This is not an ordinary book on Michael Jackson. It is neither an unthinking tribute nor a rumor-mongering character assassination. The Resistible Rise Of Michael Jackson is the definitive account of the man's life and legacy by two generations of the world's best music writers. It will be appreciated by anyone who loved Jackson's records and wants to understand the times he defined. Written with erudition, originality and passion, these essays are the literary complement to the man they seek to understand. File this book with the records; it will help you enjoy them more. Contributors include Joshua Clover, Barney Hoskyns, Paul Lester, Ian Penman, Chris Roberts, Mark Sinker, David Stubbs
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Fresh, allegation-free perspectives on Jackson's life provided one of the year's best books: The Resistible Demise Of Michael Jackson is a collection of essays edited by Mark Fisher, who reckons "only Elvis managed to insinuate himself into practically every living being's body and dreams to the same degree that Jackson did." ... Tom Ewing... posits that much of the singer's later work "sounds like multiple drafts of the same song, a crushed and frightened attempt by a desperate man to get the pain out". With no jokes about Bubbles, and only sadness that he ended up with a "permanent Pierrot-grimace sneer", this is a fine attempt to reclaim Jackson's reputation from the tabloids. --Bob Stanley, The Times
The new anthology of reflections on Jackson's life and work put together by Mark Fisher makes a hugely worthwhile counterweight to the many rush-released cash-in titles published in the indecent aftermath of his death. --www.guardian.co.uk/music/musicblog/2009
The new anthology of reflections on Jackson's life and work put together by Mark Fisher makes a hugely worthwhile counterweight to the many rush-released cash-in titles published in the indecent aftermath of his death. --www.guardian.co.uk/music/musicblog/2009
About the Author
Mark Fisher is highly respected both as a music writer and a theorist. He writes regularly for The Wire, frieze, New Statesman, and Sight & Sound.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By Bug DeLug
Amazon Verified Purchase
The idea for this book is indeed an interesting one- To compile a bunch of essays on Michael Jackson by different authors, and to look beyond the music and the trashy headlines. Unfortunately, it falls way short. The blurb on the back of the book states that this is not a character assassination, but I'm struggling to recall more than a couple of essays that weren't just that. Check out that disturbing cover illustration too- something that my wife described as scary when she saw the book on the bedside table.
Also, and a huge problem with a book like this, is that the contributors seem to get a lot of facts wrong, and always end up doing the same thing, which is looking at MJ through a prism of sensationalist headlines.
The tone is sombre throughout, except for the woefully misjudged and embarrassingly unfunny essay by Chris Robert which stands out like a sore thumb for all the wrong reasons.
Some essays stand out and generally have something interesting and fresh to offer, like Ken Hollings' and Reid Kane's efforts. However most are written by stuffy old men it seems, all focusing on the same aspects of Jackson's life and unsurprisingly coming up with the same answers. Yes, he had too much plastic surgery and yes, he seems to have had problems with his ethnicity, but that's hardly news is it? What about the music? There's very little discussion of it here, other than to trash his later records.
So, a wasted opportunity all in all, I'm afraid. A shame, as I really thought that this was going to be a level-headed and interesting way to look at the subject from a fresh angle, and on that level it fails miserably.
Scan through it though, and there are things worth uncovering. I would say that a good half a dozen essays here are well written and thought-provoking. A shame that they couldn't all be like that.
Also, and a huge problem with a book like this, is that the contributors seem to get a lot of facts wrong, and always end up doing the same thing, which is looking at MJ through a prism of sensationalist headlines.
The tone is sombre throughout, except for the woefully misjudged and embarrassingly unfunny essay by Chris Robert which stands out like a sore thumb for all the wrong reasons.
Some essays stand out and generally have something interesting and fresh to offer, like Ken Hollings' and Reid Kane's efforts. However most are written by stuffy old men it seems, all focusing on the same aspects of Jackson's life and unsurprisingly coming up with the same answers. Yes, he had too much plastic surgery and yes, he seems to have had problems with his ethnicity, but that's hardly news is it? What about the music? There's very little discussion of it here, other than to trash his later records.
So, a wasted opportunity all in all, I'm afraid. A shame, as I really thought that this was going to be a level-headed and interesting way to look at the subject from a fresh angle, and on that level it fails miserably.
Scan through it though, and there are things worth uncovering. I would say that a good half a dozen essays here are well written and thought-provoking. A shame that they couldn't all be like that.
12 of 15 people found the following review helpful
By J. S. Lopes
A great book, with some outstanding writing ( Mark Fisher, Marcello Carlin, Ian Penman). An amazing group of essays done with a cleared mind, and with the most impressive reflections on MJ, totally different from what i expected, but i was really pleased to read this book.
16 of 21 people found the following review helpful
I have not been a fan of Michael Jackson, let me say. Yet this fabulous book inspired me to listen more closely to at least a handful of his songs from the fresh, stimulating and provocative 'points of audition' it contains. And, lo and behold, they sprang to life in all their jouissance. This is not a book that will pin Jackson down for you. It does quite different and much more interesting things. It is a book about masks and simulacra in the context of the global culture industry. It is another great entry to the list of amazing books that Zero have put out this year (see also 'Capitalist Realism' by Mark Fisher, 'Cold World' by Dominic Fox, 'Militant Modernism' by Owen Hatherley, 'Fear of Music' by David Stubbs, the novel 'Picture of Contented Wealth').
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
1.0 out of 5 stars
Pretentious waste of paper
I have to imagine the other reviewer's here must be related to the author in some way.
This book is laughable - any one who has done any inkling of research into Michael... Read more
This book is laughable - any one who has done any inkling of research into Michael... Read more
Published 10 months ago by The girl who was
5.0 out of 5 stars
IT TAKES THE BRITS
It takes the Brits to write the most insighhtful, entertaining, riveting, memorable and gorgeous book on Michael Jackson. Read more
Published on 23 Feb 2010 by Hill Top House
1.0 out of 5 stars
The Resistable Demise of Michael Jackson
Having read all the other reviews I have to strongly disagree with what they have written . I felt this book was a total character assasination. Read more
Published on 18 Feb 2010 by Mrs. A. M. Denton
5.0 out of 5 stars
Just as you only need one MJ album, you only need one MJ book
...and this is it
Mark Fisher's essay has a propulsiveness about it that took me back to Melody Maker and NME at their best. Read more
Mark Fisher's essay has a propulsiveness about it that took me back to Melody Maker and NME at their best. Read more
Published on 12 Dec 2009 by Gurbir Thethy
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