Songs

I know everybody is probably totally sick of Michael Jackson reportage and memories, but this morning when I drew the index card that said 'Songs' I knew immediately what I wanted to draw.

I've written already what it was like at age 12 in 1984 to meet Michael Jackson. I will never forget that handshake as long as I live. Not because it was him, but because it was the first time I ever experienced someone's overt withdrawal from human contact. He must have shaken many hands in his lifetime, but he never wanted to really TOUCH anybody. At least, that is what his handshake said to me.

The night of his death New York really was teaming with his music. Every restaurant and car was blasting his songs. I got on the subway and a man had a small boom box blaring "Beat It." It's the only time no one seemed to mind. Every radio station seemed to be playing 24/7 Michael Jackson. It was a Michael Jackson love fest and it lasted the whole weekend.

Last night I continued my decluttering and purging of stuff and I found the program to the Jackson Victory Tour and looked at it awhile. It was 25 years ago this summer that my mom went on tour with the Jackson brothers. I looked through the photographs and remember SO CLEARLY the styles of the time. Even though the plastic surgery had already begun, this was the last time Michael would look semi normal. His next album, the terribly titled Bad was the beginning of the skin getting lighter and the continuation of plastic surgery. By that time it wasn't cool anymore to like MJ (at least not in my world), so my attention and tastes left him and I didn't pay attention to what he was putting out anymore. About two years ago, my friend Mindy told me she was sitting in a diner in DC, when someone put on the song "Man in the Mirror" and she proceeded to watch the entire diner rock out and sing to it. She said, "It was one of those moments where I realized, this really IS a good song." I had the same feeling when I heard all of his post Thriller songs throughout the weekend, and especially when I saw Jennifer Hudson sing "Will You Be There" at his memorial service. I got goosebumps and even a little teary. He was obviously a very troubled person, a man who was an ego maniac with devastatingly low self esteem, but he could write a song and he could perform the heck out of it. And this is what we can only hope gets left behind when we all leave the world--the very best of us what we were and will continue to be.