Jackson is all things to all men. Neither black nor white, neither masculine nor feminine, he looks like a bizarre blend of Napoleonic dandy and star trooper. Disturbingly, Jackson lists among his inspirations Liza Minelli, Diana Ross, and Peter Pan, a catholic enough collection to cover all the angles.
- Deyan Sudjic, Cult Heroes
Smooth Criminal is my favourite MJ track of all time. He uses his voice to varying effects and to portray multiple characters, first starting out as if a machine gun, then sounding like the cacophony of a worried crowd and finally attempting the shrilled helplessness of a victim. I don’t know which other MJ song embodies the pop icon more than this particular one — a criminal, spectacle and victim all at once.
As he came into the window / it was the sound of a crescendo
