Like most kids who grew up in the ’80s, there was a time when I wanted to BE Michael Jackson. I wanted to dance like him, I wanted my hair like his, I wanted to dress like he did. When I was about four, Thriller was my first-ever favorite album. On top of that, after being introduced to his Jackson 5 and Off The Wall-era songs by my mother, those were just as great to me as Thriller was. Michael, at that time and to this day, was the greatest entertainer I’d ever seen.
The glove, the jackets, the shoes, the spin, the moonwalk, or the crotch grab… all of these things inspired kids (and adults) to imitate MJ in fun, and inspired future entertainers in their approach to performing and making music. I would even say that Michael’s influence didn’t just shine while he was at the peak of his career, but today as well. There are artists out there right now who have openly acknowledged that he inspires them… from Justin Timberlake to Kanye West to Usher. Even in his absence from the popular music scene, Michael has STILL had a presence through them. If that doesn’t say a lot for what he meant as an artist, I don’t know what could.
With respect to MTV, they’ll forever have to share the distinction of being the element that made music videos important. They were the outlet that popularized videos in the first place, but Michael’s videos elevated the popularity much higher than it would’ve been without him. I remember HAVING to see the premiere when he had a new video out, because I didn’t wanna be the only one in school the next day who didn’t see it. That kid who didn’t catch the video would kinda be treated like an outcast that day, because that’s all we were talking about, and they weren’t even included in the convo.
Obviously, Mike wasn’t without criticism- some by his own actions, some unwarranted. Personally, I never thought it was fair that he caught the amount of flack that he did simply for being “different”. Sure, he did and wore things that people didn’t understand, and he was eccentric to say the least. But if you took those things away, he’d have just been another singer who made music. Much like his main competitor in the ’80s, Prince, Michael was just on his own shit. Those same things that everyone thought of as strange were the same things that made him stand out as an entertainer. Even before shit REALLY hit the fan, he was catching all kinds of backlash for no other reason than because he was left-of-center in some of his interests and wardrobe choices.
Michael’s bigger problems came about in the ’90s with the allegations. For whatever reason, despite never being found guilty of those claims OR the accusation brought against him 10 years later, he was never able to shake that label off of him due to how media often covered him. All in all, even though I’ve joked about it myself, I just think MJ was a grown man who wanted to do kid things and had no grasp of the reality that other adults just don’t think that way. And with him having the spotlight on him, of course it was destined to be pinpointed even more than it would anyone else.
Michael Jackson was a part of great events, controversial moments, major achievements, and embarrassing headlines. He was everyone’s favorite superstar one minute, and the #1 (alleged) pedophile the next. For me, he was a bigger-than-life entertainer whose greatest achievements will never be matched from a performance or popularity standpoint. Was he a little out there? Sure. Did he screw himself up with constant surgery and altering? Probably. Have I laughed at or made MJ jokes before? Absolutely. But even in jest, Michael was always one of my favorites of all-time, if not THE favorite.
(The following is not a definitive list or anything like that, simply some of my favorites from Michael’s career. Enjoy!)
The Jackson 5 “The Love You Save”
The Jackson 5 “Who’s Loving You”
“I Wanna Be Where You Are”
The Jacksons “Show You The Way To Go”
“Off The Wall”
“Rock With You”
“P.Y.T.”
“Beat It”
“Baby Be Mine”
“The Way You Make Me Feel”
“Another Part Of Me”
“Remember The Time”
“You Rock My World”
-D!
BTW: Look out for “The ’90s Loved Michael Jackson” this weekend.
Posted by Danj! 
