On Michael… (and a note from my 45 collection)
I’ve been wanting to write something on Michael Jackson ever since his untimely death last week. I’ve been putting it off and putting it off… mostly because the subject is very overwhelming for me as it is, but even more so because of the amount of negative comments and press I’ve seen. So, you see, this post will be positive. And no comments will be allowed. My opinion and experience is not up for debate. It’s not open for scrutiny. It’s just my opinion and experience. Deal with it!
I am currently 35 years old. I’ll turn 36 next month – the day after Michael Jackson’s birthday. We’re both Virgos. I feel a kinship with the man and always have. I know what it’s like to be misunderstood. Not on his level, of cousre, but nevertheless. I know what it’s like to deal with people whose minds are not open. People who only see what they want to see about you. I can open my mind and understand what it’s like to have people only react to the media they are spoon-fed about you. People suck. It’s sad, but true.
Michael was found innocent in a court of law. Does that matter to anyone? Some of the posts I have seen remind me of the stereotype of the townsfolk coming after the town “weirdo” with torches and pitchforks. This isn’t the 17th century, folks! Right after Michael’s death – and by that I mean within an HOUR, I had people on my Facebook list screaming, “FREAK! WEIRDO!” and of course, all the pedophile comments. I wonder, had he never changed his appearance, would people be so quick to judge? Possibly, epecially because there are still so many racists out there. But I’d bet you anything the judgemental group would be a lot smaller. People tend to hear the word “pedophile” thrown around and immediately assume guilt, expecially if the person accused is seen as strange by the public. What happened to innocent until proven guilty? What happened to the fact he WAS NOT proven guilty? What about the fact that he was SO not guilty he has custody of his own children?
People who lack critical thinking skills, people who lack empathy and especially people who lack both MAKE ME SICK. I don’t want to deal with your kind! And I lost a couple of Facebook friends because of this. I deleted THEM. I say, “good riddance.” If their minds are that closed who is to say they won’t turn on me someday when I am in need of understanding and empathy? Who needs friends like that?
Michael had loads of money and was around hundreds, if not thousands of kids in his lifetime. During that time only two kids have bothered to say anything at all. Doesn’t that ring the warning bells? Money is the great motivater here. I really don’t want to dwell on this. For more info on the first case and how Michael was framed, please read this:
He admitted sharing his bed and having sleepovers with children. SO WHAT? Sleeping does not equal sex! Where are these people living, how did they grow up to automatically assume the worst over the word “sleep”? Is Michael guilty of poor judgement? Absolutely. But only because, in this world, as we have seen, a lot of people have completely lost the ability to think that a grown man does not necessarily equal a pedophile. Michael was an overgrown child!!! My goodness, is this not obvious? I seriously doubt he was remotely capable of the things he was accused of. He completely missed his own childhood at the mercy of beatings administered by his own father. He is absolutely guilty of eccentricity and weirdness in the first degree (a similar quote I saw written somewhere else), BUT SO WHAT? Who is to define what normal is? And last time I checked, being weird, different, or strange-looking does not make you a criminal or, most importantly, a pedophile! Come on people!
There is a boatload more I could say about this, but I want to talk about my personal Michael Jackson experiences.
Because I was heavily into shows like Dance Fever and Solid Gold as a kid, I’m sure I took a liking to Michael’s Off The Wall singles, and I do remember them. I think I was too young to have formed any solid memories of them, though. I was 9 years old when Thriller came out in November of 1982. “The Girl Is Mine” was the first single and, eh… I was not of the generation to worship Paul McCartney, so to me it was … eh. I remember “Billie Jean” taking our breath away. The video, with the sidewalks that lit up as Michael moved onto them held us mesmerized. How’d they do that? “Beat It” was next and oh, man! The world was listening. Michael had somehow gotten King Of Guitars Eddie Van Halen to play on this song, and the kids my age were ever so impressed. No one could deny these singles were totally, well, EVERYTHING.
Somehow, by this time (Valentine’s Day 1983) I had still managed to not have any singles or the Thriller album in my posession. Then, the Motown 25th Anniversary Special was shown on NBC. Taped March 25, 1983 and shown on TV May 16th, 1983, I believe this is the event that put me, and probably so many others, over the top for Michael! It’s hard to imagine now, but when he did the moonwalk here for the first time it had people talking for days, weeks, hey, they STILL talk about it. It was like he was other-worldly. No one ever saw anyone dance like that. Again, as a young aspiring dancer, I was hooked! I remember watching this at my friend Linda’s house. Linda lived down the street and I must have been spending the night. After Michael’s performance we tried in vain to moonwalk all over her living room. It’s one of my favorite 80s memories! And thanks to Facebook, I know she remembers it fondly, too!
I was now primed, and since “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’” was released on May 8, 1983, I ran out and bought it!
Furzdurzelette's copy of Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'
I love this song sooo much! It peaked at #5 on the Hot 100 Singles Chart (and I helped!). The red mark on the sleeve is not lipstick, I swear. I marked all of my 45s with a stamp that said “Karen” (my mother’s name – I didn’t have one of my own) to mark it as mine when it was brought to a friend’s house or a party. I played this single so much it started to skip not too long after I got it, and the sleeve is coming apart. I somehow acquired a second copy of it which will remain in my collection untouched and pristine!
Back of Furzdurzelette's copy
This single was released without a video, or I’d have put it here!
It was only after this that I somehow got my hands on Thriller, the Lp, on cassette. I don’t remember buying it, and I don’t remember buying this single either. I have a feeling my parents bought both for me, but most definitely the cassette, as I was still 9 and had not much money to speak of. And for some reason I’m almost certain the cassette came from K-Mart. A good bet, as there weren’t a lot of places to buy music in my hometown. The cassette is in storage (I’ve been listening to B’s cd copy of it lately).
“Human Nature” and “P.Y.T.” came out as singles after this. I remember not caring for “Human Nature” that much as a kid, but I do like it now. I used to listen to “P.Y.T.” a lot, though, even then though I knew at 10 (I had a birthday by that point) how silly it was! I think that might even be why I liked it so much!
“Thriller” came next and blew the roof off the world. What a song! And what a video! It was definitely one of the videos that molded me as a person and made be want to be a dancer more than anything in the world!
Naturally, they are all over any posting of this video, so I cannot embed it here. If you want to see the “Thriller” video, click here:
I have vivid memories of walking through my neighborhood with my tape recorder (I didn’t own a boom box) blasting “Billie Jean.” “Smooth Criminal” was another dance video that had me in awe of the dancing. I love these memories. I know in my heart, and for the reasons outlined above, Michael Jackson was a good man and not capable of the horrible things he was accused of doing. I’ll never understand why he felt the need to change his beautiful face. But he did it, and that was his choice. I adore Michael, and I always will.
Rest In Peace.
Add comment July 5, 2009
My Dream Spaceship
I had a long drawn out dream this morning that, unfortunately, I cannot recall the beginning of. It woke me up at approximately 4 in the morning and I had a huge urge to write it down. And I should have. But with 2.5 hours before I had to get up, going back to sleep won the battle. For Me, in the battle of Anything vs. Sleep, Sleep ALWAYS wins.
At the end of the dream I was leaving work (but not where I really work in real life) with an unknown female. It was dark out. As we reached our cars I spotted a couple of red dots in the sky. They were blinking and darting about oddly.
Let me stop here and say that B and I saw these very dots in the sky when we got home from grocery shopping the other night. We watched them for a while, but because we live close to an airport and an airforce base we decided it was an airplane or something. It didn’t move like an airplane at all, though. And it was on my mind for a few days. By yesterday I had all but forgotten about it, though.
So I saw these lights in my dream, but they darted about more wildly than when B and I saw them in real life. Then, before my eyes a very large spaceship appeared from within the sky. It was like it had been cloaked somehow, except for the lights, and now the cloak disappeared and the ship came into focus. Time stood still as everyone in the parking lot stopped and looked up at it in awe and wonderment. I was not afraid. Not one bit. Just in awe. It was breathtaking!
I could not begin to tell you the dimensions, but it took up at least a third of the sky we could see above us. And it was higher than trees would be, but not terribly far away. Maybe half a mile in the air? I don’t know. It was a dark grey color, with lines etched into it (perhaps doors and hatches, etc.). As I looked at it, it was slightly curved on the left side and had 3 points on the right side. Kind of like a drawing of a sideways tulip, only taller and thinner. In each point there was etched a circle, and in each circle was etched a different design. I remember in the dream becoming aware that I wanted to memorize all the details and began desperately trying to. All I remember now is the circle on the point closest to me was etched like it had bicycle spokes. Maybe with a circle in the center. I couldn’t help but think how beautiful it all was.
All I can say is that I woke up suddenly after this. But I wasn’t afraid. On the contrary, I was delighted and happy and filled with awe and wonder! I woke up my husband saying, “I just dreamed I saw a spaceship!”
I know it sounds weird, but it felt comforting. It felt like home to see it! I know that sounds crazy, but that’s how it felt!
Add comment June 29, 2009
Top 10 Things I Learned On Vacation In NYC
10. Grand Central Station is “like Grand Central Station.”
9. There is no such thing as “a good pair of shoes to walk around in” for me and my wonky feet.
8. He wasn’t looking for a hand-out, he was looking for a hand-up. He’d even take fruit… but don’t give him fruit.
7. Standing in line and/or waiting around is a large part of “having fun.”
6. Mark Teixeia is a baseball god. But, I miss the old stadium…
5. The Laws Of My Life dictate that when given Letterman tickets it will be for the one taping of the week where he says nothing interesting or controversial.
4. One of the best things I did all week was stand “in a doorway, trying to make some sense…”
3. Coney Island is in desperate need of saving. Please, Someone!
2. Uma is supposedly a “giant bitch” and likes to stand in theme restaurant gift shops and scream into her phone.
1. I hate people. Especially in large, determined groups in mid-town. Pedestrian Mall in Times Square? Bad idea… Bad idea.
Add comment June 16, 2009
