Friday, June 26, 2009

Pauly is lucky he is at youth conference.

I am not sure why Michael Jackson dying would be different to me than any other celebrity except . . . it is different and I have been trying to put my finger on why.


Maybe it is because Thriller was the first album my friends and I loved together. Maybe it is because we listened to it over and over again on track day at the end of our 8th grade year. Maybe it is because we somehow managed to get a video tape of Beat It and then convinced one of the Jr. High science teachers to let us watch it in his empty classroom, everyday during lunch, for a week. (We had to promise not to scream -no lie.)

I remember moon walking lessons by Laura Larson and one of the Guymon girls trying to record a Michael Jackson concert on T.V. with her video camera and Laurette making us practice the Thriller dance until we all had it down. I remember not liking the Billy Jean video as much as everyone else and I remember standing in the mall in Las Vegas considering whether or not to buy one-sequins-glove but then coming to the realization that the one-sequins-glove look was really something only a man could carry off.


These memories as well as a million others have been taking turns in my head ever since I got the news of his death and it has made me wonder why in the world I feel any connection with Michael Jackson. After sleeping on it and contemplating about it in the quiet of the morning, I think I understand now what I am feeling.

I realize that have not been thinking about Michael Jackson at all, rather, I am thinking about where the end of my childhood and the beginning of my teenage years intersected. I am thinking of Rachel and Sara and Laura and Laurette and Terry and Jacquie and Chris and J.C. and Lajusta as brand new teenagers and all the silly things we said and did and all our brave but innocent adventures before boys, cars, Depeche Mode and Molly Ringwald took over our collective consciousness.

I guess I didn't recognize until yesterday that I have a hidden affection for Michael Jackson not because of what kind of man he was or
that I rock star worshiped him (May 1983 excluded) but because he provided the majority of the background music for all the fun, sweet, happy memories from that time in my life.


The kids are all asleep, they have no idea they are going to spend the morning learning the Thriller dance.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Nice , the whole world is talking about this... see some statistics here: http://michaeljacksonnow.wordpress.com

Mindi said...

ahhhhh, memories.

the recording it off the tv with the camcorder is PRICELESS.

i'm coming down right away for my moonwalking lesson. is laura still available? (she was so cool!)

love the new blog look! NICE.

Nana Donna said...

I was never into Michael Jackson, I remember Brandt wanting the jacket with all the zippers, he danced the moon walk at school. My special youth memories are of going to Lagoon to see the Beach Boys!

Elder and Sister McEvoy said...

Very sweet, Rachel.

Is that really him in the picture?

Love, Mom

Shannon said...

I didn't understand why people wanted to talk about Michael Jackson so much and why this is such a sad thing. I didn't get it. But, you have explained it perfectly...I get it now.