Following the traditions of Recoleta Cemetery, I may not be able to leave a dedication plaque but I can certainly write a post.
It’s difficult for me to believe, even a year after his death, that Michael Jackson is no longer with us. No more incredible music, no more inventive dance, no more showstopping, no more scandals to amaze us. I always laughed at people who worshipped Elvis after his death in my hometown of Memphis, but I completely understand their devotion now.
Very few celebrities affected my life the way Michael Jackson did, & it all comes down to time & place. His rise in popularity coincided with my own growth from kid to teenager to young adult. Although it may sound corny, Michael Jackson wrote a lot of the soundtrack of my life. Growing up in Memphis in a predominantly black neighborhood & going to public school as a minority certainly influenced the kind of music I listened to. My aunt & uncle also bought me the Thriller album as a birthday gift. And of course, who could forget seeing the mega-production music video of “Thriller” for the first time? Or the debut of the moonwalk on the Motown 25 show in 1983?
With the release of Bad & Dangerous, Michael’s behavior became increasingly bizarre but I still loved his music. I believe in many ways he was a victim of the showbiz industry… all the signs were visible that he needed psychological help, but the plastic surgeries continued & the sex scandals began. How is it that Michael had hundreds of influential friends & no one intervened? He might be alive today if someone had forcibly stepped in.
I heard about Michael Jackson’s death the following morning at breakfast last year in Arcos de la Frontera, Spain. A moment I’ll never forget. Tour members told me & I thought they were making a cruel joke. The news hit me like a brick. As a tribute the next morning when we got on board the bus, I played “Billie Jean” over the PA system. I can occasionally get away with commandeering the microphone!
After the tour season was over I had the opportunity to watch the documentary “This is It” on an overseas flight… I couldn’t believe what an entertainer he was, nor how frail his health was. Even though I am a confessed Michael Jackson fan, most of my MJ consumption was mainly music & music videos. I’ve never seen “Moonwalker” & probably never will. But “This is It” affected me so much I kept thinking about it for an entire week. What a fantastic production that would have been. But MJ probably could not have performed the number of shows he promised… it’s a safe bet that the London concerts would have killed him anyway.
Brooke Shields made me cry like a baby with her honest, heartfelt eulogy during the Los Angeles funeral. Already an emotional wreck because my mom had been diagnosed with terminal cancer, I was in Iowa visiting her for what would be the last time. Michael continued to coincide with important moments of my life.
When I owned CDs, not a week went by without listening to one from Michael Jackson. Naturally, he is always on my iPod. Always. Although the following list is not all-inclusive nor in any particular order, these are some of my faves:
- Workin’ Day & Night
- P.Y.T.
- Rock with You
- Human Nature
- Wanna Be Startin’ Something
- Butterflies
- Remember the Time
- Off the Wall
- Baby Be Mine
- Jam
- Smooth Criminal
- State of Shock
Thanks, Michael. You won’t be forgotten.