Michael Jackson died today. I was on my way to the gym but I got too caught up in the media coverage and music video marathons to leave the house. I'm not usually affected by celebrity deaths, but this one is a pretty big deal to me. Much of Michael Jackson's music was and still is part of the soundtrack of my life. So I watched as everyone started caring about this man again.

MJ shaped my musical landscape when I was a wee lass in the early 1990s. The first piece of music I ever owned was Thriller on cassette tape. One of our home's first CDs was Bad. Don't even get me started with Moonwalker and Captain EO. I remember trying to do the leaning dance move from Smooth Criminal only to fall on my face. But I'd do it again, over and over. I also remember sharing MJ's music with my brother. We got HIStory for Christmas and I was so mad at him for hogging it all the time. But once he lost interest, I got the double-disc set. I still have them.

Whenever many of his songs come on, I have to start singing along. In the case of "Man in the Mirror," I have to scream with the music. I love to exercise to "PYT" and "Wanna Be Starting Something" because I never get sick of them. Ever. There's just so much energy and life in much of his early work, you can't go wrong.

Another major memory I have of MJ was his videos, especially because they scared me so much. It wasn't his changing appearance that frightened me. Many of them are pretty dark and unusual. From the disclaimer to the credits, "Thriller" made my heart skip. I remember lying on the carpet in our first house and covering my eyes with a throw pillow while it was on. "Leave Me Alone" was another one - I was with my cousins at my grandparent's house when I first saw those freaky hybrid dog-human things.

But his videos also fascinated me. I loved "Do You Remember the Time" because it was loosely Egyptian-themed and I thought I was Cleopatra when I was a kid. Yeah, don't ask. "Scream" was so goddamn cool because it was set in space and MJ and Janet were dancing on the walls and ceiling and floating every which way. I never could guess how those people morphed at the end of "Black or White"- it was such a wonderful mystery, though. His moves in "Bad" are flawless. And let's not forget "Billie Jean." That sidewalk. Those lights. I don't know what could be more perfect for that song. It was all so subtle and VERY 80's. I love it!

This was all when liking Michael Jackson was cool. People are already pissing on his grave because they only remember him as a freaky child-lover. I can't deny the fact that the guy had problems - he had a tough life! But you can't deny the fact that he never went away in popular culture because he was so influential. I was watching Tropic Thunder just this morning and one of the characters did a little MJ kick and crotch-grab at the end of the movie. I don't think anyone else can do what he accomplished in the entertainment world. So that's all I'm going to say about that.

As I grew up, I had trouble getting into MJ. My brother bought his Blood on the Dance Floor remix album in 1997, when I was 10 years old, and I never even noticed. I kept listening to his old stuff though. I suppose the only reason why I bought Invincible in 2001 was because I had just moved to a new town (Santa Clarita) and I needed something familiar. "You Rock My World" ended up being the only song I really listened to on that album. That CD must be somewhere under my bed.

But what can I say about MJ that hasn't been said today? I've heard "part of my childhood died today" and "our generation's Fred Astaire is gone," and plenty of "we've lost a music legend." I agree with all of that. He meant so much to me growing up. The energy, the crazy costumes, the crotch grabbing, the "hee-hee!"'s and the "ho!"'s. I'm just glad to have lived in a time where I could appreciate Michael Jackson's music. He was brilliant.

So as I attempt to wrap this up in order to practice my sloppy Moonwalk on our hardwood floors, I'll leave you with a moment that changed the world forever.



RIP
Michael Joseph Jackson
1958-2009

It Feels Like: sad
It Sounds Like: Thriller - Michael Jackson