Directed by Antoine Fuqua and starring Michael Jackson’s nephew Jaafar Jackson, the new biopic Michael is out now, but I think I’m going to skip it. While I’m a fan of Michael Jackson’s music (just like everyone else on Earth), I can’t reconcile the film entirely ignoring the sexual abuse allegations against Jackson. Also, according to critics, Michael is a fairly awful movie that is “disconnected from reality” so it sounds like I’m not missing much. Instead, I’d much rather watch the classic episode of The Simpsons that was banned not long ago because it features Jackson as a guest star.
“Stark Raving Dad” is a 1991 episode of The Simpsons where Homer ends up in a mental institution because he’s the only employee of the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant wearing a pink shirt to work, which convinces his boss that he’s crazy. While at the institution, Homer’s roommate is a tall, 300-pound white guy who is convinced he’s Michael Jackson.
In an episode full of memorable gags, including a clever One Flew Over the Cookoo’s Nest parody, one of the best lines comes when Homer meets Michael.
Michael: Hi, I’m Michael Jackson, from the Jacksons.
Homer: I’m Homer Simpson, from the Simpsons.
When Homer is eventually released, he invites “Michael,” who was there voluntarily, to come stay at his house for a few days. Once at the Simpson home, Michael spends most of his time with Bart, and even helps Bart write a song for Lisa titled “Lisa, It’s Your Birthday.” The episode concludes with Michael revealing that his real name is Leon Kompowsky and he’s just a gruff-voiced bricklayer from Paterson, New Jersey who enjoys talking and singing like Michael Jackson.
“Stark Raving Dad” is first episode of The Simpsons‘ third season, the season where most fans believe the show entered its “Golden Era,” which lasted until about season 10 (though this episode was produced during season 2). It came about because Jackson was a fan of the show and called creator Matt Groening asking to be a guest star. Formative Simpsons writers Al Jean and Mike Reiss wrote the episode, including a scene where Michael and Bart write a song together, which was a request of Jackson.
Strangely, while Michael Jackson does voice Leon Kompowsky throughout the episode — excluding the gruff voice at the end done by legendary Simpsons voice actor Hank Azaria — the singing portions of the character were performed by Jackson-approved soundalike Kipp Lennon. This was due to contractual obligations with Jackson’s record company. Jackson was also listed in the credits as John Jay Smith.
While it was not a part of the episode, around this same time Michael Jackson helped produce the song “Do the Bartman,” which was part of the album The Simpsons Sing the Blues and reached number 22 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart. Jackson also provided backup vocals while Bart Simpson voice actor Nancy Cartwright sang the song. Jackson may have helped write “Do the Bartman,” though this has been disputed by writer Bryan Loren. Regardless, Jackson was heavily involved in its creation. Much like with “Stark Raving Dad,” he went uncredited for his work due to contractual obligations, yet he does receive a lyrical shoutout during the song with Bart singing the line “If you can do the Bart, you’re bad like Michael Jackson.”
This gives Jackson two significant, and very different, contributions to the early ‘90s Simpsons-Mania, where the characters appeared on countless shirts, toys and other merchandise. “Do the Bartman,” in a way, represents that phenomenon very well, given that it was a hit song in its own right. Meanwhile, “Lisa, It’s Your Birthday,” was a heartfelt, memorable moment from a show that was at its best when it balanced heart with hilarity, which “Stark Raving Dad” did in spades.
Regardless, when Disney Plus debuted in 2019 with The Simpsons as a major drawing point, “Stark Raving Dad” was absent from the lineup. As Newsweek explained, this was due to the multiple sexual assault allegations against Jackson involving young boys. These charges had existed for years, but the 2019 HBO documentary Leaving Neverland made a very significant impact on Jackson’s legacy. The people behind The Simpsons supported the removal too, as episode co-writer Al Jean told The Wrap that he believed Jackson used the episode as part of a method to groom boys.
To fans though, many see it as simply another classic episode, and while it’s unavailable officially, it can pretty quickly be found online via bootleg uploads. Whether it’s the right thing to do to watch is up to where people draw their individual art-vs.-the-artist line. I, for one, can enjoy the episode and even Jackson’s music on occasion, while fully aware that he very likely was a monster, which is why watching some hagiographical biopic specifically designed to cover up the allegations against him is definitely a bridge too far for me.
