Podcast ‘Think Twice’ and the complicated legacy of Michael Jackson

Episode notes

(Photo: Audible)

Content Warning: This interview discusses the allegations that Michael Jackson abused children. If you or someone you’re listening with might be sensitive to that, we wanted to give you a heads up.

The podcast Think Twice examines one of the toughest subjects in American pop culture: Michael Jackson.

Not just his biography or his art, but what he means. The greatest pop music icon ever. An avatar of the complexity of race in America. And of course, an accused child molester.

How do we deal with all these things? How should we? What do we remember? What have we forgotten? Think Twice asks these questions.

The show is hosted by Leon Neyfakh and Jay Smooth.

Leon Neyfakh is a journalist, radio host and writer. He’s also a podcaster. He was the creator and original host of Slate’s huge hit Slow Burn.

Jay Smooth is a DJ and writer. He founded the longest running hip-hop radio show in New York – Underground Railroad on WBAI. He is also a pioneering video blogger, with incredible insight into race and culture.

Leon and Jay join us to talk about Think Twice and the complicated legacy of Michael Jackson. After conducting dozens of interviews and spending months collecting research, did creating Think Twice change the way Leon and Jay feel about Michael Jackson? We get into it.

You can stream Think Twice on Audible.

In this episode...

Jesse Thorn

Host

Kevin Ferguson

Senior Producer

Jesus Ambrosio

Producer

Richard Robey

Maximum Fun Producer

Daniel Huecias

Maximum Fun Production Fellow

Daniel Arón Speer

Video Editor

Guests

Leon Neyfakh
Jay Smooth

About the show

Bullseye is a celebration of the best of arts and culture in public radio form. Host Jesse Thorn sifts the wheat from the chaff to bring you in-depth interviews with the most revered and revolutionary minds in our culture.

Bullseye has been featured in Time, The New York Times, GQ and McSweeney’s, which called it “the kind of show people listen to in a more perfect world.” Since April 2013, the show has been distributed by NPR.

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