Random Thoughts on MJ: Groundbreaking Entertainer

Before there was the "human beatbox", there was Michael Jackson using his voice in innovative ways to carry a song vocally. Before there were MP3s, there was MJ's "Off the Wall" record, using the best producer and engineers to record the greatest depth of sounds which still hold up incredibly well even in a compressed format. Before there were black artists getting airplay on MTV, there was Michael Jackson breaking that barrier and opening the gates. Before there were music videos featuring groups of dancers telling a story, there was MJ's "Beat It" video. Before there were music videos in a short film format, there was MJ's "Thriller" video.

And this only takes us to the halfway point in MJ's life - shy actually.

Michael Jackson continually reinvented himself with innovative performances and record breaking musical milestones. Although he started out as a boy imitating James Brown, he developed his own distinct style of dance - and kept doing that, time after time. The man could dance on sand for goodness sakes! I wouldn't be surprised, when we eventually see the full release of the rehearsal footage taped in the weeks before his death, if he hadn't again come up with a new style of dance, tailored to the performance capabilities of a 50 year old man.

I think about how many firsts MJ was responsible for in his career and I remember the firsts I shared with him as a fan. The first album I ever bought was "Off the Wall" - also the first time I ever got the parental "Turn that damn thing down!". The first time I ever saw the moonwalk was during MJ's performance at the Motown 25th anniversary on TV. It wasn't just an "Ooh, ah" moment - my reality shifted for a few seconds and I was left muttering, "What just happened?". All at once my mind raced to make sense of what I had seen - Did he defy gravity? Special camera effects? Magical illusion? Have I gone mad? It was like that. I watched the world premiere of "Thriller" on MTV and again - blown away. I had thought "Beat It" was amazing but now here was a little movie and the group dancing is even more amazing and they're zombies! That was the first time I got my Mom to sit down and watch a music video with me. I'm a special effects wonk so seeing the morphing at the end of the "Black or White" video was another dazzling first for me.

I'm trying to stay positive today, a la "Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened". It's hard.

From MJ's last interview, a 2007 cover piece with Ebony magazine:

"Let's face it. Who wants mortality? Everybody wants immortality. You want what you create to live, be it sculpting, painting, music, composition. Michaelangelo said, 'I know the creator will go, but his work survives'. That is why to escape death I attempt to bind my soul to my work."