My phone started buzzing around 6:00 with the same message. Michael Jackson: Dead at 50. Thriller was my first and only record I can remember having. My brother and I had this fisher price record player that we would spin the wax on for hours. We could speed it up so it sounded like the chipmunks were singing "billie jean" or slow it down so a deep voiced homeless man was singing about a "PYT". A moment of honesty if I may; I was scared to death of the creepy voice in thriller. To go with the official record we had a white glove with sequins on it (actually made at vacation bible school i believe) my father had a black hat, and I had an obsession of trying to mimic his every move.
For years his music would accompany me in my cassette player, portable CD player, the black mazda truck, and finally on every computer I've ever owned. It was his music and his dancing ability that made him such a phenomena to me at least. Like a sports star he was on top of the music world, whatever he did was gold, and you can see the influence in today's stars.
The shame of it is, is that most people are going to reflect on him today for the blemishes that stained his career. I can't argue with that nor can I blame them. But to each person that thinks about a crazy guy that held a baby over the railing of a German hotel I say this.... no one will be remembered for one single dance move like he will be for the moon walk.... no one could entertain an audience on the fly like he did at each of his concerts..... you can take your memory of a broken masked man, I'll take my memory of the guy in the white tux in smooth criminal, putting any other dance solo to shame....ever.
When it's all said and done you'll remember MJ for every song he recorded and the mind blowing dance moves he performed with the same ease as you and I putting on our shoes. For me, MJ died today, but in a weird way he hasn't been alive for the better part of a decade. His music has been living on and the memory of who he was is stronger for me than the person he is. MJ was talking about a comeback, 50 show tour, I had my heart set on finally seeing him live, until today, but the wax record will have to continue to spin, chipmunk or homeless voice, it's still a solid gold #1 hit.
Shamoan....
3 comments:
very sad... Michael Jackson's talent was paramount. I still have my Thriller cassette tape i bought in california in 1983. I've got old 45 rpm records, too, of the Jackson 5 when MJ was just a kid.
the creepy voice of Vincent Price scared me, too.
Hmm.. First Farrah Fawcett, now Michael. very sad. (Farrah. now there's a classic fox from the 70s)
He may have had flaws but he was unquestionably
one of the most talented entertainers of all time. His
influence even reached to Tecumseh Trail. Sorry
to see an early end to his career but the memories
of Thriller being acted out along with other moves
will always be part of our family.
I've put that youtube video on repeat. Thanks brenty.
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