NEWSWEEK's music critic Seth Colter Walls wrote a piece last night describing how Michael Jackson's music failed to win him over as a fan. A lot of you commented, most of you stating (like stuff mcgee) that "while you give him [Jackson] some credit, you fail to recognize the level of sheer genius that MJ possessed."  Others, like stanbrakhage, wrote that "while I totally agree with you, I'm not sure our voice--the voice of the condescending hipster--makes for a necessary addition to all the news coverage." Walls responds to your comments below:

Whoa, okay! So a lot of you really, really hate this piece. The objections in the comments exhibit a range of thoughtfulness, from the worthwhile (my evaluation comes too soon after MJ's death) to the not-very (I don't like Jackson's music because I'm a "white dude"). On the first count, there are three things worth noting. One, this is not NEWSWEEK's sole article on Jackson's death. My colleague Joshua Alston has written a fine piece about Jackson's influence that many commenters want me to have rewritten. It's OK for a publication to employ multiple voices and perspectives on a story, and that includes first-person essays. (Look for more, from others, in the coming days.) Second, my decision to only engage Jackson's music—as opposed to the freak-show scandals—was an act of respect, since there are plenty of other outlets trodding the tabloid ground. But third, if you read the piece, its movement is one of my originally having a close-minded attitude to Jackson, and then growing out of that. Now, did he become my favorite musician? No. Do I prefer James Brown, Stevie Wonder, and Sly Stone (all of whom broke the color barrier on network TV before Jackson did on a cable channel)? Absolutely. I also prefer Prince, who I wrote about earlier this year. I get that fan emotions are running high right now, so I thought it made sense to speak to some of the more outraged comments. For those to whom Jackson meant a great deal, we're sorry for your loss. Now, as to the criticism that I don't like Michael because I'm white ... the less said the better. Thanks for reading! —Seth Colter Walls

It’s impossible to discuss Michael Jackson’s legacy without talking about his music videos, those ostentatious short films that elevated the music-video form a little more with every new entry. Michael was the first artist to truly marry the sound and the vision, and his videos were always appointment worthy. He’s the reason people wanted their MTV. In no particular order, here are eight of his finest video moments. (NOTE: Since M.J.'s company has disabled embedding, you'll have to double-click videos to view.)

‘Thriller'
It starts with a film within a film. Michael and Ola Ray are walking on a clear moonlit night. He asks her to be his girl. She accepts. “I have something I wanna tell you,” he says. “I’m not like other guys.” “Of course not. That’s why I love you,” she replies. “No … I mean I’m different,” he says. In light of all the bizarre Michael Jackson news that followed in the subsequent quarter century, that exchange has been interpreted a number of ways. The simplest explanation, of course, is that Michael is not like other pop stars. He’s not going to give you a cookie-cutter video, he’s going to create a grand spectacle with state-of-the-art technology, an actual story, and choreography that begs to be imitated. Oh, and he’s also a werewolf. Best. Video. Ever.

‘Black or White’
“Thriller” director John Landis reunited with Michael for this massive, globe-trotting clip. The video premiered in prime time and yielded huge ratings, which is hard to process now but highlights his pop dominance. Technology is only cool when its current, so the morphing effect at the end doesn’t look quite as polished as it could by today’s standards. But it was a marvel then. For an extra treat, watch the extended version with the controversial ending.

‘Smooth Criminal’
As a complete video, “Smooth Criminal” is Michael’s second-best work. The centerpiece to his mini-movie Moonwalker, “Criminal” finds him dancing through a ’30s-style nightclub. The anti-gravity lean is still an eye-popper.

‘Leave Me Alone’
It’s not one of his finest moments musically, but this clever, animated clip is one of his best videos, pointedly mocking the cottage industry that had sprung up around documenting his every move. It’s both defiant and sort of humble, suggesting that Michael had more sense of humor about the nonstop speculation on his life than most of us thought. This one nabbed him one of his two Grammys for best short-form music video (the other was for “Scream.”)

‘Beat It’
Classically trained jazz dancers … come out and playyyyy! I thought the limber street toughs were menacing when I was a kid. They’re not so menacing now. Still, the choreography is tight, as always, and Michael is to be applauded for addressing the issue of gang violence in his own way.

‘Remember the Time’
“Thriller” is, hands down, Michael’s best dance performance. For his second best, look no further than this clip for the second single from his Dangerous album. “Remember the Time” is typically long and studded with special effects and celebrity cameos. But the most stunning material comes at 6.25 minutes in, when Michael and a throng of dancers launch into a dazzling routine choreographed by Fatima Robinson. I could watch it a dozen times and not get bored.

‘Billie Jean’
It looks every bit like a video from 1983, but a darn good one. When Michael’s footsteps illuminate the sidewalk, it still seems like a groundbreaking effect, even though intellectually we know it isn’t.

‘Scream’ (featuring Janet Jackson)
“Scream” is the Michael Jackson superlative that doesn’t get mentioned much anymore. At a cost of $7 million, the clip, directed by Mark Romanek, remains the most expensive music video in history. But for all its futuristic sets and meticulous postproduction, what makes this video such a delight to watch is the interaction between Michael and Janet. Here are two of the biggest superstars in the world, making the most expensive video ever, and yet they come across as just a big brother and his little sister, goofing off, irritating each other, and generally having a blast.

Michael Jackson’s meteoric rise to fame was shepherded by television and photographs: the Jackson 5 lead singer broke out on American Bandstand, was immortalized in button-cute photographs as a kid, and became the world's most celebrated pop star with the advent of the music video. But some of his most iconic renderings came not through television, film, or photo, but rather through more traditional media like painting and sculpture. Five works of art that celebrate the star:

Michael Jackson and Bubbles by Jeff Koons. Provocative conceptual artist Jeff Koons has made a career of turning tabletop kitsch and American novelties into megalithic icons, and Jackson was not immune. Koons’s porcelain statue of the singer esthetically recalls the precious glass tchotchkes your grandmother might have kept, but the sculpture's message was more suggestive. Part of Koons’s Banality series, the piece is outsized (more than six feet long) and depicts Jackson’s young, male pet chimpanzee nestled in the singer’s arms. It sold for $5.6 million at auction.

King of Pop promotional tour poster. Ever wondering what Lincoln, the Mona Lisa and, er, E.T. would look like in Jackson's signature, oversize aviator shades? Wonder no more: this tour poster was transferred to stretched canvas. It depicts Jackson and a handful of other icons all wearing the same sunglasses and the characteristic rhinestone-encrusted glove. The piece was up for auction in April, before Jackson canceled the sale.

Michael Jackson (born 1958) by Andy Warhol. King of Pop, meet the arbiter of the pop movement. When Time featured Jackson on its cover in 1984, who else to capture him than pop artist Andy Warhol? The artist's signature silk-screening technique immortalized Jackson at the pinnacle of his fame, the same year he won a whopping eight Grammy awards for “Thriller.”

Michael Jackson Triptych by David Nordahl. Painted in the tradition of Gothic devotional triptychs, this three-painting foldout showed Michael as a light-bathed, omnipotent central figure and as the subject of both a coronation (at right) and knighthood (at left). The sumptuous oil figures were painted on top of a depthless background covered in textile-type motifs, giving the whole work the look of a regal tapestry.

Peter Pan car-hood decal. Jackson also initially put this electric car up for sale; its hood depicts an elaborate, airbrushed mural of the singer as Peter Pan in the trademark ragged green robes, with a pirate ship, ocean, planets, and stars swirling around in the background. The car also had Peter Pan decals on the seat cushions.