BREAKING NEWS: Michael Jackson rushed to hospital with a serious heart attack

Bob Dylan is popular to a specific generation for whom his music carried important messages. Elvis is more than one generation's music icon. Time will tell where Michael falls, but I think he's far ahead of Bob Dylan.

 

Wow, good points...rep that person you got that from!

 

This is also due to his legal troubles. He became more of a celebrity from his scandals. MTV is doing it because he is the biggest of the MTV generation.

 

Agreed. His legal troubles combined with the age of celebrity easily compound his popularity.

 

The reason being is that he sold more records than Bob Dylan, which leads to his world wide notoriety and fame... And, also he had multiple surgery on his face and has a theme park in his backyard... He not only entertained in music but his life was some sort of a surreal CIRQUE DU SOLEIL show...

 

I find the argument "he's only iconic because he sold a lot of albums" very strange.

I feel that it's reversed... he sold a lot of albums because he's iconic.

 

What about Africa? Indonesia? China? Russia?

MJ was BANGING IN BUDAPEST
The UK and the US are the only countries. .. or even the only ones that matter.
I seriously doubt Elvis's death hit all those other countries like MJ's Passing.

Rocket River

 

Goosegrox fall in faint.

 

The person he took those points from must be some kind of genius.

 

I think there is a big difference between popularity and having a historical, long lasting impact upon music, culture, and society. Michael was indeed known around the world and very popular.

 

anyone know if there are details about that doctor who hasn't surfaced after MJ's death??

 

To me, the transition from Off The Wall (w/ a noticeable disco influence) to Thriller ushered in the modern mainstream pop song that we still know today. Timberlake, Usher, Britney, Christina, etc still have noticeable traces of MJ's early work.

And you can argue that MJ was a significant part of the spreading of Western pop culture around the world in the 80's. It forever changed the world.

 

...a cultural icon too...

 

He was big before his scandals. His scandals were so big because he was so big.

 

Just a simple look at the popular music of today versus the popular music before Michael was popular hints that your 'lasting impact' point will remain true as well.

 

My point was he remained a news target because of his eccentric lifestyle. His trials were huge news events.

 

OK, I guess but I still say his legacy/popularity pre-1995 is why those events were so big. Did anybody make this big of a fuss over Jeffrey Jones scandals?

 

That's a sad news. I always sucks when somebody dies and Michael sure was a big star and a great singer. He will be remembered.

 

I dunno why you are peeved off so much. It is just a fact that his continued spotlight in the 90's and 2000's was his eccentric lifestyle. That doesn't make him any less of a icon. chill out.

 

Awesome.