People

By Guy D. Garcia

Bad, as all hipsters know, can also mean good. But when it comes to Michael Jackson, a lot of music fans think Bad is positively the worst. In a poll of 23,000 readers released by Rolling Stone this week, the Gloved One hit rock bottom in eight categories, including "worst male singer," "worst dressed," "worst album ((Bad))" and "worst single ((Bad))." The backlash has more to do with the singer's quirky personality than his music, says Rolling Stone Music Editor David Wild: "People are responding negatively to his image and to the hype. The category he should have won is 'worst image' or 'least understood.' " Even so, Jackson's album has sold 4 million copies and spawned three Top Ten singles, which isn't half bad.

With reporting by David E. Thigpen/New York, with other bureaus