Dissect DJs - Michael Jackson - Thriller

Episode Date: October 30, 2020

We go deep into the spirit of Halloween with the most iconic track to play this time of year - Michael Jackson's Thriller! Does it stand the test of time? The Dissect DJs debate. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Duh, D'S a beach DJs I sec Dittoo Dittoo Dizu Dijee Dijs Oh, what's going on? It's Halloween 2020, everybody. Oh, it's the best time of the year, is it? Not Justito. That's our birthday.

We're coming around the third base of birthday season, and you know what's right around the corner. Sliding into favorite holiday of the year. It's Halloween, baby. And if there's one song that is synonymous with Halloween for me, it is Thriller. And the best thing is we're actually going to find out what he says right there. That's all I've ever said.

None of you sang this song and you guys did exactly what we just did. You have to. All right. It is the Dachsick DJ. D.S.C. DJ. Special Halloween edition. DJ MC Jagging along with my boy Castesi. What up, Steve?

Let's get some Halloween spirit going. And as I said before, like this to me has become synonymous. this like more so than any other song, more so than the Monster Mesh. And we debated which song we should do. And then like literally three seconds later, I was like, it's true. It's got to be thrilled. We got to do it. Maybe next year.

Although Michael gets two plays in our top 50 first season episodes. I mean, he deserves it. He deserves it. It's my game. And the last one was like, what, episode six? Check it out. Go check out our Man in the Mirror five. Check out our Man in the Mirror episode.

And our entire catalog, DysectDJs podcast.com. If you go to DisecDJs.com, it'll take it. you do the same place so don't want to know then you just need to say dasickdjays. But with that said um you guys it's thriller it's thriller and we just uh yeah we are also doing a special segment where we are watching the video because this video changed the world. Absolutely the thriller video is so you can't dissect the song without getting into the video so let's go ahead and break it down we had to jump into the song but we just watched the whole opening when uh we begin with Michael and he's He's walking with this lovely lady, and they have sort of like 50s attire going on.

He's got his letterman jacket. She's got kind of like that little thing in her hair. And he's like, I'm not like other guys. And she's like, well, of course not. He's like, no, you don't understand. And then his ears start, fuck. They start, and then the moon shows. And his whiskers start growing.

And then he just starts going. Just turns into a full-ass wolfman. And then it gets to four minutes and 30 seconds into the actual music video that we actually get to the song of the which is epic I mean the best opening one of the best opening I mean like it could be argued

that of a song that just opens with like a certain note what's your other one as soon as you hear it no I mean like 1999 I don't know do me favor put a clip in that right now yeah and then I would I would also put in a jump by Van Halen let me hear that clip

thank you all right that's a good one that's also a good one yeah no I still think Thriller Top's both of them like you know exactly when it hits and it just grabs everybody in the room they're like oh you doing thriller I know this whole dance kind of kind of and then everybody like if there's a dance for everybody's like oh wait I know the thriller and then everybody just whatever they're about to do they're like oh okay put a pin in that and they just make their way

they don't really know the thriller but they kind of know the concept of most of the moves we're assuming a lot there the actual thriller now I know you're a dance instructor so with my wedding experience I'm able to break this down in some of the most basic ways and turn this into a dance that you can do at any time. You have a four-step process I've seen it. Yeah, it works pretty well. It's good dance. It works good. It makes everybody have fun.

You got grandma and the kids go on it. But expert dancers can do the actual thriller dance, and it looks fantastic. It's a really good dance. Oh, yeah. That's the thing is it's a kind of dance, even the most basic kids can do. But also, if you're like a really good dancer, you could turn it next level and, like, really impressed with it. Like, that's what's so impressive about the thriller dance, really. So one thing we forgot to mention is after the Wolfman felt thing happened, then it turns out it's a movie that Michael's actually watching.

There's a lot of like Inception Universe kind of shit going on in this music video because then he's watching the music video. Watching. He's turning to a wolf. With a girl who I think is the same girl. Same girl, but different girl. She has a different hairstyle. You know, she's got that real 80s like curls going on. And he's doing the popcorn eating, which has become one of the most epic.

Classic meme. I've used it. Anybody, anytime, yeah, it's the go-to when there's a fight going back and forth in a comment section. Somebody just has the Michaelian popcorn. I got the Michael Popper. This is getting fantastic.

You guys are great. Yeah. So that meeting happens. Then they run outside and then they begin to and now they're walking. And now I've got to be honest, as many times as I've listened to this song, heard this song, DJed this song.

I've never actually paid attention to the lyrics. All I know he says something about the midnight. And then from there, I'm just kind of like, I don't really know what he's talking about. I have no idea. And that's about it. I don't really know what he's talking about. So let's figure this out, finally.

And we're all caught up. Really, baby. Let's Halloween 20, 20, 20, 20, 20. That's sick. 20, 20, 20, 20. Let's break this shit down. What did Michael just talk about? It's close to midnight and some shit.

What did you say? It's us midnight. Something evil's lurking in the dark. Okay, classic Halloween. Set up right there. Under the moonlight, you see a sight that almost stops your heart. Okay. You try to scream.

Wait, wait, wait, go back to that. It stops my heart in the middle of the night. Yeah, because you... There's a lot of things that have done that. Yeah. If you're walking alone in moonlight, anything's really going to make you kind of like something... Can you guys? Like any shadow, you're like, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, wait.

Got like a raccoon in the bush? Any noise? If you hear a... Like that dance monkey sound comes back. Oh, my God. Can we kill the goddamn monkey sound for it? Just say, if that comes in while you're walking in the middle of the dark, you're going to be a little like, I don't know, where am I right now? You know, like, where am I?

And then his reaction is, you try to scream. Okay. But Tara takes the sound before you make it. So wait a minute. It goes like, uh-oh. Yeah. Yeah, I think that's what that is. I was about to ask what that means, and that's it.

You start to freeze as horror looks you right between the eyes. Okay, so now he's looking at something. And it's looking at him. Or she's looking at something. Right between the eyes. Oh, she is. Yeah, he's talking to. Whoever.

She starts to freeze. Does she actually freeze? Or does she start to freeze? Like she can be... She starts to freeze. And then she's not fully frozen, though. Well, because, like, you know, mentally this kind of stuff takes a second to really grab hold of you. Oh.

Like, she started to scream, but, like, terror took over the sound. Okay. And then she started to freeze, but horror is looking right in the eyes. And now, you're paralyzed. Is that what he said? paralyzed yeah because now she started to freeze horror looked in between the eyes and now you're paralyzed castle for some reason my whole life i thought he said you're a paradise like he was talking about your that's i don't know why i never thought i don't know it's just one

those things is one of those things do you know why she's paralyzed though oh what did you just say right there and no one's gonna save you from the beast about to strike you know it's so wait is it thriller or is a thriller night i think it's actually just thriller night it's not Thriller. It's actually Thriller Night. Because he says it's Thriller comma Thriller Night. Every single time he says it's Thriller Night. It's a comma, Thriller night. So it's just like a setup.

I thought it was Thrill the Night. Jesus Christ, man. This is really good. This is therapeutic for you that we're actually... Thrill the Night. No, it's Thriller Night. Thriller Night. Tonight. Like he just finishes the word. Wow. Look, tonight is

Thriller Night. That's what this is. Wow. Everybody that's experiencing this on Halloween, Maybe the day is leading up to Halloween, wherever you're at. It's Thriller Night. You're fighting for your life inside a killer. Wait, what? Wait, what?

Wait, what? Is that, like, are you... Sounds like it's a baby inside a murderous mother. Yeah. What Jason Boorries is like, he ate you, and, you're, like, fucking fighting for your life, and you're trying to, like, scratch your way up. Or you're in the whale? Like, you got swallowed by the whale?

Like Moby Dick? Yeah. Captain Ahab or whatever? And you're just trying to murder your... Hey, what am I talking? I don't know. Well, he threw us for a loop with that. Like, you're fighting for your life inside a killer.

I thought that, honestly, the chorus of this was going to be pretty straightforward, but it threw us for a loop right there. It's thrilling me. You're fighting for your life inside a killer, comma, thriller night. A thriller, thriller tonight. I don't, I don't really. He's losing me. I don't know.

This actual version of the song... Maybe this will make sense later. When he's singing it, it sounds fantastic. Oh, no, it sounds so good when Mike says it. Hey, Mike, just sing it. I already know which part of the video you like most right there. I'm going to predict. Go ahead.

You feel the cold hand and wonder if you'll ever see the sun. And as he says it, he does this kind of zombie walk where he's like got his hands out and he kind of grabs the girl's shoulders. And that's when she starts getting into it. Before that, she's all been like, uh, it wasn't that scared. And she's all like uncomfortable. And Michael's walking around. He's singing to her in his little classic thriller Red Get Up.

That's when she starts being like, okay, he's all right. I'm having fun now, you know, because he's like singing and he's like making her feel good. Yeah. That's what gets you. You would think that's me, but that's not it. My favorite part is, you hear the door slam. And then somehow, somewhere there's a random door. There has to be.

That decides to slam. That's Quincy Jones right there, man. It's like, wha. There's not even a door in the video. No, no, it doesn't need to be. The video doesn't even show a door slam. You hear the door, but he claps. It has to be.

Door slam. There's no way Quincy was going to let him say, you hear the door slam. have a door slam and not have a door slam it has to be in there and you realize there's nowhere left to run oh yeah it's a terrifying idea right there he's and she's out of time and then you feel the cold hand and wonder if you'll ever see the sun yeah this is getting terrifying quick you close your eyes and hope that this is just imagination and that as i was just watching i'm like michael improv that girl right there like you know he was just in the studio and he's feeling it he just threw that girl and they were like got to keep it oh yeah micha's in the zone right now

I think we're about to make millions on this track That was right then when Quincy was like We're about to make millions We got some good Michael's feeling it He's basically that zombie right now in the studio Like he's one with the thriller right now I've done that in karaoke before

Where you just add a little extra Yeah And uh... It feels fantastic I know I've said that four times In this track already I don't care It deserves it.

Oh, it's really But all the while You hear a creature creeping up behind you're right to die Can we just discuss that last part There's no escaping the jaws of the alien This time What the f-ha? Have we been talking about aliens this whole time?

Now I'm lost Is it aliens? That's what it says Night creatures call And the dead starts to walk in their masquerade There's no escaping the jaws Of the alien this time They're hoping wide

This is the end of your life This is very confusing Yeah, Mike's kind of all over the place In this one You know, he's a wolf in one point in the video, then he's a zombie. Now he's talking about aliens. And, yeah, I don't know exactly what the thriller is. That's why I think we've discovered that it's not a single thriller.

It's thriller night. Like the whole night, whatever is happening, that's what the thriller is. You know, it's not a specific being. It's just that this night is the thriller. The thriller. I gotta be honest, this is, I'm losing my steam for thriller in this one. It's not as cool as it once was to me. It's one of the songs where you dissecting, I'm like, this is stupid.

I mean, again, he does not speak for me on this, but, uh, dude, he's throwing all the Halloween darts of the board. First of all, it's close to midnight. Nothing gets scary at midnight. Nothing gets crazy until about 2.34, 3 o'clock a hand. I don't know. Have you walked around a foggy cemetery with Michael before? Shit might get scared it real quick. What's lurking?

Like, if there's something lurking. The thriller. Night creatures crawl. I don't know. There's demons close. Go inside. Go watch the late show and relax. Like, what are you doing out?

Whoever this person is, they deserve to be having all these things happen to them because they should be inside like a proper individual. That's not here supposed to spend the Halloween, bro. You're supposed to get out there. Walk through a foggy seven to-timore. No, man. You do that for like 8 to 10. 8 to 10.

You bring your pillowcase. You go get some candy. You say, I am. There is no escaping the jaws of the alien this time, bro. They're out to get you. There's demons closing in on every side. I wish your alien would probe me. They will possess you unless you change that number on your dial, which is weird.

Are they going to get through your phone? Like, if you don't change your number, then the demons are going to possess you is what he said. Let's be honest. That throws a whole loop to this. Like she has to call AT&T tomorrow And be like, I need a new number And it's a lot of work And then I have to hit up all her

So she has, why can't she just not enter the phone? And this is 80s so this is not like Facebook Be like, hey guys, this is my new number Or hit me up for a new number You're like you had to like call everybody But like hey By the way I got a new number Dude

Wait a second If the demons is going to get you by calling your phone Like just maybe let it go to the voice mail Yeah like I don't think I would have This is pre voicemail This is pre-boicemail answering machine Answer machine, yeah, that's the same thing, I think. But, yeah, and then the demons just leaving a bunch of answering messages like,

I just like, well, I don't think I ain't going to give that person my number. That would be kind of terrifying, yeah. Now I'm hearing it. Now I'm hearing why this is all terrible. Like, that got me more than the whole aliens. Cemetery, the, yeah. There's a lot of scary shit out there. Basically, I think Mike is just basically covering all the bases of what Thriller Night is.

All right, so let's just hear it. We just say that the video takes out the This is Thriller! Which I'm always taking to be... Like two or three times. Like, I'm always taking it to be the best part of the song where I'm just like, oh, I've got to get into it now and get back in.

It literally takes out... How did this video... All the thrillers, yeah. I can't believe we just figured that out now. That's dissect for you. That's what Dysex do. I mean, you're not going to hear it because we're going to play it for you

the way it's supposed to be heard, so the thriller part was in there for you. Because the actual song, the pop song, actually plays that. And you need that. And it, because it makes the song go. But we are halfway through this video. And three times now, this song has decided to cancel out. That whole thriller part.

Which just goes to show that this whole video was way more about, like, the theatrics than it was the song. Like, it wasn't really trying to get the song across to you. It was just like, no. Michael in the graveyard. Michael's a werewolf. Michael's a zombie. movie production because I don't know we mentioned it already but like this is like the first like real music video that ever existed like this changed the entire music video industry everybody started on it basically set it up and they're like oh wait you could tie a song to like a movie make your own movie at it what let's just hear the search of blood to terrorize your neighborhood I feel like we got to address Vincent Price right there Vincent who Vincent Price? Who are you who are you just asking right now who is Vincent The dude that makes the fucking the evil, the darkness walks across the land.

Did you not notice in the music video when he walked out of the movie theater? It said Vincent Price thriller. No. You're really going to tell me you don't know how Vincent Price is right now. I have no clue who Vincent Price did. Holy shit. Who do you think he's laughing at the end of the fucking song? Can I tell you something?

Can I say that? Fuck Vincent Price, bro. What I say about that? All right. Once again, this is going to have to start being a regular version. of the Dysak DJ's podcast but I am going to put out there that the comments

of DJ JAG have absolutely nothing to do with the comments of Callie Castle. Is Vincent Price an important person in American history? Absolutely, dude. American history? He's basically like the father of like a horror. Like his voice is like the father of horror films.

Like he is the voice of horror. The voice that you hear. All right, all right. Can I say this then? No, I don't want to hear it. fucking love Vincent Price, bro, because Halloween is shit, my birthday's here. He's like the voice of Halloween. Sorry I said that Vince, Vincent, what is it?

Whatever is named. I can't believe never heard of Vince Brett. The fact that he's like the voice of this song. I was on the Price is right and I lost in the showcase. Because I suck. All right, let's listen to Vincent Price in, all right? Let's get it. of hell died a corpse's shell.

Dentches in the air, the funk of 40,000 years, and grizzly goose from every tomb are closing to seal your doom. And though you fight to stay alive, your body starts to shiver. For no immortal can resist the evening. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha. Hey, what's so funny? I don't know. I gotta be honest, that's one of the worst movies I've ever seen.

What? It's not a good movie. It's not a good movie. Oh, fuck out. Well, it's not a movie. It's a music video. With your editing and background in moving and editing and movies and editing and movies and editing, You're going to tell me that that was a decent movie.

It was 1982, I believe, and it was before music videos were even a thing. I don't care. It was a good. Was it a good movie? Yes. No, man, that was shit. It's fucking classic. First of all, as previously mentioned, we love Halloween, and they absolutely captured

the spirit of Halloween. Just looking at those zombie characters and, like, them all coming out of the cemetery and, like, popping up. There's a little bit of cheese in there, but that's part of what makes it so epic. I don't know what story. If you're talking about like storyline, like front to back, yeah, it's very confusing. Like, okay, so Michael is taking a girl to a movie and it's got him in a movie. And then she gets... Where it becomes a werewolf, she gets scared, then he becomes a zombie.

Then he takes her out to the cemetery. Then he becomes a zombie. First of all, this girl keeps getting chased off by Michael. And then at the end of it, he's just like, why are you scared? It's like, because every... fucking point of this video is you trying to eat me, motherfucker. Like, God, you were a were a zombie. And then you turned to this green-eyed fucking snake guy.

Even at the end. Like, so what did we learn at the end? Michael actually is like a low-key zombie on the low. I will say, though, like, what a classic ending to that whole video. The turnaround with the yellow eyes. Like, that's, you gotta fucking love that. Otherwise, it would just be like a fucking soft ending. You're like, oh, I guess everything's chill.

Like, no, they can't leave you like that because it's thriller night. And they gotta bring in it. Vince Vaughn. That's fucking Vincent Price, dude. Vince. Who is it? Whatever, he comes in with a laugh. Google Vincent Price. I don't care about Vincent Price.

He has a classic laugh, though. He has a classic voice. He's like the classic voice of Halloween. It doesn't even matter what he's talking about. Is he Puerto Rican? Then I don't care. I don't think so. Oh, I got to care.

That's pretty racist. Robert Clemente. Look him up. I know, Robert. Shut up, dude. You're ruining the thriller episode quick. All right. So, no, we just watched the.

And like, what I was just thinking as we were watching that video is like, I'm so used to seeing people do the thriller dance now. Anytime it's a Halloween party or something. Like there's a point when like there's a thriller dance and everybody does the wolf and they do that little thing. The way watching Michael do it, it's just such a breath of fresh air that how clean he hits those moves. It's almost lost upon because like we've all seen the thriller dance done a million times that you don't really remember it as being that epic. I always say it. It's all about neck movement and he does maximum. working his neck, his hips, his arms. It really actually is one of the best examples of Michael's

dance abilities, and it's just kind of been watered down with how much everybody else has kind of ruined it. Chris Brown does a killer thriller dance. He's the only one that ever saw. Oh, definitely fuck Chris Brown. Fuck Chris Brown, bro. I know, but I gotta say, man, I've seen the only person I remember seeing do the thriller dance where I was like, wow, he's like maybe as good as Michael. He was really good at it. But I saw him doing a performance once. He actually crushed that chip. But I think it's a epic video and it's just

synonymous with the 80s it's synonymous of Michael Jackson it's synonymous with Halloween it's anonymous of Vincent Price damn it and these are obviously all dude you are the only person

of this area doesn't know if it's a price to stop embarrassing yourself every single one of these things are just like classic staples in America and that's why you gotta fucking just respect the thriller night

you just gotta love it right and you have to play it on Halloween if you don't play it on Halloween you have not done this holiday justice If you agree with me and you have no idea who bends in prices, go ahead and call us in at 555-2138. I'm actually going to wait for the phone to ring this time.

Point-proven. Okay, let's move on. So. What are you giving it? Slaps and claps and snaps. Snaps and claps and what are you getting? I like that. So you didn't see it, but I did the whole, like, little thriller slide.

And then I toss it up to a four slap with a fucking MUNO. I like. And if you guys didn't see that, which you didn't because you're listening, he did the neck movement. A little neck, a little slide. When they did a double down neck movement back to the other side and slap that. Which is my favorite part of the thriller dance? What's your favorite part of the thriller dance? Since you're so familiar with it and you teach it to everybody.

Actually like when they go hip to hip and they go side. You like that part. Okay. When they walk backwards from half. For some reason, the same move eight times backwards away from the camera. To be honest, I always thought that was. the wackest part of the dance but it's iconic yeah it's fine it works i like it all right how many slaps you give him thriller are you ready for it so that was three and then like a little like

he did the over the head and then slap and his neck movement clap on top doesn't get five from me because the video was amateur um the song is i got to say man michael as a zombie was actually very convincing zombie work man like we're so used to sing The videos, I'm just amazed at, like, the fact that they made, I don't know, man. Here's the thing, you want me to be straight up? Yeah. The song, honestly, for me, it's kind of funny because it's opposite. I love this song.

The thing is, it generally gets carried as, like, Michael's best song. And for me, I don't believe that. I think it was his most successful, like, put out that it gets carried on as, like, Michael's most classic song. I don't think it's his best work as a song. But that video, the whole aura. around it with Vincent Price and the Halloween and like the whole movie theater

and all that like that is what gives me that little extra boost with a little shimmy and the like little side neck hood thing I just had to do it I like it two things number one nobody knows who Vincent Price is and number two I just wanted to point the number one out yeah keep pointing out that you're not an intelligent

individual especially when you try to make Halloween I love Halloween Halloween Halloween I know more about Halloween than any other individual Clearly not, because you think that Vincent Preiss is a person that doesn't exist. Whatever. Can I give my Thriller Halloween story? I have a little one that this official. I was about to go next.

There's a point that actually Thriller became my favorite Halloween song. One time I was sitting in my room when we lived in a fraternity house in a room that was known to be haunted. Low key. And I was just sitting there on Halloween. The TV turned on itself, and it was right at the beginning of Thriller. and I just watched the whole video and then the video ended and the TV turned off on its own.

I don't believe you. Now, this TV, it did turn on on its own sometimes because there was like a timer aspect that like usually sometimes would turn it on its own and turn off so that wasn't like completely on its own. But it never did it that quickly and it was like the fact that it did it right at the beginning of the video and then right at the end.

And it was funny because I was just, like sitting there with you know my girlfriend at the time and we were in the middle of just a conversation and like literally the tv turned on and we just sat there and watched the whole video didn't say a word and then it just turned off and we just were like that seriously just happened on Halloween like what and from that point on I was like thriller is my Halloween gem and then the next year on Halloween me and Greg Mestis literally played it while we had a little Halloween party at our house that we lived in and the entire time we were setting up we literally played thriller on a non-stop loop somewhere between 30 to 40 times and uh really that iced it from that point on anytime it's

Halloween I have to listen to thriller at some point during the day and uh yeah I had to watch a video too it just goes hand in hand so all right well Castle um do you remember that I lived it with you at this fraternity house yeah yeah so um I actually had control of your TV and was able to uh configure in 2006 a way to make sure that I was able to turn on the TV and turn it off at the beginning and end of thrillers. So all these years that you've been thinking it was a ghost, it was your boy. It was your boy. It was me. I lived with you.

It was me the whole time. You didn't realize. You didn't realize. You were barely even able to say configure right now. So I don't really believe. It was me. You didn't think it. You never knew it. You would just walk outside that room and like I was like this is the perfect time. This is the perfect time. Well, well done then. You know who I think it was? I think you're full of shit. I think I know exactly who it was. I think it was. The Thriller.

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