rolling Stone）雜誌、《時代》（Time）雜誌、橫跨全美的“勝利”巡演（Victory Tour）。第二年，除了在《四海一家》（We Are the World）中短暫露面，他不見了。“1985年。”格裏•赫爾希（Gerri Hirshey）寫于《滾石》，“是邁克爾觀察者的黑洞，他們目睹了自1910年哈雷彗星飛往太陽系那一頭以來最壯觀的消失。”對於明白期望和神秘力量的表演者，這是一次戰略行動。1986年也一樣。據說傑克遜“躲了起來”，鮮少在公開場合露面。
隨之而來的就是一連串關於神廟、高壓氧氣艙、象人骨的荒誕故事。大多數都無害（倒是逗樂了傑克遜），但媒體的激烈反應還有更陰暗的一面。傑克遜是娛樂史上最有權勢的非裔美國人，他不僅通過自己破紀錄的專輯、錄影和表演建立了帝國，還復興了CBS/史詩唱片公司（CBS/Epic Records），為MTV喚醒生機並給現場娛樂設立了標杆。他還聰明地保留了自己所有母帶的擁有權，在律師約翰•布蘭卡（John Branca）的幫助下成功獲得包括斯萊和斯通一家樂隊（Sly and the Family Stone）、雷•查理斯（Ray Charles）以及流行樂禦寶ATV/披頭士（ATV/Beatles）樂庫在內的歌曲版權。
就在這時，潮流開始變化。原本是圈內和媒體的寵兒，現在漸漸有了懷疑、不滿和嫉妒。傑克遜顯然不只是一個天真的男孩（像表面看到的那樣）或者滿足於做個能歌善舞的聽話藝人，他用智謀打敗了圈內的幾個重量級人物，無論是藝術上還是經濟上都在成長。他開始學習如何使用自己的力量和文化影響帶來更多的社會和政治效應。
“他改變了這麼多格局，不會很快就被忘記。”詹姆斯•鮑德溫（James Baldwin）寫於1985年，“他肯定抓住了中獎機會，在蒙特卡洛輸得傾家蕩產的人根本比不上邁克爾。所有的噪音都關於美國這個黑人生命財產詭詐的監護人；美國黑人、尤其男性；正在燃燒和被掩埋的美國罪惡；性、性角色和性恐慌；金錢、成功和絕望……”這些激烈反應不僅僅關於傑克遜所謂的古怪，還關於權力、金錢和根深蒂固的文化優勢。在傑克遜之前，就像詹姆斯•布朗（James Brown）說的，黑人藝術家常常“在演出中，但不在演出業中。”現在傑克遜是必須面對的經濟力量，可他的地位也讓他變成了一個巨大的靶子。
1985年起，媒體對傑克遜愈發惡毒。“他們想的是我們的血，而不是痛。”傑克遜1987年寫在一張紙條上。小報很快給他起了個綽號“怪人傑克”（Wacko Jacko，傑克遜很討厭這個詞），最早是英國小報《太陽報》（The Sun）1985年給他起的，但這個詞淵源頗深。傑克•馬卡可（Jacko Macacco）是19世紀20年代初期倫敦威斯敏斯特競技場（Westminster Pit）鬥猴賽中一隻著名猴子的名字。漸漸地，“Jacco”和“Jacco Macacco”成為倫敦人指代猴子的俚語。這個詞在20世紀變成了“猴子傑克”（Jacko Monkeys），成為20世紀50年代英國著名的兒童玩具。直到80年代，它們還是英國家庭的常用詞，現在還有人用。
“Jacko”這個詞不是平白無故來的，當然也不是什麼好詞。接下來，它就被小報和主流媒體輕蔑地拿來隨手亂用。即使對於那些不知道其種族主義根源和含義的人，這也是用來“異化”、羞辱和貶損其目標的。就像拉爾夫•埃利森（Ralph Ellison）寫的《隱身人》（Invisible Man）裏《拳擊大賽》（Battle Royal）的場景，這把邁克爾•傑克遜這個人和藝術家降格為“Jacko”這個江湖藝人，從中貪得無厭地消遣。（值得注意的是，這個詞廣泛用於白人媒體，鮮有黑人記者使用。）
不祥的暗流在湧動，旋繞在傑克遜身邊，既影響了他的心靈，也影響了大眾（尤其在美國）的觀感。控制和釋放（或逃避）間的緊張滲透進了《飆》（Bad）專輯及相關的音樂錄影。
比如在《別煩我》（Leave Me Alone）的短篇電影中，傑克遜敏銳地傳達著作為一個藝人生活裏狂歡般的現實。受到喬納森•斯威夫特（Jonathan Swift）《格列佛遊記》（Gulliver's Travels）的部分啟發，一個巨人傑克遜真被死死地困在遊樂場裏像被關在牢籠裏的狗一樣供人觀賞。錄影裏，他唱報紙、鈔票，重現小報故事，敏銳地自我意識（並公開意識）並質詢了後現代主義時代的誘捕、剝削和雙重意識。
傑克遜當時“消失”的部分原因也和他的現實生活有關。他再也無法自由地走在世界各地，卻不被包圍、檢查和分析。
他回到了自己的藝術裏。在1985 – 1987年這段遠離公眾視線的日子裏，他創作錄音，極其高產。“飆”時期最終產生超過60首歌，完成度不盡相同。他曾一度考慮把它發行為三碟專輯。
傑克遜把在海文赫斯特（Hayvenhurst）的家庭錄音室稱為“實驗室”，這是和一小群音樂人和錄音師創造魔力的地方，馬特•佛格（Matt Forger）、約翰•巴恩斯（John Barnes）、克裏斯•柯雷爾（Chris Currell）和比爾•博特賴爾（Bill Bottrell）等人（他們通常被稱為“B團隊”）就在那裏。傳說傑克遜在浴室鏡子上寫了“ 1億”，這是他希望《飆》能賣出的數量，比《顫慄》（Thriller）當時的銷量還高出一倍不止，從中你能一窺傑克遜的雄心。
傑克遜追求的還不止商業成功，他想創新，他告訴合作者想創造出從沒聽過的聲音。當時，激動人心的新合成器正在登場，包括Fairlight CMI和Synclavier PSMT。“這真的打開了創作的新領域。”錄音師馬特•佛格回憶說，“Fairlight有一隻光筆能在螢幕上畫波形，允許你修改模型。Synclavier則更進一步拓展。我們常常最後會把兩種合成器的元素拼在一起創造出獨特的聲音，你能用Synclavier實現，但你還能調整每種音效的起聲，這樣你就能真正製作出音效。我們做了許多採樣，創造出新的音效，把採樣的聲音跟調頻合成混合在一起。”
傑克遜陶醉於這些新技術，不斷尋找新聲音。比如，《風騷戴安娜》（Dirty Diana）開頭的音效就是來自灣區的Synclavier專家和設計師丹尼•耶格（Denny Jaeger）創造的。傑克遜聽說耶格和他的新音效音景集時，立刻聯繫他加入《飆》的製作。耶格的音效最終出現在《風騷戴安娜》和《犯罪高手》（Smooth Criminal）裏。“邁克爾一直在尋找新東西。”佛格說，“我們自己能發明、研究和找到多少東西？太多了。‘實驗室’就是這麼來的。”
讓《飆》專輯永恆的，是傑克遜用更根本、靈魂的品質回報這種技術創新。比如在《你給我的感覺》（The Way You Make Me Feel）裏，強勁有力的伴奏和所有自然即興的美感賦予了歌曲魅力：即興唱段、響指、藍調和聲、衝擊耳膜的哼哼跟喘氣、尖叫。錄音師布魯斯•斯韋迪恩（Bruce Swedien）說他如何把傑克遜所有的聲音習慣留在裏面，作為“整體聲音畫面”的一部分，他不想讓歌曲“無菌般乾淨”，因為會失去其發自肺腑的效果。
在許多方面，《飆》代表了傑克遜作為藝術家的成熟。昆西•鐘斯（Quincy Jones）一開始懷疑他能不能寫所有歌，傑克遜作為回應寫了專輯上11首歌曲中的9首，還有好些沒有收錄進去。“向偉人學習。”他寫給自己，“變得更偉大。”他“剖析”音樂，讀了許多書，包括約瑟夫•坎貝爾（Joseph Campbell）的作品。他想理解象徵主義、神話和中心思想隨著時間流逝會引起怎樣的共鳴，為何會如此。
當他把樣帶帶到西湖錄音室（Westlake Studio0和昆西•鐘斯、布魯斯•斯韋迪恩（A團隊）工作時，歌曲的大多數主要元素已經到位，主要就著眼於細節：稍稍潤色、美化、增強和讓傑克遜懊惱的削減。錄音助理拉斯•拉格斯代爾（Russ Ragsdale）估計用了超過800卷多音軌錄音帶製作《飆》，這個數字非常驚人。合成器堆滿收音室，傑克遜常常跟合成器編排師約翰•巴恩斯在那兒工作。人聲部分會在傑克遜滿意的時候重新錄製。傑克遜、昆西•鐘斯和布魯斯•斯韋迪恩會一直調整、爭論，直到截止日期的最後一分鐘。
許多注意力放在了短篇電影上。在關於《飆》錄影的紙條裏，傑克遜表示自己還沒完全滿意編舞，動作得完全吸收進去，沒有思考的餘地。他得融進舞蹈和音樂中，讓那成為純粹的感覺。
許多人還沒意識到傑克遜對自己作品每個細節的投入，從編舞到燈光到服裝到故事。在彩排《犯罪高手》的短篇電影時，傑克遜向導演科林•奇弗斯（Colin Chivers）、編舞師文森特•派特森（Vincent Paterson）生動解釋了他希望橋段部分實現的張力釋放。“所以我們搭到山上，再把它弄下去。”他指示說，“上面（用嘴發出音效）有很高的弦樂，駕馭著我們沒有放進去的感情（用嘴發出音效）。號角之類的東西……駕馭感覺……我要讓音樂表達我的感受……這將控制我們的感情、情緒。我們要表達出大家的感覺，這是反抗。明白我的意思嗎？我們要表達出我們一直想說給世界的東西。激情、憤怒和火焰！”
25年後，結果不言自明。《飆》和《犯罪高手》這些錄影是最棒的，《鏡中人》（Man in the Mirror）、《你給我的感覺》、《風騷戴安娜》和《我的另一半》（Another Part of Me）仍是傑克遜歌庫中的翹楚。聽著9月18日即將發行的3CD裝《飆25》（Bad25）裏重新處理過的專輯，回憶獨特的樂趣。聽著沖勁十足的低音、節奏編排、聲音試驗、電影般敍事、標誌性尖叫和用詞、十足的活力和快樂。這是最活力四射的作品，和“王子”（Prince）的最佳作品同屬20世紀80年代的最佳專輯。
《飆》就是顛峰時期傑克遜的自畫像 —— 無畏、創新、自信。而現在，“全世界要給出個答案。”
翻譯：Badthriller
2012年9月11日 - 正在巔峰的邁克爾•傑克遜（Michael Jackson）消失了。
1984年，他無處不在：MTV、百事廣告、格萊美頒獎典禮、白宮、《滾石》（Rolling Stone）雜誌、《時代》（Time）雜誌、橫跨全美的“勝利”巡演（Victory Tour）。第二年，除了在《四海一家》（We Are the World）中短暫露面，他不見了。“1985年。”格裏•赫爾希（Gerri Hirshey）寫于《滾石》，“是邁克爾觀察者的黑洞，他們目睹了自1910年哈雷彗星飛往太陽系那一頭以來最壯觀的消失。”對於明白期望和神秘力量的表演者，這是一次戰略行動。1986年也一樣。據說傑克遜“躲了起來”，鮮少在公開場合露面。
隨之而來的就是一連串關於神廟、高壓氧氣艙、象人骨的荒誕故事。大多數都無害（倒是逗樂了傑克遜），但媒體的激烈反應還有更陰暗的一面。傑克遜是娛樂史上最有權勢的非裔美國人，他不僅通過自己破紀錄的專輯、錄影和表演建立了帝國，還復興了CBS/史詩唱片公司（CBS/Epic Records），為MTV喚醒生機並給現場娛樂設立了標杆。他還聰明地保留了自己所有母帶的擁有權，在律師約翰•布蘭卡（John Branca）的幫助下成功獲得包括斯萊和斯通一家樂隊（Sly and the Family Stone）、雷•查理斯（Ray Charles）以及流行樂禦寶ATV/披頭士（ATV/Beatles）樂庫在內的歌曲版權。
就在這時，潮流開始變化。原本是圈內和媒體的寵兒，現在漸漸有了懷疑、不滿和嫉妒。傑克遜顯然不只是一個天真的男孩（像表面看到的那樣）或者滿足於做個能歌善舞的聽話藝人，他用智謀打敗了圈內的幾個重量級人物，無論是藝術上還是經濟上都在成長。他開始學習如何使用自己的力量和文化影響帶來更多的社會和政治效應。
“他改變了這麼多格局，不會很快就被忘記。”詹姆斯•鮑德溫（James Baldwin）寫於1985年，“他肯定抓住了中獎機會，在蒙特卡洛輸得傾家蕩產的人根本比不上邁克爾。所有的噪音都關於美國這個黑人生命財產詭詐的監護人；美國黑人、尤其男性；正在燃燒和被掩埋的美國罪惡；性、性角色和性恐慌；金錢、成功和絕望……”這些激烈反應不僅僅關於傑克遜所謂的古怪，還關於權力、金錢和根深蒂固的文化優勢。在傑克遜之前，就像詹姆斯•布朗（James Brown）說的，黑人藝術家常常“在演出中，但不在演出業中。”現在傑克遜是必須面對的經濟力量，可他的地位也讓他變成了一個巨大的靶子。
1985年起，媒體對傑克遜愈發惡毒。“他們想的是我們的血，而不是痛。”傑克遜1987年寫在一張紙條上。小報很快給他起了個綽號“怪人傑克”（Wacko Jacko，傑克遜很討厭這個詞），最早是英國小報《太陽報》（The Sun）1985年給他起的，但這個詞淵源頗深。傑克•馬卡可（Jacko Macacco）是19世紀20年代初期倫敦威斯敏斯特競技場（Westminster Pit）鬥猴賽中一隻著名猴子的名字。漸漸地，“Jacco”和“Jacco Macacco”成為倫敦人指代猴子的俚語。這個詞在20世紀變成了“猴子傑克”（Jacko Monkeys），成為20世紀50年代英國著名的兒童玩具。直到80年代，它們還是英國家庭的常用詞，現在還有人用。
“Jacko”這個詞不是平白無故來的，當然也不是什麼好詞。接下來，它就被小報和主流媒體輕蔑地拿來隨手亂用。即使對於那些不知道其種族主義根源和含義的人，這也是用來“異化”、羞辱和貶損其目標的。就像拉爾夫•埃利森（Ralph Ellison）寫的《隱身人》（Invisible Man）裏《拳擊大賽》（Battle Royal）的場景，這把邁克爾•傑克遜這個人和藝術家降格為“Jacko”這個江湖藝人，從中貪得無厭地消遣。（值得注意的是，這個詞廣泛用於白人媒體，鮮有黑人記者使用。）
不祥的暗流在湧動，旋繞在傑克遜身邊，既影響了他的心靈，也影響了大眾（尤其在美國）的觀感。控制和釋放（或逃避）間的緊張滲透進了《飆》（Bad）專輯及相關的音樂錄影。
比如在《別煩我》（Leave Me Alone）的短篇電影中，傑克遜敏銳地傳達著作為一個藝人生活裏狂歡般的現實。受到喬納森•斯威夫特（Jonathan Swift）《格列佛遊記》（Gulliver's Travels）的部分啟發，一個巨人傑克遜真被死死地困在遊樂場裏像被關在牢籠裏的狗一樣供人觀賞。錄影裏，他唱報紙、鈔票，重現小報故事，敏銳地自我意識（並公開意識）並質詢了後現代主義時代的誘捕、剝削和雙重意識。
傑克遜當時“消失”的部分原因也和他的現實生活有關。他再也無法自由地走在世界各地，卻不被包圍、檢查和分析。
他回到了自己的藝術裏。在1985 – 1987年這段遠離公眾視線的日子裏，他創作錄音，極其高產。“飆”時期最終產生超過60首歌，完成度不盡相同。他曾一度考慮把它發行為三碟專輯。
傑克遜把在海文赫斯特（Hayvenhurst）的家庭錄音室稱為“實驗室”，這是和一小群音樂人和錄音師創造魔力的地方，馬特•佛格（Matt Forger）、約翰•巴恩斯（John Barnes）、克裏斯•柯雷爾（Chris Currell）和比爾•博特賴爾（Bill Bottrell）等人（他們通常被稱為“B團隊”）就在那裏。傳說傑克遜在浴室鏡子上寫了“ 1億”，這是他希望《飆》能賣出的數量，比《顫慄》（Thriller）當時的銷量還高出一倍不止，從中你能一窺傑克遜的雄心。
傑克遜追求的還不止商業成功，他想創新，他告訴合作者想創造出從沒聽過的聲音。當時，激動人心的新合成器正在登場，包括Fairlight CMI和Synclavier PSMT。“這真的打開了創作的新領域。”錄音師馬特•佛格回憶說，“Fairlight有一隻光筆能在螢幕上畫波形，允許你修改模型。Synclavier則更進一步拓展。我們常常最後會把兩種合成器的元素拼在一起創造出獨特的聲音，你能用Synclavier實現，但你還能調整每種音效的起聲，這樣你就能真正製作出音效。我們做了許多採樣，創造出新的音效，把採樣的聲音跟調頻合成混合在一起。”
傑克遜陶醉於這些新技術，不斷尋找新聲音。比如，《風騷戴安娜》（Dirty Diana）開頭的音效就是來自灣區的Synclavier專家和設計師丹尼•耶格（Denny Jaeger）創造的。傑克遜聽說耶格和他的新音效音景集時，立刻聯繫他加入《飆》的製作。耶格的音效最終出現在《風騷戴安娜》和《犯罪高手》（Smooth Criminal）裏。“邁克爾一直在尋找新東西。”佛格說，“我們自己能發明、研究和找到多少東西？太多了。‘實驗室’就是這麼來的。”
讓《飆》專輯永恆的，是傑克遜用更根本、靈魂的品質回報這種技術創新。比如在《你給我的感覺》（The Way You Make Me Feel）裏，強勁有力的伴奏和所有自然即興的美感賦予了歌曲魅力：即興唱段、響指、藍調和聲、衝擊耳膜的哼哼跟喘氣、尖叫。錄音師布魯斯•斯韋迪恩（Bruce Swedien）說他如何把傑克遜所有的聲音習慣留在裏面，作為“整體聲音畫面”的一部分，他不想讓歌曲“無菌般乾淨”，因為會失去其發自肺腑的效果。
在許多方面，《飆》代表了傑克遜作為藝術家的成熟。昆西•鐘斯（Quincy Jones）一開始懷疑他能不能寫所有歌，傑克遜作為回應寫了專輯上11首歌曲中的9首，還有好些沒有收錄進去。“向偉人學習。”他寫給自己，“變得更偉大。”他“剖析”音樂，讀了許多書，包括約瑟夫•坎貝爾（Joseph Campbell）的作品。他想理解象徵主義、神話和中心思想隨著時間流逝會引起怎樣的共鳴，為何會如此。
當他把樣帶帶到西湖錄音室（Westlake Studio0和昆西•鐘斯、布魯斯•斯韋迪恩（A團隊）工作時，歌曲的大多數主要元素已經到位，主要就著眼於細節：稍稍潤色、美化、增強和讓傑克遜懊惱的削減。錄音助理拉斯•拉格斯代爾（Russ Ragsdale）估計用了超過800卷多音軌錄音帶製作《飆》，這個數字非常驚人。合成器堆滿收音室，傑克遜常常跟合成器編排師約翰•巴恩斯在那兒工作。人聲部分會在傑克遜滿意的時候重新錄製。傑克遜、昆西•鐘斯和布魯斯•斯韋迪恩會一直調整、爭論，直到截止日期的最後一分鐘。
許多注意力放在了短篇電影上。在關於《飆》錄影的紙條裏，傑克遜表示自己還沒完全滿意編舞，動作得完全吸收進去，沒有思考的餘地。他得融進舞蹈和音樂中，讓那成為純粹的感覺。
許多人還沒意識到傑克遜對自己作品每個細節的投入，從編舞到燈光到服裝到故事。在彩排《犯罪高手》的短篇電影時，傑克遜向導演科林•奇弗斯（Colin Chivers）、編舞師文森特•派特森（Vincent Paterson）生動解釋了他希望橋段部分實現的張力釋放。“所以我們搭到山上，再把它弄下去。”他指示說，“上面（用嘴發出音效）有很高的弦樂，駕馭著我們沒有放進去的感情（用嘴發出音效）。號角之類的東西……駕馭感覺……我要讓音樂表達我的感受……這將控制我們的感情、情緒。我們要表達出大家的感覺，這是反抗。明白我的意思嗎？我們要表達出我們一直想說給世界的東西。激情、憤怒和火焰！”
25年後，結果不言自明。《飆》和《犯罪高手》這些錄影是最棒的，《鏡中人》（Man in the Mirror）、《你給我的感覺》、《風騷戴安娜》和《我的另一半》（Another Part of Me）仍是傑克遜歌庫中的翹楚。聽著9月18日即將發行的3CD裝《飆25》（Bad25）裏重新處理過的專輯，回憶獨特的樂趣。聽著沖勁十足的低音、節奏編排、聲音試驗、電影般敍事、標誌性尖叫和用詞、十足的活力和快樂。這是最活力四射的作品，和“王子”（Prince）的最佳作品同屬20世紀80年代的最佳專輯。
《飆》就是顛峰時期傑克遜的自畫像 —— 無畏、創新、自信。而現在，“全世界要給出個答案。”
http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2012/09/how-michael-jackson-made-bad/262162/2/
How Michael Jackson Made 'Bad'
At the height of his fame, Michael Jackson
disappeared.
In 1984, he seemed to be everywhere: on MTV and in
Pepsi commercials, at the Grammys and the White House, on Rolling Stone and
Time magazine, and all across the United States on the Victory Tour. The next
year, however, besides a brief appearance in "We Are the World," he
was nowhere to be seen. "The year 1985," wrote Gerri Hirshey for
Rolling Stone, "has been a black hole for Michael watchers, who witnessed
the most spectacular disappearing act since Halley's comet headed for the far side
of the solar system in 1910." It was a strategic move from a performer who
understood the power of anticipation and mystique. 1986 was much the same.
Jackson was said to be a recluse "in hiding" and made few public
appearances.
A British tabloid deemed him "Wacko Jacko" in 1985, but the
nickname's etymology goes back further: "Jacco" or "Jacco
Macacco" was Cockney slang for "monkey."
In his absence came a flood of fantastical stories
about shrines, hyperbaric chambers, and Elephant Man's bones. Most of these
were harmless (and actually amused Jackson ), but there was a darker side to
the media backlash. Jackson had become the most powerful African American in
the history of the entertainment industry. Not only had he built an empire
through his own record-shattering albums, videos and performances, he had
resurrected the fortunes of CBS/Epic Records, surged life into MTV, and set the
bar for live entertainment. He also smartly retained full ownership of his
master recordings and with the help of his attorney, John Branca, actively
acquired publishing rights, including songs by Sly and the Family Stone, Ray
Charles, and of course, the crown jewel of popular music: the ATV/Beatles
catalog.
It is no coincidence that this was the precise
moment when the tide began to shift. From industry heavyweights and media
alike, there was now suspicion, resentment, and jealousy. It was clear Jackson
was not merely a naive man-child (as he was often presented), or a
song-and-dance man who knew and accepted his place as a static, submissive "entertainer."
He was outwitting some of the most powerful figures in the industry. He was
growing artistically and financially. And he was beginning to learn how to
wield his considerable power and cultural influence for more social and
political ends.
"He will not swiftly be forgiven for having
turned so many tables," wrote James Baldwin in 1985, "for he damn
sure grabbed the brass ring, and the man who broke the bank at Monte Carlo has
nothing on Michael. All that noise is about America, as the dishonest custodian
of black life and wealth; the blacks, especially males, in America; and the
burning, buried American guilt; and sex and sexual roles and sexual panic;
money, success and despair..."
The backlash, then, was not merely about Jackson 's
perceived eccentricities. It was also about power, money, and more subtle forms
of institutional and cultural dominance. In the decades preceding Jackson , as
James Brown put it, black recording artists were all-too-often "in the
show, but not in show business." Now Jackson was a financial force to be
reckoned with. His status, however, also turned him into an enormous target.
Beginning in 1985, the media became increasingly
vicious toward the artist. "They desire our blood, not our pain,"
Jackson wrote in a note in 1987. Tabloids soon began disparaging him with the
nickname "Wacko Jacko" (a term Jackson despised). It was a term first
applied to the pop star by the British tabloid, The Sun, in 1985, but its
etymology goes back further. "Jacko Macacco" was the name of a famous
monkey used in monkey-baiting matches at the Westminster Pit in London in the
early 1820s. Subsequently, the term "Jacco" or "Jacco
Macacco" was Cockney slang to refer to monkeys in general. The term
persisted into the 20th century as "Jacko Monkeys" became popular
children's toys in Great Britain in the 1950s. They remained common in British
households into the 1980s (and can still be found on Ebay today).
The term "Jacko," then, didn't arise out
of a vacuum, and certainly wasn't meant as a term of endearment. In the ensuing
years, it would be used by the tabloid and mainstream media alike with a
contempt that left no doubt about its intent. Even for those with no knowledge
of its racist roots and connotations, it was obviously used to "otherize,"
humiliate and demean its target. Like Ralph Ellison's "Battle Royal"
scene in Invisible Man, it was a process by which to reduce Michael Jackson the
human being and artist, to "Jacko" the minstrelized spectacle for
avaricious amusement. (It is significant to note that, while the term was used
widely by the white media, it was rarely, if ever used by black journalists.)
This was the ominous undercurrent beginning to swirl
around Jackson and it had an impact on both his own psyche and that of the
public (particularly in the U.S. ). The tension between control and liberation
or escape percolates throughout the Bad album and its accompanying music
videos.
In the short film for "Leave Me Alone,"
for example, Jackson keenly conveys the carnivalesque reality of his life as an
objectified entertainer. Inspired in part by Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's
Travels, a larger-than-life Jackson is literally trapped in an amusement park
attraction as dogs in corporate suits pound pegs in the ground to keep him in
place. Later in the video he sings out of newspapers, dollar bills, and within
reenactments of tabloid stories. It is a shrewdly self-aware (and socially
aware) examination of entrapment, exploitation, and double consciousness in the
postmodern age.
Part of Jackson 's "disappearance," then,
also had to do with the realities of his life. He could no longer walk freely
anywhere in the world without being mobbed, scrutinized, and dissected.
His retreat was in his art. From 1985 to 1987, away
from the public eye, he was writing and recording prolifically. The Bad
sessions would ultimately generate more than 60 songs in various states of
completion. At one point he considered releasing it as a triple-disc album.
It's become legend that Jackson wrote "100 million" on his
bathroom mirror, the number of albums he expected 'Bad' to sell: more than
double the number of what 'Thriller' had done
Jackson called his home studio at Hayvenhurst
"the Laboratory." This is where the magic was created with a small
group of musicians and engineers, including Matt Forger, John Barnes, Chris
Currell, and Bill Bottrell (often referred to as the "B-Team"). It
has now become the stuff of legend that Jackson wrote "100 million"
on his bathroom mirror, the number of albums he expected Bad to sell. The figure
was more than double the number of what Thriller had sold to that point. Such
was the scope of Jackson 's ambition.
However, it wasn't just commercial success he was
after. Jackson wanted to innovate. He told collaborators he wanted to create
sounds the ear had never heard. Exciting new synthesizers were coming on the
scene at the time, including the Fairlight CMI and the Synclavier PSMT.
"It really opened up another realm of creativity," recalls recording
engineer Matt Forger. "The Fairlight had this light pen that could draw a
waveform on the screen and allow you to modify the shape of it. The Synclavier
was just an extension of that. Very often we would end up combining two
synthesizer elements together to create a unique character. You could do that
within the Synclavier, but you also had the ability in a very fine increment to
adjust the attack of each sound character. And by doing that you could really
tailor the sound. We were doing a lot of sampling and creating new sound
characters and then creating a combination of sample sounds mixed with FM
synthesis."
Jackson was fascinated with these new technologies
and constantly on the lookout for fresh sounds. The opening sound character for
"Dirty Diana," for example, was created by Denny Jaeger, a Synclavier
expert and designer from the Bay Area. When Jackson heard about Jaeger and his
library of new sound characters and soundscapes, he reached out and enlisted
him for Bad. Jaeger's sounds ultimately appeared on both "Dirty
Diana" and "Smooth Criminal." "Michael was always searching
for something new," Forger says. "How much stuff could we invent
ourselves or research and find? There was a whole lot of that going on. That
was what the Laboratory was about."
What makes the Bad album so timeless, however, is
the way Jackson was able to compliment this technological innovation with more
organic, soulful qualities. In "The Way You Make Me Feel," for
example, the relentless steel-shuffling motion of the beat is juxtaposed with
all kinds of natural, improvisational qualities that give the song its charm:
the vocal ad libs, the finger snapping, the blues harmonies, the percussive
grunts and gasps, the exclamations. Recording engineer Bruce Swedien speaks of
how he left all of Jackson 's vocal habits in as part of the "overall
sonic picture." He didn't want to make the song "antiseptically
clean" because it would lose its visceral effect.
In so many ways, Bad was Jackson 's coming-of-age as
an artist. Quincy Jones challenged him at the outset to write all the material
and Jackson responded, writing nine of the 11 tracks that made the album and
dozens more that were left off. "Study the greats," he wrote in one
note to himself, "and become greater." He spoke of the
"anatomy" of music, of dissecting its parts. He was also reading a
great deal, including the work of Joseph Campbell. He wanted to understand what
symbolism, myths, and motifs resonated over time and why.
By the time he brought demos to Westlake Studio to
work on with Quincy Jones and Bruce Swedien (the A-Team), most of the key
elements of the songs were in place. Now it was a matter of details:
small-brush coloring, polishing, augmenting, and to Jackson 's chagrin, paring
down. Assistant engineer Russ Ragsdale estimates that more than 800 multi-track
tapes were made to create Bad, an extraordinary number. Synth stacks filled the
tracking room, where Jackson often worked with synth programer John Barnes. Vocals
were rerecorded until Jackson felt satisfied. Jackson, Quincy Jones and Bruce
Swedien continued to tweak and debate decisions until the final minute before
the deadline.
Just as much attention went into the short films. In
his notes following the Bad video, Jackson indicated that he still wasn't
completely satisfied with the choreography. The moves had to be so internalized
that there was no thinking whatsoever. He had to dissolve into the steps and
the music until it became pure feeling.
Many people still don't realize the input Jackson
had on every detail of his work, from choreography to lighting to costumes to
story. While rehearsing for the short film for "Smooth Criminal,"
Jackson eloquently explained to director Colin Chivers and choreographer Vincent
Paterson the tension and release he hoped to achieve in the bridge.
"That's why we build it to a mountain and we bring it back down," he
instructed. "Then at the top [mouths sounds effect] with the high strings.
Something to just ride the emotion that we didn't put into it [mouths sound
effect]. Just a horn or something, you know... To ride the feeling of it... I
want the music to represent the way we feel... It's gotta dictate our emotion,
our moods. We're expressing the way everybody feels. It's rebellion. You know
what I mean? We're letting out what we always wanted to say to the world.
Passion and anger and fire!"
Twenty-five years later, the results speak for
themselves. Videos like "Bad" and "Smooth Criminal" are
among the finest the medium has to offer. Songs like "Man in the
Mirror," "The Way You Make Me Feel," "Dirty Diana,"
and "Another Part of Me" remain staples in Jackson 's vast catalog.
Hearing the remastered album, included in the three-CD Bad25 set out September
18, is a reminder of its singular personality and pleasure. Listen to the
propulsive bass lines, the layers of rhythm, the vocal experimentation, the
cinematic narratives, the signature exclamations and invented vocabulary, the
sheer vitality and joy. This is pop at its most dynamic, and it stands, along
with the best work of Prince, as one of the best albums of the 1980s.
Bad is a portrait of the artist in peak form—bold,
creative and confident. Now as then, "the whole world has to answer."
How Michael Jackson Made 'Bad'
By Joseph Vogel
Sep 10 2012
The story of how the landmark album, which just
turned 25 and will soon be re-released in a three-disc set, was forged by the "Wacko
Jacko" backlash against the pop star
At the height of his fame, Michael Jackson
disappeared.
In 1984, he seemed to be everywhere: on MTV and in
Pepsi commercials, at the Grammys and the White House, on Rolling Stone and
Time magazine, and all across the United States on the Victory Tour. The next
year, however, besides a brief appearance in "We Are the World," he
was nowhere to be seen. "The year 1985," wrote Gerri Hirshey for
Rolling Stone, "has been a black hole for Michael watchers, who witnessed
the most spectacular disappearing act since Halley's comet headed for the far side
of the solar system in 1910." It was a strategic move from a performer who
understood the power of anticipation and mystique. 1986 was much the same.
Jackson was said to be a recluse "in hiding" and made few public
appearances.
A British tabloid deemed him "Wacko Jacko" in 1985, but the
nickname's etymology goes back further: "Jacco" or "Jacco
Macacco" was Cockney slang for "monkey."
In his absence came a flood of fantastical stories
about shrines, hyperbaric chambers, and Elephant Man's bones. Most of these
were harmless (and actually amused Jackson ), but there was a darker side to
the media backlash. Jackson had become the most powerful African American in
the history of the entertainment industry. Not only had he built an empire
through his own record-shattering albums, videos and performances, he had
resurrected the fortunes of CBS/Epic Records, surged life into MTV, and set the
bar for live entertainment. He also smartly retained full ownership of his
master recordings and with the help of his attorney, John Branca, actively
acquired publishing rights, including songs by Sly and the Family Stone, Ray
Charles, and of course, the crown jewel of popular music: the ATV/Beatles
catalog.
It is no coincidence that this was the precise
moment when the tide began to shift. From industry heavyweights and media
alike, there was now suspicion, resentment, and jealousy. It was clear Jackson
was not merely a naive man-child (as he was often presented), or a
song-and-dance man who knew and accepted his place as a static, submissive "entertainer."
He was outwitting some of the most powerful figures in the industry. He was
growing artistically and financially. And he was beginning to learn how to
wield his considerable power and cultural influence for more social and
political ends.
"He will not swiftly be forgiven for having
turned so many tables," wrote James Baldwin in 1985, "for he damn
sure grabbed the brass ring, and the man who broke the bank at Monte Carlo has
nothing on Michael. All that noise is about America, as the dishonest custodian
of black life and wealth; the blacks, especially males, in America; and the
burning, buried American guilt; and sex and sexual roles and sexual panic;
money, success and despair..."
The backlash, then, was not merely about Jackson 's
perceived eccentricities. It was also about power, money, and more subtle forms
of institutional and cultural dominance. In the decades preceding Jackson , as
James Brown put it, black recording artists were all-too-often "in the
show, but not in show business." Now Jackson was a financial force to be
reckoned with. His status, however, also turned him into an enormous target.
Beginning in 1985, the media became increasingly
vicious toward the artist. "They desire our blood, not our pain,"
Jackson wrote in a note in 1987. Tabloids soon began disparaging him with the
nickname "Wacko Jacko" (a term Jackson despised). It was a term first
applied to the pop star by the British tabloid, The Sun, in 1985, but its
etymology goes back further. "Jacko Macacco" was the name of a famous
monkey used in monkey-baiting matches at the Westminster Pit in London in the
early 1820s. Subsequently, the term "Jacco" or "Jacco
Macacco" was Cockney slang to refer to monkeys in general. The term
persisted into the 20th century as "Jacko Monkeys" became popular
children's toys in Great Britain in the 1950s. They remained common in British
households into the 1980s (and can still be found on Ebay today).
The term "Jacko," then, didn't arise out
of a vacuum, and certainly wasn't meant as a term of endearment. In the ensuing
years, it would be used by the tabloid and mainstream media alike with a
contempt that left no doubt about its intent. Even for those with no knowledge
of its racist roots and connotations, it was obviously used to "otherize,"
humiliate and demean its target. Like Ralph Ellison's "Battle Royal"
scene in Invisible Man, it was a process by which to reduce Michael Jackson the
human being and artist, to "Jacko" the minstrelized spectacle for
avaricious amusement. (It is significant to note that, while the term was used
widely by the white media, it was rarely, if ever used by black journalists.)
This was the ominous undercurrent beginning to swirl
around Jackson and it had an impact on both his own psyche and that of the
public (particularly in the U.S. ). The tension between control and liberation
or escape percolates throughout the Bad album and its accompanying music
videos.
In the short film for "Leave Me Alone,"
for example, Jackson keenly conveys the carnivalesque reality of his life as an
objectified entertainer. Inspired in part by Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's
Travels, a larger-than-life Jackson is literally trapped in an amusement park
attraction as dogs in corporate suits pound pegs in the ground to keep him in
place. Later in the video he sings out of newspapers, dollar bills, and within
reenactments of tabloid stories. It is a shrewdly self-aware (and socially
aware) examination of entrapment, exploitation, and double consciousness in the
postmodern age.
Part of Jackson 's "disappearance," then,
also had to do with the realities of his life. He could no longer walk freely
anywhere in the world without being mobbed, scrutinized, and dissected.
His retreat was in his art. From 1985 to 1987, away
from the public eye, he was writing and recording prolifically. The Bad
sessions would ultimately generate more than 60 songs in various states of
completion. At one point he considered releasing it as a triple-disc album.
It's become legend that Jackson wrote "100 million" on his
bathroom mirror, the number of albums he expected 'Bad' to sell: more than
double the number of what 'Thriller' had done
Jackson called his home studio at Hayvenhurst
"the Laboratory." This is where the magic was created with a small
group of musicians and engineers, including Matt Forger, John Barnes, Chris
Currell, and Bill Bottrell (often referred to as the "B-Team"). It
has now become the stuff of legend that Jackson wrote "100 million"
on his bathroom mirror, the number of albums he expected Bad to sell. The figure
was more than double the number of what Thriller had sold to that point. Such
was the scope of Jackson 's ambition.
However, it wasn't just commercial success he was
after. Jackson wanted to innovate. He told collaborators he wanted to create
sounds the ear had never heard. Exciting new synthesizers were coming on the
scene at the time, including the Fairlight CMI and the Synclavier PSMT.
"It really opened up another realm of creativity," recalls recording
engineer Matt Forger. "The Fairlight had this light pen that could draw a
waveform on the screen and allow you to modify the shape of it. The Synclavier
was just an extension of that. Very often we would end up combining two
synthesizer elements together to create a unique character. You could do that
within the Synclavier, but you also had the ability in a very fine increment to
adjust the attack of each sound character. And by doing that you could really
tailor the sound. We were doing a lot of sampling and creating new sound
characters and then creating a combination of sample sounds mixed with FM
synthesis."
Jackson was fascinated with these new technologies
and constantly on the lookout for fresh sounds. The opening sound character for
"Dirty Diana," for example, was created by Denny Jaeger, a Synclavier
expert and designer from the Bay Area. When Jackson heard about Jaeger and his
library of new sound characters and soundscapes, he reached out and enlisted
him for Bad. Jaeger's sounds ultimately appeared on both "Dirty
Diana" and "Smooth Criminal." "Michael was always searching
for something new," Forger says. "How much stuff could we invent
ourselves or research and find? There was a whole lot of that going on. That
was what the Laboratory was about."
What makes the Bad album so timeless, however, is
the way Jackson was able to compliment this technological innovation with more
organic, soulful qualities. In "The Way You Make Me Feel," for
example, the relentless steel-shuffling motion of the beat is juxtaposed with
all kinds of natural, improvisational qualities that give the song its charm:
the vocal ad libs, the finger snapping, the blues harmonies, the percussive
grunts and gasps, the exclamations. Recording engineer Bruce Swedien speaks of
how he left all of Jackson 's vocal habits in as part of the "overall
sonic picture." He didn't want to make the song "antiseptically
clean" because it would lose its visceral effect.
In so many ways, Bad was Jackson 's coming-of-age as
an artist. Quincy Jones challenged him at the outset to write all the material
and Jackson responded, writing nine of the 11 tracks that made the album and
dozens more that were left off. "Study the greats," he wrote in one
note to himself, "and become greater." He spoke of the
"anatomy" of music, of dissecting its parts. He was also reading a
great deal, including the work of Joseph Campbell. He wanted to understand what
symbolism, myths, and motifs resonated over time and why.
By the time he brought demos to Westlake Studio to
work on with Quincy Jones and Bruce Swedien (the A-Team), most of the key
elements of the songs were in place. Now it was a matter of details:
small-brush coloring, polishing, augmenting, and to Jackson 's chagrin, paring
down. Assistant engineer Russ Ragsdale estimates that more than 800 multi-track
tapes were made to create Bad, an extraordinary number. Synth stacks filled the
tracking room, where Jackson often worked with synth programer John Barnes. Vocals
were rerecorded until Jackson felt satisfied. Jackson, Quincy Jones and Bruce
Swedien continued to tweak and debate decisions until the final minute before
the deadline.
Just as much attention went into the short films. In
his notes following the Bad video, Jackson indicated that he still wasn't
completely satisfied with the choreography. The moves had to be so internalized
that there was no thinking whatsoever. He had to dissolve into the steps and
the music until it became pure feeling.
Many people still don't realize the input Jackson
had on every detail of his work, from choreography to lighting to costumes to
story. While rehearsing for the short film for "Smooth Criminal,"
Jackson eloquently explained to director Colin Chivers and choreographer Vincent
Paterson the tension and release he hoped to achieve in the bridge.
"That's why we build it to a mountain and we bring it back down," he
instructed. "Then at the top [mouths sounds effect] with the high strings.
Something to just ride the emotion that we didn't put into it [mouths sound
effect]. Just a horn or something, you know... To ride the feeling of it... I
want the music to represent the way we feel... It's gotta dictate our emotion,
our moods. We're expressing the way everybody feels. It's rebellion. You know
what I mean? We're letting out what we always wanted to say to the world.
Passion and anger and fire!"
Twenty-five years later, the results speak for
themselves. Videos like "Bad" and "Smooth Criminal" are
among the finest the medium has to offer. Songs like "Man in the
Mirror," "The Way You Make Me Feel," "Dirty Diana,"
and "Another Part of Me" remain staples in Jackson 's vast catalog.
Hearing the remastered album, included in the three-CD Bad25 set out September
18, is a reminder of its singular personality and pleasure. Listen to the
propulsive bass lines, the layers of rhythm, the vocal experimentation, the
cinematic narratives, the signature exclamations and invented vocabulary, the
sheer vitality and joy. This is pop at its most dynamic, and it stands, along
with the best work of Prince, as one of the best albums of the 1980s.
Bad is a portrait of the artist in peak form—bold,
creative and confident. Now as then, "the whole world has to answer."
Michael Jackson stands in a graffiti-filled subway car during the filming of the long-form music video for his song 'Bad,' directed by Martin Scorsese, New York , New York , November 1986.
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