Last night I couldn't sleep as usual so I started reading the Armond White book - the intro is great, but the first few essays are a bit rough as AW is still in his skeptic period and really beating on the nose jobs and what he perceives as major sell-out physical changes.

But the cracks in his cultural contempt start to show in Understanding Michael Jackson, and by the time he gets to this paragraph in The Gloved One Is Not A Chump:

"It's important that Black folks understand Jackson's physical appearance isn't anything so superficially pathetic as wanting to be white. His greatest desire---which he sang passionately in "Man In The Mirror"---is to 'lift yourself' above the common, petty fetters and divisions that affect most people's lives. The degree to which he has attempted this turns the song title 'Black or White' into a question about himself---a question made irrelevant by the obvious answer: 'Human.' "

... I almost cried! 

White folks need to understand this clearly too, maybe more so. 

The evolution of his nose may have been born from a desire to separate him physically and emotionally from his immediate family (his issues with his father, which his nose came to represent somehow, and the teasing issues), but the addition of the vitiligo into the mix certainly symbolically represents a more profound and meaningful evolution away from color and race, perhaps interpreted by him as divine intent, who knows? - and precipitated a more profound soul change for him personally as messenger of his time and place in history.

I'm looking forward to reading the further evolution of AW as a chronicler of an artist who in truth had no peers, ever - the combination of multiple talents, innovation, multicultural sensibility and spirituality and connection to the world will never be equaled.

Bless you Franci for sending me this book, and for T and all of you who told me I must read it.

Raw is a good word to use concerning those first few chapters. Stephanie warned me that a few things were a little rough in the beginning with his style of criticism so I was prepared. By the end of the book, I could tell that ol Mr. White wasn't so focused on appearance anymore....but the genius himself. Thank you Mr. White for coming around and making it clear that Michael Jackson isn't a chump!

 "It's important that Black folks understand Jackson's physical appearance isn't anything so superficially pathetic as wanting to be white.

preach it now... come on

White folks need to understand this clearly too, maybe more so. 

alright now, preach it a little harder!!!

Please note - that first quote is AW - all the rest (preachin' it a little harder as you say) is me. 

Can't blame him for what I wrote...

It does get better as the book progresses. After reading that book - which was early on -- I had an epiphany about how purposeful Michael was in everything he did.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

I'm seeing the change in White's attitude on every page now, Stephanie, and it's just wonderful as he transitions from detractor to supporter and expands upon his ideas re MJ's intentions and execution.

The really great things about AW from my point of view include:

He's a Black critic reporting upon an important Black artist, musician and filmmaker from a point of view that I would certainly never get from any white media representative -

He's not in the "inner circle" of media, not of big-name music critics or of film critics, and so not polluted by their commercialism, bad habits, lack of ethics and narrow thinking -

He's evidently respected by the mainstream media in spite of not kowtowing to them or accepting their questionable standards -

He doesn't apologize for his earlier thinking about Michael Jackson and isn't afraid to include that as contrast to his later analyses and opinions.

Really loved the sections about They Don't Care About Us - so absolutely true - so asinine to accuse MJ of antisemitism when anyone who knew ANYTHING about the man's integrity and long-stated consistent philosophy of respect, peace and love would know that he would not do something so ILLOGICAL as to release a song that deliberately assaulted and insulted another culture... Just ludicrous. Loved his opinions on why MJ played the game in apologizing for that song's content and his timing in doing so, even tho AW's point of view is a bit cynical.

This is a book that will require two or three reads to really digest in detail. It's also quite a vocabulary lesson - on practically every page I have to stop and look up a word or two. He's quite a teacher.

I got really excited at these words (tho specifically about TDCAU, they relate universally):

"No mainstream reviewer has been willing to admit that Jackson sees media perfectly accurately as an adversary. They get in the way of a direct response to art or to other events in life. The strength of art is proven by how deeply it can draw you into an artist's experience. If critics aren't compelled to sympathy by the excitement and trenchant quality of Jackson's singing or his inventive arrangements... they're intentionally resisting it."  

This is worthy of being repeated in any defensive comment to any media person. Assuming they have the intellect to grasp it.