Then, he went away, for many years; at least for me.
One day, flipping through the channels I saw Moonwalker, the movie about the song "Smooth Criminal" and with a little move that invloved a bar, wires and a whole-lotta-cool, -and just like that- I became a fan. I was hooked, I wanted everything. I recorded the songs off the TV, I bought his shoes, I tried to moonwalk. Those were hard days for MJ, he sang about Dirty Diana, the Man in the Mirror and how BAD he was. He bought the remains of the Elephant man and made songs like "Leave me Alone" which served as a dark premonition of things to come.
Then Dangerous was announced. I cried because my mom didn't buy it for me the day it came out. I was afraid it would be sold out. I finally got it on Christmas Day, and everyone in my family knew I was an MJ fan. As I learned about Dangerous, I also learned about his early years, Beat it, Billie Jean and the Jackson 5 era.
Dangerous is still one of my favorites albums of all time. I know all the lyrics to all the songs, I know the order of the songs, that was the first album I loved. "Remember the time" was the second single of that album, and I still remember Eddie Murphy and Magic Johnson dressed as egyptians. I remember having discussions about the fast-cut-scenes at the end of Black or White, I remember seeing Michael Jordan learning how to dance from Michael Jackson.
And then, the controversy began. Michael Jackson lived through troubling years.
He was my first glimpse into Motown, he showed us how powerful a video can be, he blurred the lines between royalty and stardom, he showed us the dangers of fame. And through everything he is still the King of Pop. Everyone has a favorite Michael Jackson song, and I know everyone has attempted to dance to their favorite Michael Jackson song. When my nephew was born, I made a video about his coming to this sick-sad-world and Jackson was part of the soundtrack. In other words, He Was That Important. The innocence of the Jackson 5 singing about love, in juxtaposition to the hurtful coming to this erratical unpredictable area of the universe was to too tempting to overpass; just like being born ABC's is a bitter-sweet song.
I know Michael Jackson's legacy is his music, and I know in my heart that he will be remembered by his high pitch and his awesome dance moves. I know that I will always be a fan. It's sad that over the years many of my heroes have died, MJ is one of them. Today more than ever, I feel like an adult.
Let's celebrate his life, and for now, just leave him alone.
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