The 1975’s Matty Healy on childhood Michael Jackson obsession – “The idea that I was going to be different didn’t threaten me”

The frontman identified more with the late King of Pop than the rock legends he was surrounded by growing up

The 1975‘s Matty Healy has said that watching Micheal Jackson videos as a child inspired him to be “different” to the rock icons he grew up around.

In an interview with The Times, the frontman discussed bumping shoulders with the likes of Ringo Star, Brian Johnson, Dire Straights’ Mark Knopfler, and Rick Wakeman in his younger years – thanks to father Tim Healy’s role in Auf Wiedersehen, Pet. 

“Because dad was in [that show], and [it] was so political, so cool, he was seen to stand for something – so everyone wanted to hang out with him,” Healy said.

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Matthew Healy of The 1975

After recalling an encounter in which ‘Life On Mars?’ pianist Wakeman told him he had what it takes to become a rock star, Healy said he was more attracted to the aesthetic of King of Pop Michael Jackson.

“They were expressing the idea that he was so weird, and from another planet,” he said of his father’s friends’ reaction to him watching a Jackson video, “and I remember thinking, ‘I’m a lot more like him than I am you.’

“The idea that I was going to be different didn’t threaten me,” he added. “I never wasn’t going to be a musician – a musician like that.”

Earlier this week, The 1975 marked the release of their new album with an intimate comeback show in Kingston.

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Meanwhile, Healy has spoken on The 1975’s upcoming album ‘Notes On A Conditional Form’ – which will swiftly follow the release of  ‘A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships’, released yesterday (November 30).

Discussing ‘Frail State of Mind’ from the upcoming record, Healy described the track as an exploration of social anxiety set against a UK garage backdrop.

 

 

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