It's one of those moments, those moments where you think about where you are, and how you will remember where you are always, because it's where (and when) you heard the news.
Michael Jackson dead?
Yes, of course, he'd become a caricature of himself in the past 15 years, he may or may not have molested children, he may or may not have been bankrupt. What he definitely was? A troubled, lonely soul whose every move was media fodder, for better or worse.
But here is what I will remember of MJ:
- Dancing in the family room on Winchester Road with my dad to the Thriller album every night after dinner when I was a pre-schooler.
- Watching the Thriller and Beat It videos with my 'big' cousins Robbie and Shelby in the basement on Wiltshire Boulevard.
- Playing "Bad" on repeat in my bedroom, singing into a microphone made out of a hairbrush, until I knew every word by heart.
- Learning to sing AND sign "Heal the World" as one of the show-kids for the 1994 Commonwealth Games.
So, thank you for the music Mr. Jackson.