Seth Colter Walls Responds to Commenters

NEWSWEEK's music critic Seth Colter Walls wrote a piece last night describing how Michael Jackson's music failed to win him over as a fan. A lot of you commented, most of you stating (like stuff mcgee) that "while you give him [Jackson] some credit, you fail to recognize the level of sheer genius that MJ possessed."  Others, like stanbrakhage, wrote that "while I totally agree with you, I'm not sure our voice--the voice of the condescending hipster--makes for a necessary addition to all the news coverage." Walls responds to your comments below:

Whoa, okay! So a lot of you really, really hate this piece. The objections in the comments exhibit a range of thoughtfulness, from the worthwhile (my evaluation comes too soon after MJ's death) to the not-very (I don't like Jackson's music because I'm a "white dude"). On the first count, there are three things worth noting. One, this is not NEWSWEEK's sole article on Jackson's death. My colleague Joshua Alston has written a fine piece about Jackson's influence that many commenters want me to have rewritten. It's OK for a publication to employ multiple voices and perspectives on a story, and that includes first-person essays. (Look for more, from others, in the coming days.) Second, my decision to only engage Jackson's music—as opposed to the freak-show scandals—was an act of respect, since there are plenty of other outlets trodding the tabloid ground. But third, if you read the piece, its movement is one of my originally having a close-minded attitude to Jackson, and then growing out of that. Now, did he become my favorite musician? No. Do I prefer James Brown, Stevie Wonder, and Sly Stone (all of whom broke the color barrier on network TV before Jackson did on a cable channel)? Absolutely. I also prefer Prince, who I wrote about earlier this year. I get that fan emotions are running high right now, so I thought it made sense to speak to some of the more outraged comments. For those to whom Jackson meant a great deal, we're sorry for your loss. Now, as to the criticism that I don't like Michael because I'm white ... the less said the better. Thanks for reading! —Seth Colter Walls