Michael Jackson's fashion is pure fascism

Okay, so I'm probably the very last person to notice this, but Michael Jackson's style is a page taken straight from Pinochet's playbook. Take an objective look - epaulets, armbands, sashes - they're all military-inspired at best and dictator-inspired at worst:

This is a picture of Mike around the time of his trial in 2005 wearing his typical armband - whose fascist connotations I don't think I really even have to get into - and the Order of Vienna medal. Other medals that he supposedly wears are antiques from WWI, WWII, and the Civil War.



Here's a performance from Super Bowl XXVII which explicitly evokes military imagery. The outfit he's wearing is pretty similar to the one he - well, the statute of him - is wearing on the cover of HIStory.

I mean, it could be a totally innocuous fashion sensibility, a method of promoting an album or two. Dude isn't the first musical act to evoke military and fascism in their image, but he is the only one, to my knowledge, to achieve such massive popularity, to not reference it somewhat ironically in his music, and to use it consistently over the course of his career (and even now, with his career over). If I really wanted to go into it, I'd reference the fascist efficiency of his tunes or the subliminal appeal of fascism and how he incorporated it into pop music. Or you could just say the he's clearly afflicted with major mental illnesses and grandeur is just one symptom among many. But it's late and I'm lazy... so I'll just suggest these things for now.

Abbey Road is a great album

Whenever I start thinking about the Beatles, I'm wary to mention them because of their myrad connotations. Beatles fans are too mainstream to be serious music fans (everyone knows that the Rolling Stones were the only band to release music before the Velvets - maybe the Beach Boys or James Brown if you're an effete traditionalist or a historian). That said, Abbey Road is a brilliant end to a career. I think that the impact of the Beatles' early end is underestimated. The ending medely is blissful; very few bands have survived 20+ years with their credibility intact. (apart from the invincible Stones.) And don't forget Lennon's amazing post-Beatles career.

Dear Prudence

Sometimes I tend to forget about the brilliance of the Beatles. The band's songs are everywhere and have been so deeply ingrained into pop music, that it's easy to overlook the simple beauty of most of their work. I caught this cover on the radio the other day and it made me re-think about their excellence. Siouxsie definitely adds a few more layers onto this song, it's a bit noisier, which fits the era. Cool stuff.