Dancing the Dream: Difference between revisions
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Poetry and essays<ref name="campbell 324"/><ref name="jackson 1992">Jackson, ''Dancing the Dream'' (1992)</ref> dealing with children, animals and the environment figure prominently among the 46 creative texts in ''Dancing the Dream''. Jackson explores the latter topics, for example, in poems such as one that envisions seals pondering whether they will be killed by hunters, and another in which elephants refuse to lie down and die simply so humans can make ivory trinkets from their tusks. A third poem describes coping with the discovery of an oil-covered seagull feather. ''Mother Earth'', an essay reflecting on how humans have mistreated the planet, states, "We've been treating Mother Earth the way some people treat a rental apartment. Just trash it and move on."<ref name="campbell 324"/> |
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A poem expressing Jackson's feelings of loss after [[Ryan White]]'s 1990 death following a battle with [[HIV]]/[[AIDS]] explains that the teenaged boy suffered because of people's ignorance regarding the disease.<ref name="campbell 324"/><ref name="NYT Obit">{{cite web|title=Ryan White Dies of AIDS at 18; His Struggle Helped Pierce Myths|date=April 9, 1990|author=Johnson, Dirk|publisher=''[[The New York Times]]''|url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C0CE1DB123AF93AA35757C0A966958260|accessdate=March 14, 2010}}</ref> The poem ''Mother'' was written for Katherine, whom Jackson loved deeply.<ref name="campbell 325">Campbell (1993), p. 325</ref> One passage runs, "No matter where I go from here/You're in my heart, mother dear".<ref name="campbell 325"/> The piece had previously been published in his mother's own book, ''My Family'', and was not the only material in this book to have appeared elsewhere. The poem ''Dancing the Dream'', titled as ''The Dance'', and ''Planet Earth'' were included in the ''[[Dangerous (album)|Dangerous]]'' album's liner notes. Furthermore, the lyrics to the songs "[[Will You Be There]]" and "[[Heal the World]]"—also from the 1991 album—were included in ''Dancing the Dream''.<ref name="campbell 325"/> |
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===Photographs and artwork=== |
===Photographs and artwork=== |
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Revision as of 00:07, 11 April 2010
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| Author | Michael Jackson |
|---|---|
| Genre | Poetry |
| Publisher | Doubleday |
Publication date | 1992 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Pages | 148 |
| ISBN | 9780385422772 |
| OCLC | 25248203 |
| 818/.5409 20 | |
| LC Class | ML420.J175 A3 1992 |
| Preceded by | Moonwalk |
Dancing the Dream is a 1992 book of poems and reflections by American recording artist Michael Jackson. The book is Jackson's second publication following the 1988 autobiography Moonwalk. Dedicated to his mother Katherine, the book opens with an introduction from the actress Elizabeth Taylor, who was a friend of the singer. Within the book are numerous poems and essays written by Jackson, as well as an assortment of around 100 photographs of the entertainer.
Dancing the Dream was published on June 18, 1992, by Doubleday. It became a bestseller for Jackson, but upon its initial release both its content and prose style received negative reviews. After Jackson's death in June 2009, Dancing the Dream was reissued by the British publishing company Transworld the following month.
Content
Dancing the Dream opens with an introduction from Jackson's longtime friend, the actress Elizabeth Taylor. The book is dedicated "with love" to his mother, Katherine.[1]
Poems and reflections
Poetry and essays[1][2] dealing with children, animals and the environment figure prominently among the 46 creative texts in Dancing the Dream. Jackson explores the latter topics, for example, in poems such as one that envisions seals pondering whether they will be killed by hunters, and another in which elephants refuse to lie down and die simply so humans can make ivory trinkets from their tusks. A third poem describes coping with the discovery of an oil-covered seagull feather. Mother Earth, an essay reflecting on how humans have mistreated the planet, states, "We've been treating Mother Earth the way some people treat a rental apartment. Just trash it and move on."[1]
A poem expressing Jackson's feelings of loss after Ryan White's 1990 death following a battle with HIV/AIDS explains that the teenaged boy suffered because of people's ignorance regarding the disease.[1][3] The poem Mother was written for Katherine, whom Jackson loved deeply.[4] One passage runs, "No matter where I go from here/You're in my heart, mother dear".[4] The piece had previously been published in his mother's own book, My Family, and was not the only material in this book to have appeared elsewhere. The poem Dancing the Dream, titled as The Dance, and Planet Earth were included in the Dangerous album's liner notes. Furthermore, the lyrics to the songs "Will You Be There" and "Heal the World"—also from the 1991 album—were included in Dancing the Dream.[4]
Photographs and artwork
The 100 photographs in Dancing the Dream were said to have been previously unreleased by the publishers.[1] In fact, this was incorrect as some of them had been featured previously in a Jackson calendar from 1985, and the magazines Ebony and People. Others were stills from the music videos of "Remember the Time" and "Black or White", as well as images taken from a performance by Jackson at MTV's tenth anniversary celebration.[1]
Dancing the Dream featured artwork from the professional artist Nate Giorgio, who came to know Jackson in the 1980s when the musician took a liking to his work. Giorgio was an amateur artist at the time and had sent some of his portraits to the entertainer while living in Broome County, New York. He gradually earned Jackson's trust as both a friend and artist.[5] Giorgio has been commissioned to do several other works for the singer and his estate over the years, including artwork for the 2009 tribute book, The Official Michael Jackson Opus.[5]
Publication and reception
Dancing the Dream was first published on June 18, 1992, by Doubleday.[6] It followed Jackson's 1988 autobiography Moonwalk, which was also published by the American company, and which discussed the entertainer's childhood, rise to fame, personal relationships, appearance and thoughts on plastic surgery.[7] Moonwalk was edited by the former First Lady of the United States Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and became a bestseller upon its release.[7][8][9][10] Prior to publication, Dancing the Dream was hailed by the publishers as being a book that would "take us deep into [Jackson's] heart and soul", as well as "an inspirational and passionate volume of unparalleled humanity".[11][12][13] In his only interview to promote Dancing the Dream, Jackson described the book as being "just a verbal expression of what I usually express through my music and my dance."[14] After the entertainer's death in June 2009, the British company Transworld reissued the book the following month.[15]
The American publication Deseret News described Dancing the Dream as being a "fanciful potpourri of [Jackson's] poems and prosy reflections".[16] Glenn Plaskin of the Chicago Tribune expressed a similar view, and called the book "a fanciful collection of poems, reflections and photographs that champions kids, endangered species, the homeless, AIDS victims and planet Earth."[14] Chris Morris of the music magazine Billboard conveyed his dislike of the book in a 1992 review. He insisted that the book was as revelatory as Jackson's autobiography Moonwalk: "not very".[17] Morris stated that the only thing one could learn from the book was that Jackson liked animals, children, believed in God and in angels. He added that Jackson's "unenlightening thoughts" were placed amongst "strangely idealized" artwork of himself.[17] Morris concluded that the book lacked what made Jackson exciting; motion and song. He felt the book was best recommended to diehard fans of the singer.[17]
Jackson biographer Lisa D. Campbell expressed in her Michael Jackson: The King of Pop (1993) that, as the singer rarely released photographs of himself, new ones were "always a treat". She stated that those in Dancing the Dream were no exception.[1]
In the 1994 publication Lord Gnome's Literary Companion, a compilation of anonymous book reviews from Private Eye, Dancing the Dream was negatively appraised. It was stated that despite the book being a bestseller, the collection of poetry and reflections would reveal to any reader that Jackson was "irreversibly, undeniably, as completely barking, daffy as a duck, a very long way around the bend. Off the wall, like." The anonymous writer pointed to several lines being "duff", though "wonderfully so":[18]
- I looked for you in hill and dale
- I sought for you beyond the pale
- I searched for you in every nook and cranny
- My probing mind was at times uncanny...[18]
The anonymous author felt such compositions gave an insight into Jackson's "fantasy life" and that they showed that the singer thought of himself as God. They concluded their analysis of Jackson's work by calling it "spooky", while mockingly thanking God that "none of his fans can read".[18]
Upon review of the book following Jackson's death in 2009, Mick Brown of the The Daily Telegraph stated that Dancing the Dream was a "poignantly revealing collection of writings on the subjects that were apparently close to his heart". The journalist expressed that a "painful personal truth" lay within Jackson's poem Children of the World, in which the singer explains that the destruction in the world is largely due to emotionally deprived childhoods. The illustration that accompanies the poem shows Jackson leading children through an ethereal paradise. Brown stated that the artwork explained that the musician thought of himself more as a pied piper than as Jesus Christ.[19]
Notes
- ^ a b c d e f g Campbell (1993), p. 324
- ^ Jackson, Dancing the Dream (1992)
- ^ Johnson, Dirk (April 9, 1990). "Ryan White Dies of AIDS at 18; His Struggle Helped Pierce Myths". The New York Times. Retrieved March 14, 2010.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ a b c Campbell (1993), p. 325
- ^ a b Moyer, William (November 29, 2009). "Vestal native's artwork to be the cover of Michael Jackson tribute book". Press & Sun-Bulletin.
{{cite news}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ Grant (2009), p. 149
- ^ a b Campbell (1993), pp. 195–197
- ^ Grant (2009), pp. 112–113
- ^ Andersen (1994), p. 208
- ^ Pinkerton (1998), p. 24
- ^ Landis, David (April 29, 1992). "Benny tribute" (Payment required to access full article). USA Today. Retrieved December 6, 2009.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ Blowen, Michael (October 14, 1991). "Names and faces a first for Chris Evert" (Payment required to access full article). The Boston Globe. Retrieved February 2, 2010.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ "Spin patrol". Spin. July 1992. Retrieved March 8, 2010.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ a b Plaskin, Glenn (August 16, 1992). "Determined to dream An effusive Michael Jackson doesn't dance all around his idealism" (Payment required to access full article.). Chicago Tribune. Retrieved March 26, 2010.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ Pauli, Michelle (July 7, 2009). "First 'instant' Jackson biography hits shelves in China". The Guardian. Retrieved November 14, 2009.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ "Recording stars toot own horns, and so do others in new books". Deseret News. (December 20, 1992). Retrieved December 12, 2009.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ a b c Morris, Chris (July 18, 1992). "In print: Dancing the Dream". Billboard. Retrieved November 13, 2009.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ a b c Wheen (1996), pp. 192–194
- ^ Brown, Mick (June 27, 2009). "Michael Jackson, death by showbusiness". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved November 29, 2009.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help)
References
- Andersen, Christopher P. (1994). Michael Jackson: unauthorized. Simon & Schuster. ISBN 0671892398.
- Campbell, Lisa (1993). Michael Jackson: The King of Pop. Branden. ISBN 082831957X.
- Grant, Adrian (2009). Michael Jackson: The Visual Documentary. Omnibus Press. ISBN 9781849382618.
- Pinkerton, Lee (1998). The Many Faces of Michael Jackson. Music Sales Distribution. ISBN 0711967830.
- Wheen, Francis (1996). Lord Gnome's Literary Companion. Verso. ISBN 1859840450.
External links
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