The Michael Jackson Deep Dive

Dave and Milt crack open a special Past Tens where the subject is none other than the human moonwalk, Michael Jackson—timed nicely with the looming biopic that’s about to remind everyone just how absurdly dominant this guy was. We’re talking voice, moves, mystique, and that little side project with Quincy Jones that somehow turned into the most unfair three-album heater in pop history. Ground rules: solo MJ only. Sorry, Jackson 5—you’ll always have “ABC,” but you’re sitting this one out. From there, it’s ten categories and approximately 47 friendly arguments. “Most Well-Known Song” turns into a heavyweight bout—“Billie Jean” vs. “Thriller”—with no judges and plenty of yelling. “Where It Began” gives us the early runway (“Rockin’ Robin,” “Don’t Stop ’Til You Get Enough”), while “Mountain Moment” is basically the peak of the peak (“Beat It,” complete with Eddie Van Halen shredding like he wandered in from another genre, and “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’” doing…whatever that song does, which is everything). We dig for “Deep Cuts” (including a sneaky collab with Lenny Kravitz and a Wiz-adjacent pull), hit the “Chill Moments” (cue gospel chills and emotional uppercuts), and try to pick “Best Lyrics” without just defaulting to that line from “Billie Jean” (we fail, sort of). “Most Overrated” gets spicy—brace yourself if you’re a “Human Nature” defender—before we hit live performances, covers (including a left-field Billie Eilish acoustic moment), and pop culture usage featuring the holy trinity: Weird Al Yankovic, Eddie Murphy, and The Simpsons doing what The Simpsons does. It’s part appreciation, part chaos, part “how is one catalog this stacked?”—and yes, we know, it’s complicated. But for 90 minutes, we’re staying in our lane: the music, the moments, and the madness. Topics (a.k.a. the roadmap before we inevitably go off-road) 00:00 Glove Salute Cold Open  00:28 Welcome to Past Tens 01:21 Caffeine, Coffee, Gum, and questionable life choices 03:30 Biopic trailer hype meter: irresponsibly high 05:59 Rules, categories, and future disagreements 11:28 Most Known Song: “Billie Jean” vs. “Thriller” (fight) 17:52 Where It Began: baby steps to global takeover 23:58 Mountain Moment: peak MJ is somehow multiple peaks 33:17 Deep Cuts + The Wiz detour you didn’t ask for 39:42 Chill Moments: gospel, goosebumps, repeat 45:44 Halfway Quiz Tease (we promise it’s fun) 46:20 The Spock Song Premise (…just go with it) 47:43 MJ Titles Rapid Fire (hold onto your verbs) 49:49 Harder clues, deeper cuts, mild confusion 52:44 Best Lyric: “Billie Jean” does it again 58:15 “Billie Jean” lore + tangents we refuse to cut 01:01:27 Most Overrated: here come the angry emails 01:08:48 Best Live Performances: Motown 25 says hello 01:16:01 Best Covers: unexpected contenders 01:20:49 Pop Culture Moments: parodies, cameos, immortality 01:26:34 Wrap-up + Listener Mail (you keep us honest-ish)