Michael Jackson - Then and Now and What Could Have Been

No matter how you feel about Michael Jackson, there is no disputing the fact that he had a seriously messed up childhood which probably led to much of the weirdness in his later life. I challenge any of you to grow up in his environment and be normal and not end up on the floor in the corner in a fetal position singing Diana Ross songs. No doubt this is only the beginning with much more weirdness to come thanks to people's never ending thirst for celebrity dirt. Let the man moonwalk with Elvis in peace.

One of the things that Michael always denied was the amount of plastic surgery he had. He only ever admitted to doing his nose (shocker!) to correct a breathing problem and attributed his facial change simply to natural aging. Obviously there was nothing natural in the way he looked in his recent years. Back in 1985, Ebony magazine commissioned an artist to create his rendition of what some celebrities would look like by the year 2000 which is what you see in the middle picture above. Did he take a picture of Latoya and simply draw a mustache? Not even close. Still, makes you wonder what Michael would have indeed looked like if he just chilled a bit with the surgeries. Vanity Kills.

The magazine was also wrong about something else. They predicted that by the year 2000 Michael's fan base would grow by ten times. His popularity is way off the charts now. Say what you will about him but I doubt any artist alive or yet to come will ever top him in terms of impact on our culture and post death adulation.

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Retro Christmas Video of the Day - Do They Know It's Christmas

In 1984, a very selfless thing happened in London that profoundly changed how music is used for good. Bob Geldof recruited a bunch of his industry friends and along with Midge Ure wrote a song to be used to raise money for starving people of Africa. The song was recorded under the name Band-Aid and was made up of a collection of the biggest pop talent of that time. Along with Bob and Midge, some other artists who lent their talents included, Paul Young, Duran Duran, U2, Phil Collins, Paul Weller, Heaven 17, Banarama, Culture Club, Kool and the Gang, Sting, Spandou Ballet, George Michael, Jodie Watley, some dudes from Big Country and a freak called Marilyn ripping off Boy George's shtick. Even David Bowie left a personal message on the extended remix of the song. The video, as expected, got massive air play and did raise a lot of money for the cause that led to a multi-country Live-Aid concert and American artists to do their own song under the name U.S.A. for Africa and Canadia art...

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I Want My MTV - To Start Playing Music Videos Again

There was a time when having your song played on the radio in a regular rotation was the most critical aspect of music promotion. Getting on the air in major markets was paramount to success. It was all about the quality of the music and vocals, there was substance, there was talent, you didn't have to be pretty or ruggedly handsome to have a hit record. Then it all went hell. Well, not at first. In 1981, Music Television went on the air in the U.S. and single handedly changed the way music was marketed and promoted virtually overnight. MTV was the brainchild of Warner Communications and American Express, who funded Warners' cable business but wanted a commercial outlet to reach the teen and young adult markets who traditionally have high disposable income. When Warner and Amex gave the go ahead for the channel, the timing couldn't have been worse. In the late 70s, record companies were hurting and looking to cut costs and one of the first things on the chopping block were ...

Furniture Inspired by Vintage Video Games

If you grew up in the 60s and 70s, and you wanted to build furniture inspired by you're favorite games, chances are you'd have to settle for a Scrabble couch with a matching love seat. If you grew up in the 80s and 90s, you'd have a whole new set of games to get inspiration from because chances are, you were a gamer. So when you finally had enough to build your dream house, you considered your options and looked at different plans and eventually settled on a design you could really relate to - a house shaped like an NES gaming console. So now you move in and arrange all your nic-naks neatly on your Tetris shelves but still it's not enough. Sure, you have Atari coat hangers but honesty, you'll never be comfortable without more furniture. Lucky for you, there are many more pieces of furniture that will fit well in your decor and match the shelves and hangers. Click the hanger below to see more video game inspired furniture. You know you want them.

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Just a heads up, the blog has now moved to a more modern WordPress site over at https://retroguyswonderland.com Site is up and under slight construction. New posts coming soon! - Retroguy's Son (The SysOp)

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