Gone Too Soon
It's a strange feeling when someone dies that's my age. Not that it happens a lot (I'm not that old!), but when it does, it makes me sit up and take notice. So forgive me for being a little melancholy today, and for discussing something that The Entire World is already discussing.
I found myself seeking out MTV tonight. Keep in mind, I haven't watched MTV since... hmmm... probably for the world premiere of "Thriller". (It's even enshrined on videotape somewhere on my dusty 'media bookcase'.) But as I bounced back and forth between the MTV stations (there are a lot more of them now, 20+ years hence) and the VH1 stations (ditto), I was amazed.
Say what you want about his personality, appearance, lifestyle choices, and other quirks: the man could dance.
Seriously, he was a really good dancer.
He had the kind of talent Fred Astaire had, the spirit that "Billy Elliot" embodies -- the kind of gift you are born with and can't fake. Notice I say "you" because I have no such talent or gift when it comes to dancing, so I can recognize it easily in those who do. And, he had it. Just watch the "Panther Dance" at the end of "Black or White." For several minutes, there's no music, he just ... dances.
I was never really into the Jackson's much growing up. Chalk it up to being a little too close in age to Michael, so he was more of a annoyance to me than an idol. But I remember watching the "Thriller" video all those years ago, and wondering if this was the future of music, dance, and even our culture. Watching his subsequent videos today on TV, I realized it was true. The videos were about loneliness, starvation, zombies, ecology, cultural icons (from Ryan White to Lech Walesa),gangs, hope... mostly hope.
It takes a lot to change the world, but if anything can make you believe it's possible for one person to change the world, Michael Jackson's videos could.
That's not a bad legacy to leave behind for only being on the planet 50 years.
UPDATE: What is this, Pick On 50-Year-Olds week?! Now I find out Billy Mays has died, also at the ripe old age of 5-0 (honestly, he looked younger to me). Man, maybe this is God's way of saying, "Time to shape up, Juls...."
Ya think?
I found myself seeking out MTV tonight. Keep in mind, I haven't watched MTV since... hmmm... probably for the world premiere of "Thriller". (It's even enshrined on videotape somewhere on my dusty 'media bookcase'.) But as I bounced back and forth between the MTV stations (there are a lot more of them now, 20+ years hence) and the VH1 stations (ditto), I was amazed.
Say what you want about his personality, appearance, lifestyle choices, and other quirks: the man could dance.
Seriously, he was a really good dancer.
He had the kind of talent Fred Astaire had, the spirit that "Billy Elliot" embodies -- the kind of gift you are born with and can't fake. Notice I say "you" because I have no such talent or gift when it comes to dancing, so I can recognize it easily in those who do. And, he had it. Just watch the "Panther Dance" at the end of "Black or White." For several minutes, there's no music, he just ... dances.
I was never really into the Jackson's much growing up. Chalk it up to being a little too close in age to Michael, so he was more of a annoyance to me than an idol. But I remember watching the "Thriller" video all those years ago, and wondering if this was the future of music, dance, and even our culture. Watching his subsequent videos today on TV, I realized it was true. The videos were about loneliness, starvation, zombies, ecology, cultural icons (from Ryan White to Lech Walesa),gangs, hope... mostly hope.
It takes a lot to change the world, but if anything can make you believe it's possible for one person to change the world, Michael Jackson's videos could.
That's not a bad legacy to leave behind for only being on the planet 50 years.
UPDATE: What is this, Pick On 50-Year-Olds week?! Now I find out Billy Mays has died, also at the ripe old age of 5-0 (honestly, he looked younger to me). Man, maybe this is God's way of saying, "Time to shape up, Juls...."
Ya think?