Amusing anecdote about then-associate White House counsel John G. Roberts, Jr., and Michael Jackson: Roberts, currently serving as the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, objected to a Reagan aide's letter inviting Jackson and his brothers to the White House during their "Victory" tour.
It is also important to consider the precedent that would be set by such a letter. In today's Post there were already reports that some youngsters were turning away from Mr. Jackson in favor of a newcomer who goes by the name "Prince," and is apparently planning a Washington concert. Will he receive a Presidential letter? How will we decide which performers do and which do not?Dude found out about Prince from the Washington Post. Can you imagine living in an age when newspapers were that relevant?
I don't know if John Roberts finding out about Prince from the Washington Post says all that much about the relevance of newspapers...
...unless that was deftly placed sarcasm.
I can't even tell anymore.
Sometimes there's nothing left but to sit on Mr. T's lap.
Tells you what a square Roberts is, too. By 1984 Prince had already had multiple top-10 pop hits, including "Little Red Corvette." Six weeks after the memo above, "When Doves Cry" would hit the pop charts and make Prince an international star. But Associate Justice Roberts calls him a "newcomer." Hep cat.
Keep in mind -- at the point when Roberts was just hearing of Prince from the WaPo, Prince had (with Purple Rain) the #1 album, single, and movie. You'd have to be profoundly out of touch with popular culture to have not heard of him at that moment.
More to the point, every criticism of Michael's celebrity or the Jackson entourage's commercial aspirations would certainly apply to Reagan's use of his own celebrity and pop culture presence to get himself elected.
In short, the Chief Justice is devoid of funk. He has no booty to shake. I wonder what he does during wedding receptions when the Prince and MJ numbers come on.
Dork.
Whatevs, "John".
These kids, with their 'Michaels' and their 'Princes.' Next they'll be trying to eat french fries on subway trains.
What an asshole.
Wow, Roberts worrying about the precedent being set. Too bad he didn't carry that over to his current gig.
ZING!
I am not sure when or how Roberts became aware of the artist formerly known as "the artist formerly known as Prince," but I think his understatedly acidic internal-brief style is going underapplauded here.
When lawyers write memos to each other, they don't say things like, "Michael Jackson? Let's tell Michael Jackson he can just beat it?" They say things like: "I hate to sound like one of Mr Jackson's records, constantly repeating the same refrain, but I recommend that we not approve this letter." Which refrain? He didn't say, and thus didn't alienate any old fart colleagues who had never even heard of Michael Jackson, much less Prince. But he who hath ears to hear, let him hear Eddie van Halen playing in the background.
Also, hello?, should the (staff of the) president supply blurbs for pop stars to insert in Billboard and help promote their careers? Some Reagan officials thought so. Yikes!