Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Michael Jackson

I can't believe today is his funeral. I was a huge Michael fan, back in the day. You know, before he got weird. Think back to Thriller days. The height of Michael Jackson's career, in my opinion. And since this blog is all about my opinion, that's what matters, right?

I remember coming home from school and watching the MTV World Premier of the Thriller video. I still think it's the best video ever made. There's just something about hearing Vincent Price speak that makes the video perfect. I taught myself to Moonwalk. I wore out several tapes of his music. His music was fun, and good, unlike most music of the 80's, which was just fun.

I don't know whether he did the things he was accused of. By then I had gotten over Michael and was on to other musicians. I do have my ideas on things, but I'm just not sure. I thought he was a bit odd keeping his kids faces covered all the time. I thought holding his youngest over the side of a balcony was a stupid idea. Not that any parent I know in real life has had a stupid idea with their kids. Never. We just don't have the media following us around. Lucky for us. From all accounts he was a great father who loved his children more than anything. I think his childhood was very screwed up and that he was trying to do better with his kids.

It's sad for me when someone I had posters of as a child dies. Not that I knew him, not that I cried, it's just sad for me. A happy piece of my childhood has gone. Paige will only knew him by watching his videos on You Tube.

In case you haven't seen it recently, here's a link to the full 14 minute Thriller video. Sit back, turn up the volume and watch the best music video ever made. Back when MTV still played music videos, and musicians actually took pride in the videos they produced.

1 comment:

C. Beth said...

I really need to watch Thriller, for the sake of my limited knowledge of 1980s pop culture.

As a kid we didn't really listen to "secular" music. So my first memory of Michael Jackson is this. We were at a park, and a little kid had on a button (you know, the type you pin to your shirt) with someone's face on it. I was told it was Michael Jackson. I had really thought it was a girl. Which is kind of odd to me now, because I think Michael, in his early incarnations, did look male.

It's not the nicest memory. But it is my first one of him.