Moon Walk
It’s always strange when we lose an American icon, especially someone like Michael Jackson who has pieces of his past that make it difficult to know who he really was. Since we may never know what is true and what is not about MJ, I’m gonna take this opportunity to reflect on what I do know: his music was pure joy. I can remember watching my older cousins clumsily dance to his music in the mid-80s (hello home videos). We were so little but there was something about his tunes that made you want to move. Years later, I’d pull college friends out onto dance floors to relive the magic. It seems that no matter how much time passes, each song is as infectious as the first time I heard it. And that’s the crazy thing about someone like Michael Jackson – the legacy of his music will likely last far longer than questions about the man himself.
No doubt–politically conservative aside, the part about reflecting on what you know for sure hits home with me when it comes to people like Michael Jackson and O.J. Simpson. That is, I think it’s probably common for people to jealously protect their childhood memories. Both of them are such a huge part of my early childhood, that I can’t help but be partially blinded–and that’s coming from someone whose oldest cousin was Nicole Brown’s best friend at Dana Hills High School.
I’m probably a peer of your older cousins. MJ was at the height of his career when I was a teenager–the famous moonwalk at the Motown 25 celebration caused a stir the next day in school. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FuAp4p2_PHE
My fondest memories, however, were from when I was very young, watching the Jackson 5 on Soul Train and Saturday night variety shows. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lNpiJvoo2Ho
These two videos are how I choose to remember him.
Yes! While the man may have been with faults, his impact on music and people is what is truly to be celebrated.