Obama Compares Jackson To Elvis, Lennon (VIDEO)

[jefferson_dem]

Obama Compares Jackson To Elvis, Lennon
Posted by Kevin Hechtkopf

(CBS)In an interview this morning with CBS News chief White House correspondent Chip Reid from Moscow, President Obama weighed in on the topic of the day – Michael Jackson's funeral.

"There are certain figures in our popular culture that just capture peoples' imagination, and in death they become even larger," Mr. Obama said. "I have to admit that it's also fed by a 24/7 media that is insatiable."

The president compared the outpouring of grief to what happened when Elvis Presley, John Lennon and Frank Sinatra died.

Mr. Obama said Jackson was one of the country's greatest entertainers who had a profound effect on two generations.

"It's not surprising people mourning loss," he said.

VIDEO at LINK - http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2009/07/07/politics/politicalhotsheet/entry5138968.shtml?tag=contentMain;contentBody

[Clio the Leo]

1. lol, he doesn't like Michael at all ......

.... gotta love that dig at the 24/7 media.

[Bicoastal]

9. Oh, sure he does...

He said in an earlier interview that he grew up with MJ's music and still has his music on his iPod.

He just doesn't like the constant media coverage of his death, that's all.

[Clio the Leo]

12. Nor the mess that Michael's life became .....

.... the behaviours he engaged in.

I'd be willing to place money on it. ;)

The personailites and behaviours President No Drama and the King of Drama are in direct conflict with one another.

[monmouth]

2. Chip Reid...just trying too hard.....n/t

[Rebubula]

3. Hopefully..

...all this crap will recede after the ceremony today.

I like Micheal Jackson as much as any white kid that grew up in the 80s, but the media overkill is boring me.

[Colobo]

4. Michael is bigger than Elvis.

[TeamJordan23]

5. Agree. MJ was a World Icon, not just national. nm

[tinrobot]

6. Elvis weighed at least 250 when he died...Jackson was probably 120.

Elvis was bigger.

[Colobo]

7. LOL! But seriously, in talent and importance, Michael surpasses Elvis

in every single way.

[tinrobot]

8. In importance,. absolutely not.

[avaistheone1]

11. Michael copied alot of his stuff from James Brown

particularly the moon walk and other dance moves. And James Brown did it all better.

[ariesgem]

35. Most artists bite from the artists that influence them.

Elvis bit off the style of black R&B artists and as a little kid, MJ bit off a few of JB's moves. BTW, JB or MJ didn't owned the moonwalk. Break dancers/pop lockers perfected that dance move back in the late 70's - well after JB's prime and before MJ started doing it.

I never saw JB doing the moonwalk. lol!

[S_E_Fudd]

14. In importance...don't think so....

May have been more popular comparatively...

Jackson did not break any important musical barriers...he took it to a new level in terms of popularity... and it isn't bizarre to talk about him in the same breath as Elvis and Lennon etc...but sorry...as a pop phenomenon who blended music with a very compelling stage presence he was important...but he isn't quite to the level of Elvis (who I am not a big fan of btw), or JPGR...

[jenmito]

34. He DID break an important musical barrier. He was the first Black person allowed on MTV

with his music videos.

[polmaven]

16. No way!

Michael Jackson could sing, and he could dance.

Did he play an instrument? Did he write his own material? Did he even choreograph his own dances? (I really don't know on that last one).

Elvis was world wide too, as were The Beatles, as a group and individually. The thought that MJ was the most "influential" entertainer of the last 100 years - as an OP said a few days ago - is absurd. he does not surpass Elvis in ANY way.

[TTUBatfan2008]

17. Uh what?

Elvis didn't write or play the instruments for any of his songs. Jackson actually wrote his songs. Go look it up. Billie Jean, Beat It, and on and on were written by Jackson himself. Elvis copied black musicians and came along at the perfect time for white America. Cold hard truth right there. Elvis himself admitted one time that Fats Domino was more important from a music standpoint than him.

[Number23]

23. Exactly. Elvis was a rehash of previous black artists

If you think about it this way, black artists created rock and roll and R&B music. White artists, like Elvis, copied that music and made it acceptable to white audiences.

Michael Jackson was the first black artist who was able to take a black art form that had been co-opted by whites and was able to present it to multi-racial audiences. If that doesn't make the man a genius, I don't know what can. :)

[TTUBatfan2008]

25. Bingo...

Elvis had a great voice, was a good looking guy, and knew how to entertain people...but he wasn't the one who came up with the things he was doing. He was just lucky enough to be a white guy. Even though his voice was great, he even admitted Roy O. had a better voice. And Roy actually wrote his own songs and was the main guitarist for his songs. You wanna talk about a tragic life, it doesn't get much more tragic than Orbison. Anyone who hasn't read his biography at Wikipedia should check it out. Very sad life he lived. And he had that amazing, amazing voice...shocking that he came from such a small town (Wink, Texas).

[S_E_Fudd]

27. Well the quality of ones voice is subjective...and not the most important...

As someone who has a Bob Dylan avatar may want to admit...

Orbison was great and probably didn't get his due, but Elvis was iconic...and a breakthrough artist (given a choice personally I would rather listen to Orbison)

[TTUBatfan2008]

29. Iconic doesn't mean better...

;)

Elvis is a bigger icon than Dylan. Doesn't mean he's better. Likewise for Michael Jackson compared with Dylan.

[S_E_Fudd]

31. Better is subjective...

I personally would rather listen to Orbison or Dylan than Elvis...yet I recognize Elvis's importance...and he outstrips Orbison for sure, Dylan by less and Michael Jackson by even less...

Of course none of them approach the Beatles!!! :) THE best act of all time!

[TTUBatfan2008]

32. Well I think as far as political relevance goes...

Dylan tops them all. "Masters of War" and "With God on Our Side" resonate the same today as they did back then. Hell, even MORESO today than back then with the shenanigans of Cheney and Bush.

As far as music influence goes, The Beatles are the single most important artist in pop music history. They are the true Kings of Rock and Pop, not Elvis and Michael.

[S_E_Fudd]

33. Yeah...I can get on board with both those statements...

Very glad I got tickets to the Paul McCartney Concert next month...probably my last chance to see a Beatle perform live!!!

[S_E_Fudd]

26. Well to be accurate...

All Rock and Pop is a rehash of earlier forms. Michael Jackson was simply MoTown on steroids...

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

18. Elvis was a gimmick.

[TTUBatfan2008]

19. I like his voice but he wasn't even the best white rock and roll singer...

That title belonged to Roy Orbison. For my money, Chuck Berry was a hell of a lot more important than Elvis.

[jesus_of_suburbia]

10. Agree.. and more talented it would seem.....

considering Michael wrote most of his songs (Elvis only helped write a few).

I think Elvis was equal as an entertainer and a vocalist, but that's just my opinion. Of course Michael was a better dancer.

[Fire1]

28. For sure. n/t

[Sebastian Doyle]

13. And oddly, there are connections between all three.....

Michael was "married" to Elvis' daughter for a while. And he owned John's Beatles songbook.

Not going to compare them though. All three broke barriers. All three changed the world in some way. And all three of them died far too young.

Damn, I'm starting to talk like Lee Mercer. :crazy:

[polichick]

15. He's right - some "just capture peoples' imagination." imo it's because...

...they are authentic ~ nobody else like them.

[The Hope Mobile]

20. They were both groundbreakers! nt

[greguganus]

21. Elvis liked underage girls...MJ liked underage boys. n/t

[Politicalboi]

22. If the Beatles and Elvis had

MTV then they would have had a bigger audience. MTV made MJ. Back then if you had a bitchen video and a crappy song you would still make it.

[S_E_Fudd]

30. Beatles are still the best selling act of all time...

In absolute terms...not even taking into account population increases...

[Life Long Dem]

24. When your the same age as the celebrity..

You see more media coverage that is already saturated because your in the middle of current news.

Sinatra is a lot older and not as big of a celebrity to me. Elvis is big to me, though I was just a kid when he was big.