KC artist redesigns Michael Jackson’s ‘Bad’
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KC artist redesigns Michael Jackson’s ‘Bad’
by Admin Sun Sep 02, 2012 2:37 am
KC artist redesigns Michael Jackson’s ‘Bad’ By JENEÉ OSTERHELDT The Kansas City Star
Aug. 31, 2012
Before the bizarre and the scandalous overshadowed his music, Michael Jackson was bad in the best possible way.
This weekend marks the 25th anniversary of that sentiment, when he released his 1987 smash record, “Bad.” It’s quite possibly the last album he made that focused on the music before the [“WJ”] circus took over. It was the first album to send five consecutive singles to the top of the Billboard charts. Millions of people all over the world wanted to dance, sing and dress like Mike. Kansas City artist Jeremy Madl was one of them. He remembers watching the video for “Bad” on prime-time television, not a music station. That’s how big MJ was.
“It was awesome. The leather, the street fight dance-off, everything,” says Jeremy, who was just a kid in Lenexa when the song debuted. “All of the kids in the neighborhood bought that album. I had the leather jacket, the T-shirt, the trading cards. We tried to learn the break-dance moves.”
He even saw the tour when it came to Kansas City in 1988. Back then, Jeremy would have never imagined being a part of Mike’s legacy. But today he is.
When the 25th anniversary edition of “Bad” hits stores Sept. 18, the cover will have a twist. The word “Bad,” spray-painted red in the original cover art, will appear on the new cover with an added black, spray-painted crown over it and the number 25 underneath. It seems simple enough, but part of that work was done by Jeremy, 36, who is known in art circles as Mad.
For years, he has been a force in the designer toy industry, collaborating with Kid Robot, Swatch and even Sanrio. His style — clean, simple and colorful — is popular. And he says working on an album he loved as a child was an honor. He got the opportunity after a friend who runs a toy store in New York gave his name to someone at Sony. It didn’t take long for Jeremy and another artist, Kano, to come up with the design.
“It was a ‘wow’ moment,” he says of the experience. “I was always a fan of his music, but that album was my favorite. It’s Michael Jackson.”
What Jeremy may not realize is that there are art and toy fans who think to themselves, “It’s Mad.” He’s modest despite the fact that he’s up for a handful of Designer Toy Awards ( designertoyawards.com), including artist of the year. Voting is open to the public, and Saturday is the final day.
It’s hard to predict if he’ll win, but one thing is certain: Jeremy is churning out the hits.
In a few weeks he’ll head to Los Angeles for the release of his next project, another collaboration featuring an icon: Bruce Lee. The Temple of Kung Fu line of collectibles will be licensed characters inspired by Lee.
Shortly after, Jeremy will unveil a limited-edition figure made and manufactured entirely in Kansas City. His last self-produced toy sold out in 6 minutes.
Although Jeremy never did perfect the King of Pop’s dance moves or style, he’s becoming a king in his world of art and toys. He’s bad.
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Aug. 31, 2012
Before the bizarre and the scandalous overshadowed his music, Michael Jackson was bad in the best possible way.
This weekend marks the 25th anniversary of that sentiment, when he released his 1987 smash record, “Bad.” It’s quite possibly the last album he made that focused on the music before the [“WJ”] circus took over. It was the first album to send five consecutive singles to the top of the Billboard charts. Millions of people all over the world wanted to dance, sing and dress like Mike. Kansas City artist Jeremy Madl was one of them. He remembers watching the video for “Bad” on prime-time television, not a music station. That’s how big MJ was.
“It was awesome. The leather, the street fight dance-off, everything,” says Jeremy, who was just a kid in Lenexa when the song debuted. “All of the kids in the neighborhood bought that album. I had the leather jacket, the T-shirt, the trading cards. We tried to learn the break-dance moves.”
He even saw the tour when it came to Kansas City in 1988. Back then, Jeremy would have never imagined being a part of Mike’s legacy. But today he is.
When the 25th anniversary edition of “Bad” hits stores Sept. 18, the cover will have a twist. The word “Bad,” spray-painted red in the original cover art, will appear on the new cover with an added black, spray-painted crown over it and the number 25 underneath. It seems simple enough, but part of that work was done by Jeremy, 36, who is known in art circles as Mad.
For years, he has been a force in the designer toy industry, collaborating with Kid Robot, Swatch and even Sanrio. His style — clean, simple and colorful — is popular. And he says working on an album he loved as a child was an honor. He got the opportunity after a friend who runs a toy store in New York gave his name to someone at Sony. It didn’t take long for Jeremy and another artist, Kano, to come up with the design.
“It was a ‘wow’ moment,” he says of the experience. “I was always a fan of his music, but that album was my favorite. It’s Michael Jackson.”
What Jeremy may not realize is that there are art and toy fans who think to themselves, “It’s Mad.” He’s modest despite the fact that he’s up for a handful of Designer Toy Awards ( designertoyawards.com), including artist of the year. Voting is open to the public, and Saturday is the final day.
It’s hard to predict if he’ll win, but one thing is certain: Jeremy is churning out the hits.
In a few weeks he’ll head to Los Angeles for the release of his next project, another collaboration featuring an icon: Bruce Lee. The Temple of Kung Fu line of collectibles will be licensed characters inspired by Lee.
Shortly after, Jeremy will unveil a limited-edition figure made and manufactured entirely in Kansas City. His last self-produced toy sold out in 6 minutes.
Although Jeremy never did perfect the King of Pop’s dance moves or style, he’s becoming a king in his world of art and toys. He’s bad.
[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
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