Emdashes. Modern Times Between the Lines.
Best of Emdashes: Hit Parade
A Web Comic: The Wavy Rule
Before it moved to The New Yorker:
Ask the Librarians archive
About Emdashes | Email us
Features & Columns:
Headline Shooter
On the Spot
Looked Into
Sempé Fi: Cover Art
Michael Jackson, 1958-2009
Filed under: In Memoriam Tagged: Garrison Keillor, In Memoriam, Jamaica Kincaid, James Lardner, Michael Jackson
Martin Schneider writes:
He didn't have anything to do with The New Yorker, of course. But it seems silly to try to ignore his death.
The first mention of Michael Jackson in The New Yorker that I could find is from July 14, 1975. It was in the Talk of the Town and it had two parts, both by Jamaica Kincaid (I think).
The first part is a report describing a press conference in which the Jackson family announced that it was leaving Motown to join Epic. The report emphasized the businesslike nature of the announcement: "No Jackson said anything sentimental."
On the same page appears a kind of fan letter, this one explicitly by Jamaica Kincaid, that intentionally echoes the kinds of fan letters he received every day—one of which is actually quoted, in full, in the item.
Such reports are full of heartbreaking things. Any reference to the color of his skin, the shape of his nose, the kinkiness of his hair, his affinity for children or animals, his marriage prospects—all of these things are heartbreaking, and Kincaid refers to all of them.
Possibly the most startling bit of information is that Jackson once appeared on The Dating Game. (It's true.)
In the July 9, 1984, issue, there is a whimsical, lightly acerbic Talk piece by James Lardner about the existence of a Michael Jackson Hotline.
In the March 14, 1988, issue, there is a tranquil Talk piece by Garrison Keillor (uncredited, in the issue) about observing Jackson rehearse a rendition of "Man in the Mirror" for the Grammy telecast. This one is not heartbreaking. This one is about Jackson in his element, as a supreme entertainer, and it emphasizes his confidence and ease among people.
I don't have much to say about him. I was never a fan in any real sense, but I admired the skill. He was a genius; he was damaged. Everyone knows it. A friend today asked me if he was the most famous person in the world. Was he? He might have been.
On the New Yorker blog, Ben Greenman gives his thoughts.
About us
Hello! We're a small band of culture writers, editors, and artists based in New York and Los Angeles. Emdashes, which spent its formative years as a New Yorker fan blog, is our collection of conversations—mostly civilized—about magazines, movies, design, punctuation, and other things that stir us.
Want to know more about the people who contribute to Emdashes, and the secret meanings behind our column titles? All about us.
We welcome tips, questions, comments, and corrections, and are always on the lookout for ardent, obsessive contributors. Click here to email us.
We host occasional book giveaways. Publishers, please email us for our postal address.
Our favorite things | Compliments and press
Looking for The New Yorker magazine? Kudos on your classy taste. Here's how to contact The New Yorker.
Tell me more
Dashes, some say, “are particularly useful in a sentence that is long and complex.” Emdashes—like an em dash itself—provides a thoughtful pause amid the hubbub.
Emdashes, founded in 2004, is written and drawn by Emily Gordon, Martin Schneider, Pollux, Jonathan Taylor, and Benjamin Chambers, as well as occasional guest contributors. All posts before October 2008 are by Emily Gordon.
The site was designed by House of Pretty with illustrations by Jesse R. Ewing.
Additional drawings are by Carolita Johnson and Pollux (author of our web comic, "The Wavy Rule"). The Emdashes pencil logo is by Jennifer Hadley, based on a 1943 Dorothy Gray ad.
Other writing by Emily Gordon
- Reviews: theater writing (for Time Out Chicago)
- Profile: Valerie Casey, Designers Accord founder, is spearheading the design of sustainability (for SXSW World)
- Feature: Rea Irvin: visionary art director, bon vivant, New Yorker founding father (for Print)
- Slide show: the Coney Island Mermaid Parade (for NYCgo.com)
- Feature: Muslim immigration iconography in the Netherlands, and an interview with Ayaan Hirsi Ali (for Print)
- Review: King's Gambit: A Son, a Father, and the World's Most Dangerous Game by Paul Hoffman (for Newsday)
- Homage: Celebrating lindy-hop legend Frankie Manning (for NYCgo.com)
- Inquiry: Does a New Republic redesign mean a change of tune? (for Print)
- Interview: James Surowiecki on what's next for the wisdom of crowds (for Assignment Zero)
- Interviews: four up-and-coming designers under 30 (for Print)
- Profile: novelist and dance critic Laura Jacobs (for Newsday)
Blogroll highlights
- The Beautiful Sentence
- Box Office Boffo
- World of Pollux
- Jonathan Taylor
- Carolita Johnson
- Songs for blogroll lovers (more links)
- Follow us on Twitter
- Befriend us on Facebook
- Get a t-shirt at the Emdashes store
No fear
Everything you tell or send us is off the record unless we ask for your permission to use it.