The Majak Mixtape - The Jacksons' music video "Torture"

With the recent passing of pop icon Michael Jackson, there has been a lot of comments about the mark he made on the music video form and how each video he did brought things to a new level. Totally true.

But I think it's important to also show the importance of a video he had the good sense not to appear in, namely The Jacksons video for their single "Torture" off of their Victory album. To say that the video is awful is like Sarah Palin saying she's not quitting but merely passing the ball: a point that completely downplays the event to an absurd degree.

The Jacksons video is what the term camp was made for. It is such unintentional genius of all things awful and 1980s from the song itself, a sort of tuneless piece of synthesizers and Jermaine and Michael trying to save it with decent vocal deliveries, to every bad piece of 1980s "special effects" to its own kooky absence of Jermaine and Michael from the video, except for the noticeable Michael Jackson wax figure hauled out to fool the public. The idea of a stand-in for a band member was, 20 some odd years later, was improved on when Wade Robson had to dance for Joey Fatone in NSYNC's video for their song Pop.

Below, behold the magic that is the Jacksons' aptly named music video, "Torture":