michael jackson was one part, the first part, of a trio of 80's musical influences that would stay with me into adulthood. like everyone else, i listened and watched the coverage all week. i can remember where i was when i heard the news on the radio. i'm not interested in writing a laundry list of his accomplishments - the media is spackling the earth with coverage right now. much has been written and said about his eccentricities, financial troubles, private life, and legal battles, so instead, i'm going to write down some random thoughts and memories of my "mj" experience:
first and foremost, i am lucky to have been born when i was, in terms of being exposed to michael jackson. i turned 10 years old in the late summer of 1984, when my trio of influences were all at the height of their powers. michael jackson, van halen & the police. i had plenty of bands and artists at this point that i could easily identify as being favorites. in 1983 / 84, i listened to michael jackson, van halen, the cars, the police, toto, prince, men at work, thompson twins, duran duran, tina turner, and maybe even a little bit of madonna.
but michael was at the top, and had been, since being exposed to him in march of 1983. my mom introduced me to michael jackson during the broadcast of the motown 25th anniversary special, during which michael jackson unleashed his pop-alien brand of metaphysical magic. i remember my mom telling me during the broadcast that she had been a fan of the jackson 5 as a kid, and that she always loved motown artists the most. another favorite of hers was diana ross.
i sat through the show, probably like a lot of kids my age, impressed by these oldies acts, but wondering if there was anything "in it for me." seconds after performing a medley of hits with his brothers, michael took the stage by himself, said something about enjoying those old songs and good times, and then said what he really liked, were "the new songs." 4 minutes later, the tv viewing audience was transfixed and awestruck, in such a way that hadn't been seen since the beatles, and truth be told, the startling thrill of seeing the moonwalk during billie jean for the first time, live on tv, was possibly more magical.
thriller had been in stores for 3 and a half months. although off the wall had sold in the millions, and thriller had gotten off to an impressive start, being released just before christmas '82, it wasn't the immediate global smash that people now portray it to be. lionel ritchie had a profile just as high as michael in early '83. thriller was actually somewhat of a slow burn that ignited and eventually burned down the city.
upon seeing the motown25 show, i was immediately sold. i had to have his new record, learn to moonwalk, and see everything he did from that point forward. and that i did. luckily, in the early and mid 80's, my mom dated this guy from miami, and we often went to miami on the weekends. although we spent most of our time during those weekends in the suburbs of hialeah, i was introduced to young black and cuban kids who figured out the moonwalk months before anyone in my tiny central florida town.
my musical mentor robbie, who was my mom's boyfriend's younger brother, actually taught me the important steps of the moonwalk. robbie introduced me to van halen, the cars, & rock music in general, well into the late 80's. because of my mom and robbie, i launched head first into a life of pop culture worship that hasn't slowed down since. the flashpoint of my pop culture interest, and interest in music in general, was 1984.
i got the sequined glove at a belk lindsay store in 1984. i got the authentic (not the cheap one) beat it jacket, i got the michael jackson doll. when michael's hair caught on fire, my friends and i got all of the magazines and read through every page looking for all the insight we could get. at the talent show, on the last day of 4th grade, i did my "billie jean" routine, complete with moonwalk, and annihilated the competition.
i took my schtick act to super skates in winter haven, where i won several lip sync competitions as the blonde michael jackson impersonator. these were my first performances, beginning at age 9... i was eventually vanquished by a siilly group of guys doing a lip sync of stevie wonder's i just called to say i love you. i never went back.
when the thriller video was released, a vhs was also released called the making of thriller. i remember being beside myself as i watched all of the interviews and behind the scenes footage. during the 1984 summer olympics in los angeles (which featured the jacksons and toto prominently), i watched intently, trying to spot the infamous pepsi commercial, in which michael and the jacksons sing about feeling the pepsi way.
one night i hit pay dirt when i caught the beginning of the commercial and recorded it on my cassette recorder. i had the forethought, even at age 9, to cue my cassette copy of thriller to the end of a side, and then used the blank space for the recording of the commercial. i still have the tape.
my mom would often pick up magazines if michael was on the cover... i could spot his voice anywhere (such as his cameo in the chorus of rockwell's somebody's watching me). and i spread the gospel of michael wherever i could. the skating rink, school, in my neighborhood... i was actually the first person to bring the moonwalk to the elementary schools of my part of the county, a factoid told to me later.
michael was not only a well of inspiration, but also a springboard to related artists... members of toto helped write and perform thriller... and became one of my favorite bands at the time. the solo on beat it turned me onto van halen, and hard rock in general. i became a fan of janet jackson, beginning with the album control up to her career apex janet album. i became curious of the beatles, after hearing the two mccartney duets with michael.
although i welcomed the infant influence of early 80's hip-hop by way of mix tapes, and break dancing culture, i still preferred my michael jackson moves. within a year or so, i had taught myself how to moonwalk in 4 directions. michael jackson helped me gain physical confidence, which eventually led to a rhythmic awareness, that lead to me getting my first snare drum in september '85.
unfortunately, i never got to see him live. for some odd reason, he toured with his brothers in the summer of 1984, and the tickets were far beyond reach.
my fixation continued on and off until the bad album. i liked several tracks on the record, but i knew instantly that it wasn't thriller... and i thought thriller itself had weaknesses compared to off the wall. i didn't like the 100% synthesizer/drum machine production on bad, and the somewhat contrived pop cleverness of the title track.
there were songs that would grab my attention later in his career... i thought remember the time, with it's new jack swing beat, and amusing video was excellent. i thought black or white was catchy, although the rap part was a little embarrasing, at least in the video. another part of me had a great groove, and there were even a few tracks on the history record that i thought were decent...
but nothing had the gripping command of the pop zeitgeist like thriller did. the photos of the music awards shows alone were enough to make me dizzy back then. eight grammies. a million copies sold every week at one point. a vincent price voiceover! it was great to experience music, back when good music was actually topping the charts.
from the time i graduated high school, up until this week, the majority of my attention regarding jackson has been on his life, and personality instead of his music. like everyone else, i wish he had left his face alone after 1984.
i wrote recently about the summer of 1984, and how hard to believe it is that 25 years has passed, in a post about prince, which you can read here.
i also wrote some comical satire about michael during his 2005 trial days, which can be read here. i wrote about the trial itself here.
although i was startled to hear that michael died at 50, i wasn't shocked. he obviously wasn't in the mental state to last until 85. i also wasn't saddened, because i feel appreciative that i was in the right place at the right time, to not only experience michael at his zenith, but was young enough to apply his influence into my own diverse sense of creativity, especially as it applied to a small, male, only child. i posted some photos the day he died, in this entry.
here's my favorite songs by michael, with rock with you probably being my current favorite as an adult.
1. rock with you
2. wanna be startin' somethin'
3. human nature
4. beat it
5. billie jean
6. remember the time
7. dirty diana
8. another part of me
9. don't stop til you get enough
10. off the wall
michael often looked quite nervous in person, in interviews, etc - unless he was onstage. he always looked comfortable, natural and in control - on stage. it makes perfect sense. here's the video that blew my mind 26 years ago: