As a young boy, I remember waiting for the school bell to chime so I could go home and get ready for the world premier of the Thriller short movie on MTV. Back then, cable was a rarity as were VCRs. My cousin and I rushed to my uncle’s house, who happened to have both, and watched it live as we taped it. Dancing all night -- truly thrilled -- we watched that tape over and over again until our parents commanded our bedtime. The real-life Peter Pan, Michael Jackson refused to grow up -- just as we pledged never to grow up that night. His death takes with him his childhood, and a part of mine as well. To my generation, he was a hero and an inspiration who we loved.
I watched in horror on a television in Times Square as the tragic story unfolded yesterday. The world treated him unjustly and now they cry in pain over the loss of a fragile genius who they themselves abused. How disgusting. He will now be judged by his Creator and his accusers will also, one day, be punished for robbing the world of such talent, generosity and compassion.
Michael Jackson taught me many lessons -- the most important of which was to ignore adversity. He used his innocence as his most lethal weapon against those who condemned him. A valuable technique indeed; it has carried me through many tough times over the past few years. Now, I stand at the precipice of what will forever be known as the end of Michael Jackson and the end of innocence forever.
About this blog's headline image: One of the few artists to have been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice, his other achievements include multiple Guinness World Records — including one for "Most Successful Entertainer of All Time" — 13 Grammy Awards, 13 number one singles in his solo career — more than any other male artist in the Hot 100 era and the sale of 750 million records worldwide. Before his death, Jackson had announced a 50 date sell-out "This Is It" comeback tour, in London, England.
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very sweet. i still remember when you would wear that silly fingerless glove & that ratty red jacket! do you still have that stuff?
-Avisha