Clip: Douglas Rushkoff

Rushkoff speaks the word!

West Meets Jackson

With the 25th anniversary of Michael Jackson’s Thriller this year, I cannot help but attempt to define Jackson as a pop icon and the definition of icon. No one would argue that Jackson was at his highest point in popularity and creative output 25 years ago. He was the pop icon for the early eighties. He was arrogant and unique, while turning out high quality pop music. In addition, he had that diamond-studded glove. He flaunted that glove as an outward demonstration of his popularity. He can wear that ridiculously awesome glove, because he is Michael Jackson, and nobody is going to tell him to change.

While thinking about Michael and his pop dominance, I started to try to find a figure that has the same attributes as Thriller Jackson. Kanye West is an obvious choice. He is equally arrogant and his sort of Hip Hop (if you would call it that) is made for the masses. West’s performance at the Grammy’s with Daft Punk had the same mesmerizing energy as a Jackson performance (and was pretty frick'n cool). Now West has those White Glasses, (which apparently he had custom made for himself) that is becoming associated with him. Much like Jackson's Glove, which started its own fashion craze. He wore them at the Princess Diana Charity Concert and probably wore them for every single interview since. West is one album away from creating his own Thriller and has all the markings of becoming as popular as his ego.

West's new music video. Strange in a sorta Minimalist way.

First Post...Ever

So first post. Interesting enough can not find anything to say of worth. As it happens my jobs keep me from thinking about anything except food and sleep. Maybe that is the point of working, to keep you so occupied with finishing meaningless tasks, that you do not have to think about anything. No time to reflect on your life, to read an interesting book or to simply think. It is a constant rush to finish one task so that another one can start and finish. Now we have devices that allow us to work more efficiently, so that we can get more done than ever before. We have become a people of micro-management-(Even as i type this post...I am at work and have my BlackBerry sitting next to me waiting for calls from my other various jobs) more machine like than ever before. I think it was Marx who said that eventually our lives will be so reliant on our need to be productive that we can not live without the need to work. We have become entrenched into a system that is demanding more and more from us everyday.