“All this has happened before, and it will all happen again. But this time it happened in London. It happened on a quiet street in Bloomsbury. That corner house over there is the home of the Darling family. And Peter Pan chose this particular house because there were people here who believed in him…”
When you think of Michael Jackson, what comes to mind first? For me – it’s being a kid. It’s a song you sing and dance to with friends, a car ride, a guy you went to school with who knew all the right MJ moves. It’s doing the moonwalk at a skating rink birthday party. It’s a Halloween night after trick or treating when MTV is playing the “Thriller” video on repeat.
Something surreal happened yesterday, and to say that it just happened ‘in the world of pop culture’ underestimates everything. The King of Pop is dead. And with Michael Jackson’s death, an entire generation has changed — my generation. The boy who never wanted to grow up…is making us all grow up a bit now. His melodies will still catch us just so, a youthful grin taking over our faces, but the music will never sound the same. He was innovative and influential, and he has inspired hundreds of artists. Michael was a legend even before his death. And in the wake of his untimely passing, he has become immortal. And now there’s a bittersweet feeling I can’t pinpoint. Is this what it felt like when we lost Elvis? And John Lennon? Music really does change us, doesn’t it? Picture him singing, and dancing…
…in a fire engine red jacket on the dark streets where zombies sway, leather clad in pool halls and underground garages, in white shoes and a bow-tie on glowing sidewalks, in a line with 4 brothers, identical orange and yellow costume suits. Michael Jackson once told a reporter that if anyone wanted to know the truth, they should listen to his song “Childhood.” And that’s where he’ll remain now — in the corners of our minds where childhood lingers, the second star to the right…and straight on ’til morning.
Tags: king of pop, michael jackson, mj, thriller
