Phew. What a sad day. I wasn’t going to write about it.. and I know a lot of people (myself included) think that the coverage was completely overblown (hello- Iran? North Korea? Anything?)- but I’m going to miss Michael Jackson. Seriously- even though I really haven’t listened to his music in quite some while (well, aside from Off the Wall which is, in my opinion, way better than Thriller) he was a big part of my life. At least my childhood.
I know a lot of people feel the same way- especially those between 30 and 60. Michael Jackson’s music was a BIG part of our lives. Even with all of his personal issues and the “weirdness” surrounding his life- we loved his music.
I was working at Tower Records when HIStory came out- summer of 1995.. one of the best summers I had and the BEST summer job I ever had as well. Even though at that point I was more into Rage Against the Machine and Ministry, I did rock-out to HIStory when it was played in-store. Seriously- how can you help but rock out to Rock With You, Man in the Mirror, or Wanna be Startin’ Somethin’. You can’t.
Mostly- the Off the Wall and Thriller songs instantly bring me back to childhood: of driving in the car with my parents. Birthday parties. Going to the summer fair. Hanging out with my Uncle (who, by the way, had the Victory LP and it was a PICTURE disk). Watching MTV (when it first came out and showed videos). Crafting a make-your-own “glove” with my cousin. And I guess, now that Michael is gone, it feels like all those childhood moments are really gone too.. even though I know when I hear his music, I will be transported back.
Rest in Peace Michael.
