Think Twice: Michael Jackson Wondery
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- Society & Culture
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More than a decade since Michael Jackson’s death, his legacy remains complicated and unresolved. Think Twice: Michael Jackson is an exploration of the King of Pop’s life and impact – and an investigation into why his global influence continues to endure, despite the disturbing allegations against him. In this ten-part series, journalists Leon Neyfakh and Jay Smooth bring you a new perspective on the Michael Jackson story, based on dozens of original interviews with people who watched it unfold from up close.
You can binge every episode of Think Twice: Michael Jackson, ad-free on Amazon Music, Wondery+ or Audible.
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Is This Scary?
It’s 1993 and Michael Jackson is on top of the world: receiving lifetime achievement awards, appearing at Bill Clinton’s inaugural gala, performing at the Super Bowl Halftime Show. More popular and powerful than he’s ever been, he uses that caché to create a music video that stands among his most personal and prescient works. Then everything falls apart.
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All Children, Except One, Grow Up
As news breaks of the first sexual abuse allegations against Michael, reporters scramble to dig up any information they can while Michael Jackson’s PR machine battles to control the narrative. Meanwhile, a by-the-book LAPD detective struggles to investigate the case in the midst of the frenzy.
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Big Boy
Michael Jackson’s childhood, or lack thereof, is cited constantly in the conversation around his relationships with children. In this episode, we go back to Michael’s earliest days in Gary, Indiana, where he grows up under the domineering hand of his father while he and his brothers take the local music scene by storm in search of a better life.
Think Twice: Michael Jackson was produced by Dustin DeSoto, Benjamin Frisch, Kim Gittleson, Danielle Hewitt, Sam Lee, Leon Neyfakh, Andrew Parsons, and Jay Smooth, and edited by Diane Hodson. The lead producers for this episode were Jay Smooth and Sam Lee.
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The Sound of Young America
The Jackson family signs with the Motown Record Corporation and moves out to California. As Black artists across the country are achieving new levels of visibility, the Jackson 5 become an overnight sensation and a young Michael must navigate growing up in the spotlight as the front man of America’s hottest boy band.
Think Twice: Michael Jackson was produced by Dustin DeSoto, Benjamin Frisch, Kim Gittleson, Danielle Hewitt, Sam Lee, Leon Neyfakh, Andrew Parsons, and Jay Smooth, and edited by Diane Hodson. The lead producer for this episode was Danielle Hewitt.
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Wiz Kid
As the Jackson family tries to stay relevant as former teenyboppers, Michael Jackson breaks away in New York City and stars in a movie based on The Wizard of Oz that sets the course for the rest of his life.
Think Twice: Michael Jackson was produced by Dustin DeSoto, Benjamin Frisch, Kim Gittleson, Danielle Hewitt, Sam Lee, Leon Neyfakh, Andrew Parsons, and Jay Smooth. It was edited by Diane Hodson. The lead producer for this episode was Benjamin Frisch.
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Michael on High
Michael Jackson climbs to new heights with the success of his Thriller album and the groundbreaking music videos that follow. But he finds that his fame and faith are on a collision course, and he's forced to make a choice.
Think Twice: Michael Jackson was produced by Dustin DeSoto, Benjamin Frisch, Kim Gittleson, Danielle Hewitt, Sam Lee, Leon Neyfakh, Andrew Parsons, and Jay Smooth, and edited by Diane Hodson. The lead producer for this episode was Dustin DeSoto.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Customer Reviews
Enjoyable
It was fascinating hearing about Michael’s early life and how he curated his career and image to separate himself from his brothers and early career.
It was also interesting to hear from the original investigator and the difficulties they encountered when trying to find out the truth.
Presumed guilty
This podcast, though informative of Michael Jackson’s life from his early days till after his death, is told with the presumption that he was guilty of his accused crimes, and is one sided on that argument. The hosts do not attempt to even explore that Michael Jackson may have been innocent, and push the guilty narrative. In-depth research into the negative, with very little positive to say.
In the end, they pretty much accuse anyone that still enjoys Michael Jackson’s music, as people that are willing to look the other way for crimes against children, because we like his music.
Scam?
Doesn’t Let me listen to anything past the third episode without trying to get me to pay!! Even though it doesn’t have the ‘subscription’ note. It should say if it wants you to pay I think!