This was the Michael Jackson I once loved.
So I didn’t know if I would do a post on Michael Jackson’s death yesterday or not but I decided that I should. He was a huge part of my youth and really the musician who brought me into music and MTV and such. I think if you were a child of the 80’s you had to have liked something by Michael Jackson growing up. There was nobody like him in his time and his influence is still seen today in artists like Justin Timberlake and Usher. Clearly after the 80’s past, MJ became more of a freak and did a ton of things that were questionable that I would never condone. But yesterday, for the first time in 20 years or so, I found myself remembering the music.
I was remiss for not including him in my childhood crush blog as a matter of fact. He was among the first as well, I had 2 posters of him on my wall and somewhere I have a picture of myself kissing said poster. It made me cringe to see that a few years ago but I can’t help but remember what a different time that was and just how into Michael I was. My first ever “tape” was Michael Jackson’s Thriller. I got it for Christmas in 82 or 83 or something along with Madonna’s “Like a Virgin” and Prince’s “When Doves Cry” and Cyndi Lauper’s “She’s So Unusual”. I remember my mom put them in a clothes box so I wouldn’t know they were the tapes I wanted so very badly. Hilarious. I also had a black tshirt with a glitter glove that I wore proudly to school in 2nd grade? 3rd? I don’t know, needless to say I was quite the fan.
Yesterday, when I heard he had died, I watched some of the coverage on Fox News before wondering what MTV was doing. I flipped over and there was “Billie Jean” running. MTV remembered that they used to play videos and whipped out the Michael Jackson cache. And you know what? I loved seeing them again. I was thrilled when “Thriller” came on. I have never forgotten that video and I think, despite the 25 years plus of MTV, that Thriller still has to be the all time video for that channel, right? I think MJ really launched MTV into the stratosphere with his videos. His influence really was pervasive.
I remember crying when his hair caught on fire while filming the Pepsi commercial. I was so traumatized. If only I’d known what was ahead I probably wouldn’t have wasted my time caring, but I was a kid who was attached to a performer. He was weird, no doubt, but he was original. Nobody danced like him. Nobody sang like him. And I still remember that I could listen to every single song on “Thriller”. There are not a lot of albums wherein I loved every song but that was one of them.
The 90’s brought “Bad” and “Scream” and whiter Jackson and weirder looks and less interest for me, but I still found his songs somewhat catchy. The ever changing nose and the molestation rumors turned me off for good, naturally. The soft spoken young man in arrested development with his own amusement park and collection of animals (and come on, when you were a kid you had to think that was awesome, having a chimpanzee named Bubbles? I was totally jealous!) became a true freak. It’s sad that his career became an afterthought with the rest of the circus around him.
But his death yesterday brought back some of the music and the memories. I didn’t cry for Michael Jackson but I can’t say that I wasn’t reminiscent and a little sad when I thought back to more innocent times. So I just wanted to take a moment to remember someone who really did have a great amount of influence on my youth. I said goodbye yesterday, when I thought I had said goodbye long ago. Despite all the fucked up stuff that MJ did in his later years, nobody can deny what a musical force he was. If I had to pick an artist that defined the 80’s, I think it would have to have been him. He was my eras Elvis, who had his own fucked up stuff now that I think about it. Shining bright in their time but flaming out quietly.
I really don’t know what I’m saying here, I guess I just wanted to reminisce a little bit about old MJ. I won’t spend a lot of time thinking about him beyond this but his death did bring on some memories and not all of them were bad. I guess it’s just saying goodbye to a part of my youth that was mostly forgotten. RIP Michael Jackson, you’ll always be remembered, good and bad, I’ll just try to remember more of the good.
I hear you about MJ… When I was young I LOVED “Captain EO”, it was one of my favorite things to do at Disneyland, it was almost as awesome as David Bowie in “Labyrinth”. I remember thinking that (despite the crotch grabbing) Michael Jackson was an awesome dancer and I wished I could one day dance like him. And there is no denying his musical influence, I don’t know anyone over the age of 28 that didn’t have the “Thriller” album.
Thank you for doing this tribute, it was touching and made me remember a part of my youth I had all but forgotten as well.
Awww good, I’m glad someone commented on this one! I knew I couldn’t have been alone as a child of that era. I forgot all about Captain EO, I remember that as well. He really was everywhere at one time.
Glad I could reminisce with you, I know a lot changed with him but once upon a time he was my favorite and it felt kinda nice to remember that.
I was/am too young to care as much as you did/do, but I there was a time when I listened and liked his music. Even when his behaviour became ridiculous among other things, I still listened his music. I listened and cussed because even when I couldn’t look at the music videos I liked what I heard.
And let’s just say that Michael Jackson is part of the reason why I’m hesitant to find out too much about performers real lives. There’s a lesson I learnt about settling for the illusion.
I understand and figured you wouldn’t be as acquainted with the early life and times of Michael as I was. I definitely was a fan of his music back in the day. I agree, though, that finding out the realities, or at least rumored realities behind the music was a huge turn off.
I would have loved to and honestly thought about posting on our blog about this. MJ was huge for me. In 94 I moved from a more city town to the country and I was in love with black or white and when i got to the country everyone thought MJ was a freak. It was that moment I vowed to get back to the city some day. I knew these people weren’t right in the head lol
MJ did so much for music, for the pop culture we have today and I honestly believe he was just stuck as a kid at heart. I never believed the charges but i guess that all doesnt matter any more. I dont want to see the grim details on tv. I just wish the world could respect him like you have here and leave them all be.
also, his father is an ass and I pray the kids go somewhere better.
Honestly, a part of me thinks like you do, I think he was in such a stage of arrested development that he did stupid things and got himself into situations that could be and were misinterpreted. And frankly, I’ve always felt that the parents that let those boys spend the night with a random grown up were just as much at fault as MJ was for the situations. But, that’s neither here nor there. We’ll never know the truth on that matter and the parents took money to go away so who knows? But I do think that his never having been a child played into everything from Neverland to the animals to the kids.
I agree with you about his father, knowing that he abused Michael I cringe to think of he and his wife raising those kids. I hope their lives turn out okay, really.
It’s amazing the influence MJ had on music then and now. I didn’t even begin to touch on all the artists that claim to have been modeled by him today. It’s amazing really. He was a singular talent and I did forget that with all the face lifts and bad stuff that came out. It’s sad that it took his death to remember how talented he truly was but at least I do remember now.