Michael Jackson Remembered: Patrick Stump on Busting Boundaries : Rolling Stone

Fall Out Boy's Patrick Stump

Thriller is two years older than I am, but it was omnipresent when I was a kid. "Billie Jean" was a huge thing — legend has it that there were 80 layers of snare drums on that snare drum. Being a drum-obsessed kid, that was a big deal for me. The great thing about Michael Jackson is that he never gave a shit about his music being categorized: "Beat It" has a straight rock riff. It wasn't incongruous for my pop-punk band to cover it. It's the only song we've ever played that everyone knows all the words to, worldwide, guaranteed.

Rolling Stone's special commemorative Michael Jackson issue featuring tributes from Quincy Jones, Slash, Brooke Shields and more is available now.

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