Michael Jackson - A Guilty Pleasure
I was about 10 years old. I remember watching the Jackson 5 on tv and being enthralled by Michael's lightning-quick spins and practicing and practicing to try to spin around as fast as he did.
In high school, in my high school, liking Michael Jackson (this was at the height of the Thriller era, when his videos were all over MTV) was somehow uncool. I don't exactly know why, or if there was even a reason. At drill team camp one year, we learned a routine to "Wanna Be Startin' Something," and we scoffed at having to dance to something as lame as Michael Jackson. And yet, I loved watching the videos of "Billie Jean," "Thriller," (it was such an event when it first aired!) and "Beat It," and can still picture the dance moves in my head as I hear the songs now. It was nothing I could admit to my friends. I watched "The Making of Thriller." We laughed at Weird Al Yankovic's parodies of his songs.
In college, it wasn't much better. I bought a cassingle (remember those?) of "The Way You Make Me Feel," and secretly enjoyed songs off the "Bad" album. As kind of creepy as Michael Jackson could be, the "Dirty Diana" video was kind of hot. (The "Bad" and "Smooth Criminal" videos were kind of ridiculous, though). As his career spiraled seemingly out of control, becoming progressively stranger, and his appearance more comical, I stopped paying attention.
I didn't actually admit that I liked Michael Jackson's music until about 10 years ago, and finally bought the CDs of "Off the Wall" and "Thriller." Hearing the music still makes me want to get up and dance, and like the 10-year old I once was, I find myself wanting to moonwalk (still can't) and spin around really fast like MJ.
R.I.P. Michael Jackson. May you find the peace in death that seemed to elude you in life.
In high school, in my high school, liking Michael Jackson (this was at the height of the Thriller era, when his videos were all over MTV) was somehow uncool. I don't exactly know why, or if there was even a reason. At drill team camp one year, we learned a routine to "Wanna Be Startin' Something," and we scoffed at having to dance to something as lame as Michael Jackson. And yet, I loved watching the videos of "Billie Jean," "Thriller," (it was such an event when it first aired!) and "Beat It," and can still picture the dance moves in my head as I hear the songs now. It was nothing I could admit to my friends. I watched "The Making of Thriller." We laughed at Weird Al Yankovic's parodies of his songs.
In college, it wasn't much better. I bought a cassingle (remember those?) of "The Way You Make Me Feel," and secretly enjoyed songs off the "Bad" album. As kind of creepy as Michael Jackson could be, the "Dirty Diana" video was kind of hot. (The "Bad" and "Smooth Criminal" videos were kind of ridiculous, though). As his career spiraled seemingly out of control, becoming progressively stranger, and his appearance more comical, I stopped paying attention.
I didn't actually admit that I liked Michael Jackson's music until about 10 years ago, and finally bought the CDs of "Off the Wall" and "Thriller." Hearing the music still makes me want to get up and dance, and like the 10-year old I once was, I find myself wanting to moonwalk (still can't) and spin around really fast like MJ.
R.I.P. Michael Jackson. May you find the peace in death that seemed to elude you in life.