58. Jesu/Sun Kil Moon - “He’s Bad”
I’ve never really been a fan of Michael Jackson. I mean, of course I know his songs and can sing along to them, but that’s more a product of their popularity than me ever seeking them out on my own (with the exception being the postmortem release of the solo acoustic piano rendition “Love Never Felt So Good”). Now this isn’t to wash my hands clean of the matter, but rather to state that I don’t have a personal investment in him or his music. Therefore, I don’t feel the need to defend him or seek out excuses to exonerate his name. I’m fine with throwing the proper dirt and blame upon his memory and would probably be fine never hearing any of his songs ever again.
However, that being said, I know there are plenty of people who feel differently. Who absolutely worship him and are deeply connected to his music. Who have childhoods or other precious memories that are inextricably connected to him and his music. I don’t think there’s a direct analogy through which I can relate, but I imagine its something akin to how I feel about Kobe Bryant. Kobe Bryant is directly connected to my childhood and all sorts of fond memories that involve intense moments of celebration, heartbreak, and enjoyment, and because of this I have a hard time accepting that he was capable of doing reprehensible things. I’ll defend him or hide behind legal decisions and uncertainties. Is it right? Probably not (note even now the use of ‘probably’). It’s just really hard to cast a shadow on something so bright. It irks the soul and taints that warm glow of nostalgia that we all love so much, and yet at the same time I think its necessary. We can’t excuse terrible behavior just because it belongs to a celebrity. We have to face it and address it in an attempt to keep it from ever happening again. As JFK once said (in a completely unrelated circumstance), we do these things “not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win.”
Ironically, I think going to the moon might end up being easier than readjusting the world’s collective opinion of Michael Jackson, but at least we’re finally trying, and this song by Jesu and Sun Kill Moon is a great addition to the effort. It showcases the full power of Mark Kozelek’s recent spoken-word/stream-of-consciousness approach to music. It’s compelling storytelling, an entrancing sort of speech or exposé, kind of like a seven minute bite-size documentary set to a soundtrack and replete with a catchier than expected chorus. There’s a power to it that’s both entertaining and invigorating – and don’t even get me started on the riffs/loops throughout. They’re so simple and yet so addicting. It’s beautiful stuff. So go ahead and give it a listen, because never has doing something hard felt so enjoyable.
