Walking down the street the other day I saw a huge poster commemorating Michael Jackson's Thriller album which is now 25 years old. I began to think of how much me and my buddy Jason used to love him. Well, Jason was the bigger fan. I was beginning my love affair with Madonna at the time. Duh. Anyway, Jason and I would watch his performances and just be absolutely blown away. There was no one like him around. What he could do on stage was poetry. I know we are way past the days of questioning what the hell happened to his career, much less his appearance, but sometimes it just strikes me as so sad. 
He still has every ounce of his hard earned talent but who wants to give him the time of day to show it off? Even if Michael wanted to jump start his career, I don't think the American people would allow it. We all love to see the triumph of the underdog and see as they come back out on top but I think he past that stage eons ago. With a quick search I was able to find one of my favorite Michael performances ever. The following performance is from the MTV Video Music Awards in 1995. I remember watching this knowing that no one could ever touch this. Every step of this performance seems effortless. It's all so innovative and inspiring and thoughtful. Each move he makes is calculated and on point. Just watch this performance. It's effin' flawless. Pure dance genius. In recent time, a few critics have begun calling Justin Timblerlake the King of Pop. I still think he has a way to go. Justin's stage performance is amazing but it still can't quite compare - not just yet anyway. If there was ever any question on where to look for guidance, this performance should be part of Pop School 101. It's amazing that Michael still, in my opinion, holds that title of King of Pop nearly a decade past his hit making prime. Michael's last #1 was 1995's You Are Not Alone. I guess he set the bar so high that even he couldn't reach it again. I sure would like to see him try.
Hey, I've been an on-and-off Michael Jackson fan since kindergarten (wink) (in high school, we were a bit on the rough edge, more The Doors, Siddharta, Niet, Janice Joplin, Placebo, Plavi orkestar, Velvet Goldmine o.s.t. ... kind of thing). I watched his 1995 MTV VMA opening act glued to the TV screen, taking a breath every five minutes or so. This is, I dare say, his best dance performance to this day. He's totally in control, overtaken by the rhythm. Respect. Other stunning MJ performances to see - if you haven't already - are Man in the Mirror (like the 1988 Grammy Awards or this one in Bucharest http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S4s16pzRYqU&feature=related), Another Part of Me and Earthsong.
Posted by: NK | May 17, 2009 at 03:30 PM