We Owed Michael Jackson an Apology…

We Owed Michael Jackson an Apology… In 1983, MTV told Michael Jackson's label he wasn't their audience. They were a rock channel, and as far as the gatekeepers were concerned, he didn't belong on it. It took a furious phone call and a threat to pull an entire record label off the air before Billie Jean ever made it to air — and three weeks later, MTV built its identity around a Beat It video three times the budget. That's where this story starts, but it's nowhere close to where it ends. Because the same artist the rock world spent decades arguing over also had Eddie Van Halen recording a guitar solo for free on a prank-call dare. Had Billy Idol's own guitarist following in Van Halen's footsteps on Dirty Diana. Had a Freddie Mercury duet that almost happened — and decades later, did. Had two separate inductions into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, a personal stake in the actual Beatles catalog, and a guitarist who got pulled offstage by his own security for refusing to stop soloing. By the end of his career, Slash and Carlos Santana were still showing up to play on his records — not for the paycheck, for the work. Twelve facts. One uncomfortable question rock fans still haven't fully sat with: how much of this genre's own DNA was running through an artist it never quite claimed as one of its own? This is the story rock history left out. Watch it, then tell us where you land. #MichaelJackson #RockHistory #EddieVanHalen #Slash #RockAndRollHallOfFame #ClassicRock #ThrillerAlbum #BeatIt #80sMusic #MusicHistory #RockDocumentary #FreddieMercury #VinylCollector #KingOfPop #RockMusic Michael Jackson rock, Michael Jackson rock and roll hall of fame, Eddie Van Halen Beat It, Eddie Van Halen Michael Jackson, Slash Michael Jackson, Slash Black or White, Slash Give In to Me, Steve Stevens Dirty Diana, Michael Jackson Freddie Mercury, Michael Jackson Queen duet, State of Shock Mick Jagger, Michael Jackson Beatles catalog, Michael Jackson ATV Music, Jennifer Batten Michael Jackson, Jeff Beck guitarist, Michael Jackson Jeff Beck, Alien Ant Farm Smooth Criminal, Michael Jackson rock songs, Michael Jackson MTV Billie Jean, Michael Jackson rock guitarists, Thriller album facts, Michael Jackson Carlos Santana, Michael Jackson Invincible album, Come Together Michael Jackson, Michael Jackson documentary, rock history facts, classic rock documentary, 80s rock history, Michael Jackson untold stories, vinyl music history channel.