Farewell Michael Jackson

I hesitated to do this post, but want to document my memories. I'm not in anyway justifying Michael Jackson, as a hero, a philanthropist... in my life, he is nothing more than a truly talented entertainer and gifted musician. He has influenced my children in the form of their fashion taste as I documented Here and Here.

As I watched the endless news coverage of Michael Jackson's death, I reflected upon my memories of him. Normally, I'm not the type to get nostalgic by a star's death. I have not shed a tear over MJ's death. However, I couldn't help but flashback to my youth. Rock music was banished from our home during the 80's... So listening to Michael Jackson was forbidden. Oh, and when the "BAD" album came out, my parents were up in arms at the title alone. I snuck over to my friend Sarah's house to listen to it. I felt so guilty that I couldn't look my mother in the eye for weeks.

The whole irony on the "Rock Music Ban" is that I have very fond family memories that center around Michael Jackson's music. My brothers and I watched MTV when my parents weren't home, and we tried to teach ourselves how to moonwalk in our socks on the kitchen floor. When "Beat It" came out my brother would sing the Weird Al Yankovic version "Eat It" while we ate breakfast. That would make me laugh so hard milk would come out of my nose. I would scream "Stop it!" over and over, because even the mere humming of it would make me laugh hysterically. I can vividly remember sitting at the counter eating my puffed wheat, wearing Strawberry Shortcake Pajamas, laughing so hard that I could not breathe. I remember wearing one glove with swimsuit and putting on a Michael Jackson show in the backyard with my neighbor. The grand finale included moonwalking off the diving board, with one gloved hand coming back up out of the water and slowly dissappearing again. I remember thinking, "I should be a dancer when I grow up" I was that proud of myself.