MICHAEL JACKSON (1958-2009)
MUSIC has always been an enormous part of my life, and likewise, so has Michael Jackson. Growing up a kid from the 80’s, the King of Pop was so magical, and his music so powerful, I really felt like he would live forever. He was like a SUPERHERO.
In fact he really was a superhero. I was always a boy of small stature, so before I could ride the big kid rides, my earliest memories of Disneyland came from watching CAPTAIN EO in 3D. That evil spider lady was real creepy. It would freak me out everytime when she would descend from her web of black cables to snap her crazy claws at the crowd. But I always knew that in the end Michael Jackson, with his sick moves and sweet melodies, would soon come around to save the day.
He was always about saving the world. He co-wrote a song with Lionel Richie, produced by Quincy Jones to raise awareness for hunger in Africa called “We Are the World”. My family would watch that music video almost every night. Eventually that song became the anthem for our huge family reunion, as all the kids, uncles, and aunties gathered together to sing it over and over and over again… And who could forget Free Willy??? Black or White??? Scream!!! His music had meaning, and so did his life.
He lit up the streets with Billie Jean and wowed us with the iconic lean in Smooth Criminal. Whether he was humping the streets or grabbing his crotch, he still made it look classy, not trashy. Always imitated never duplicated. Sure people can do some mean impressions. (For the record, Kevin Brewer’s is way sicker than Chris Brown’s.) But nobody, NOBODY, can do it like Michael.
We’ve all been surrounded with death lately. If there’s anything we can learn from Kara and from Michael, it’s that life is one big mystery. All we can do while we’re still here is live life and love each other…
and dance.
Rest in Peace, MJ. Now you can walk on the moon forever.
