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Pepsi on Jackson's Hairfire: Whatevs and 'Refresh Everything'
Michael Jackson's Famous Hair Fire: The Video

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If_I_Had_a_Poodle
07/18/09

In reply to Pepsi on Jackson's Hairfire: Whatevs and 'Refresh Everything'
would love to know precautions taken re hair, product and pyrotechnics, with most hair product known for being extremely flammable

i'm just saying
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ChillbearLatrigue
07/18/09

In reply to Pepsi on Jackson's Hairfire: Whatevs and 'Refresh Everything'
Wow, the Pepsi spokesman doesn't sound much like an insensitive corporate prick at all, does he? I guess you didn't get the message that the average man in the street hates you because, A) you work for a large corporation and B) you have a high paying job.

Not me though. I'm a Republican. I know exactly where you're coming from, buddy.
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mina324
07/18/09

@ChillbearLatrigue: I'm not quite sure whom you're addressing or if you're being sarcastic, but I agree that the spokesman doesn't sound like much of a prick. More like he's sick of all the Michael Jackson stuff and thinks it's a weird question to ask him at this point.
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ChillbearLatrigue promoted this comment Edited by mina324 at 07/18/09 2:42 PM mina324 was starred mina324 was unstarred

ChillbearLatrigue
07/18/09

@mina324:I actually thought that he sounded like a insensitive prick. I just don't care if corporate spokesmen are pricks, because I don't need them to be my buddies. I was talking to the spokesman, but yeah I changed it after the first sentence, so yeah...
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PandoraSpocks
07/18/09

In reply to Pepsi on Jackson's Hairfire: Whatevs and 'Refresh Everything'
The release of this video is part of an attempt by the Jackson family (and others) to make us feel sorry for MJ before the autopsy is released. When we find out he had twenty-seven kinds of drugs in his emaciated body, open wounds, collapsed veins and dozens of track marks, we're supposed to feel sorry for him because of something that happened 25 years ago. Basically, it's Pepsi's fault.
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naugahydeinplainsight
07/18/09

@PandoraSpocks: Sounds likely. When this tape started showing up on TV earlier this week the desk-jockeys were introducing it as the event that hooked MJ on painkillers, which (may have) led 25 years later to his death. Wonder where they got that line?
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kookla
07/21/09

@PandoraSpocks: Let's not forget the "completely bald" rumors as well. Those Jacksons are good at giving us the sads.
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Foster Kamer
07/18/09

In reply to Pepsi on Jackson's Hairfire: Whatevs and 'Refresh Everything'
Somewhere, you know some CIA spook looking to name his mission is reading and going, Genius! "Operation Hairfire."
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Edited by Foster Kamer at 07/18/09 1:08 PM Foster Kamer was starred Foster Kamer was unstarred

NinaHagen
07/18/09

In reply to Pepsi on Jackson's Hairfire: Whatevs and 'Refresh Everything'
Yep, they definitely got Bob Giraldi on the phone - trust me on that one...
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Matt Cherette
07/18/09

@NinaHagen: What makes you think TMZ didn't actually speak to Giraldi? I'm genuinely curious, as it seems apparent that Levin and Co. are pretty on top of things when it comes to this case -- regardless of whether or not one agrees with TMZ's tactics/ethics/etc.

(If you weren't implying that TMZ lied about the Giraldi phone conversation, please quickly forget the aforementioned and accept my most sincere apologies.)
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NinaHagen
07/18/09

@mattchew03: No - I was imputing that Bob Giraldi is a real-deal prick.
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Matt Cherette
07/18/09

@NinaHagen: Mea culpa. Please refer to the above comment, but disregard the entire first paragraph. :P
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Island of Misfit Toys
07/18/09

In reply to Pepsi on Jackson's Hairfire: Whatevs and 'Refresh Everything'
The video was much more terrifying than what I envisioned had happened (based on the white-washed news stories my 12-year old brain eagerly lapped up in 1984). I thought a tiny spark hit his head and a tuft of hair caught on fire, only to be immediately put out...Not the case at all. The entire crown of his head was scorched. No wonder the man wore wigs. I feel like such a bitch for mocking him about that all these years.
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naugahydeinplainsight
07/18/09

@Island of Misfit Toys: As I recall, back in '84 the only images made available showed a fuzzy white halo behind Jackson's head. The new stuff is pretty shocking. (But don't feel too bad; there were plenty of reasons to mock him besides the wigs.)
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badasscat
07/18/09

@Island of Misfit Toys: I recall the story being basically exactly what I'm seeing in the video here. The video itself is new but this is just the way I had always pictured it.

The funny thing is everybody made fun of him for this at the time. This was sort of right after he had peaked in popularity and even a lot of his own fans thought he had "sold out" when he signed the Pepsi deal, so there was a big pop culture backlash against him - he was the Britney Spears circa 2006 of that era. He was obviously very popular but if you weren't a fan, you really weren't a fan, and even if you were a fan, you probably thought this was just kharma. So I remember a lot of snickering about this incident both in the adult media and among pretty much everybody I knew in school.

The video itself is pretty horrifying just to imagine that that's a human being there, but it is interesting to hear the reactions to it now compared to the reactions to it then, considering that I don't really see anything in the video that's surprising or wasn't known publicly at the time.
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Private Hangnail
07/18/09

In reply to Pepsi on Jackson's Hairfire: Whatevs and 'Refresh Everything'
If anything, the makers of Jheri Curl are most responsible for this fiery affair.
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miss_msry
07/18/09

@Private Hangnail:

Si, es muy combustible.
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BookishLookish
07/18/09

@Private Hangnail: Yes. That stuff acted as a, what's the word, I've been drinking all day--oh, yeah: accelerant. The Jheri Curl activator was basically grease, and anyone who has ever seen a kitchen grease fire...
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jasonelias
07/18/09

@BookishLookish: Yep and there's flammable ingredients already in it. From the looks of Michael's curl at the time of the accident, it wasn't a good one and he had a lot of product in it.
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Edited by jasonelias at 07/18/09 10:08 PM jasonelias was starred jasonelias was unstarred

kookla
07/21/09

@Private Hangnail: I can vouch from first hand experience that Jheri Curl is extremely flammable. So can all the people on the dance floor that put my hair out, which had brushed against a candle.
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jasonelias
07/18/09

In reply to Pepsi on Jackson's Hairfire: Whatevs and 'Refresh Everything'
I'm glad Bob Girardi didn't say anymore, I've heard variations of his corny anecdote for the past 25 years, no need in hearing it again.
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DennyCrane
07/15/09

In reply to Michael Jackson's Famous Hair Fire: The Video
Just let your Soul Gloooooooo .........
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Edited by DennyCrane at 07/15/09 1:03 PM DennyCrane was starred DennyCrane was unstarred

PaisleyPajamas
07/15/09

In reply to Michael Jackson's Famous Hair Fire: The Video
HE KEPT DANCING. This is why I love him so.

Oh, and Themeballs? You suck.
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Cheap Shot
07/15/09

In reply to Michael Jackson's Famous Hair Fire: The Video
usually an accident like this would make the person look dumb but he somehow is awesome throughout HIS HEAD BEING ON FIRE!
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Dickdogfood
07/15/09

In reply to Michael Jackson's Famous Hair Fire: The Video
Also: if memory serves, the media had footage of the event right after it happened. (I'm at work so I can't compare the below to my CNN memories.)
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stoprobbers
07/15/09

@Dickdogfood: Do you mean footage of his hair on fire, or footage of him after the event? I remember (and have seen since) the footage of him being loaded into the ambulance and lifting his gloved hand to say he's ok(ish).
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Dickdogfood
07/15/09

@stoprobbers: I mean that the media had access to footage of the hair-catching-on-fire event itself soon after it happened. I remember him stepping down a flight of stairs, a woosh of flame, and not much else.
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mylittleonetrickpony
07/15/09

@Dickdogfood: Nope, they only had footage after the accident, not during.
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Baroness
07/15/09

@Dickdogfood: I remember seeing a still picture years ago, taken from the front, where you could see just a lick of flame. This footage is much clearer how bad it was.
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Dickdogfood
07/15/09

@Baroness: Maybe I'm thinking of this:
http://www.newsday.com/media/photo/2009-06/47715787.jpg
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Edited by Dickdogfood at 07/15/09 1:54 PM Dickdogfood was starred Dickdogfood was unstarred

oneinsixbillion
07/15/09

In reply to Michael Jackson's Famous Hair Fire: The Video
He got a few million dollars from Pepsi and used it to start the Michael Jackson Burn Center at some CA hospital. Class act.
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kookla
07/16/09

@oneinsixbillion:I had to heart you for that comment. Not many people realize how much MJ did for burn victims after his accident.
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Matt Cherette
07/15/09

In reply to Michael Jackson's Famous Hair Fire: The Video
Just posted this over at ONTD, but the embed code for the video doesn't seem to be agreeing with LJ and so it's not showing up; therefore, I've directed people here so that they can watch the footage.

That said, it's really sort of amazing/horrifying that Jackson didn't seem to notice that HIS HEAD WAS ON FIRE until everyone else did. And for what it's worth, I loved the little Miko Brando cameo.
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Mount_Prion
07/15/09

In reply to Michael Jackson's Famous Hair Fire: The Video
It almost looks like his spin move puts out the fire before all the stagehands rush to smother his hairblaze.

Perhaps "Stop, Drop & Roll" should be amended to include "Spin"?

It snuffs zombies in his Sega game, so it must work for all other disasters.
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stoprobbers
07/15/09

@Mount_Prion: Only if you're Michael Jackson. If I tried to spin to put out my blazing hair, I'd probably end up spreading it to my clothes.
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Steverino Begins
07/15/09

@Mount_Prion: OMG, thank you for that Sega reference. That game looked like it was put together in about a week, but it was oddly addictive. That damn little girl kept getting kidnapped in every level.
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