From switchboard@sjca.eduWed Jan 26 18:13:57 2000
Date: Wed, 26 Jan 2000 12:49:55 -0500
From: Switchboard <switchboard@sjca.edu>
Reply to: johnny@charm.net
To: "'johnny@charm.net'" <johnny@charm.net>
Subject: "The Politics of Dancing" or "You'll Dance To Anything"

Francie Roberts wrote:

I am willing to fight for my position that The Jackson 5 is about a million times better than anything Michael Jackson did solo!

(staggering about doing a Fred Sanford-style heart attack)

Okay, lets compare...

A-B-C
Easy as 1-2-3
Easy as do-re-mi
A-B-C
1-2-3
Baby, you and me

--'A-B-C', The Jackson 5

People always told me be careful of what you do
Don't go around breaking young girls' hearts
And mother always told me be careful of who you love
And be careful of what you do 'cause the lie becomes the truth
Billie Jean is not my lover
She's just a girl who claims that I am the one
But the kid is not my son

--'Billie Jean', Michael Jackson

I don't even see a competition here, actually. Musically, 'Billie Jean' is both more complex and more compelling. Lyrically, 'A-B-C' barely rises above the realm of baby-talk, whereas 'Billie Jean' tells a story.

And the die-hard cynic in me would argue that 'A-B-C's world (as much as it could be said to have one) is a lie, whereas 'Billie Jean' is, in some sense, "true".

Now admittedly I am far more lyric-driven than beat-driven when it comes to my dance music, which is one of the reasons I can't get into the rave scene. Give me "Tainted Love", "Express Yourself", "Take A Chance On Me", "Y.M.C.A.", "Love Cats", "Scatman", "I Will Survive", "Burning Down the House", "Come On, Eileen", "Lady Marmalade", "99 Luftballoons", "Anarchy in the UK", "Blister in the Sun", "Stayin' Alive", "Spice Up Your Life" (ok...sue me, I like the Spice Girls), etc. etc.

Swing, Disco, New Wave, Punk, Ska, 90's alternaDance... that's music to dance to.

Of course, dance-STYLE may come into play a bit. Mine is sort of a "punk- gothic-Michael-Jackson-and-Freddie-Mercury-on-crack, my-god-is-he-trying- to-'Vogue'?" style where the goal is to embody the 'meaning' of the music while somehow avoiding kicking or slapping nearby dancers. Also, I've never understood how dancing without the aid of a microphone stand ever evolved, but then again, dancing (to me) is properly done sans partner (unless one is doing a bump-n-grind or swinging) on a stage, in front of an audience, with sunglasses, while lip-synching. ;)

Slam dancing is fun too, but 'moshing' (slam-lite with ten times the numbers) is just annoying. You need a circle empty enough to allow you to get up a good head of steam before colliding.

- Christopher "I want my MTV back, goddamnit!" Gillen, A'90