The Man. The Myth. The Video

Friday, June 26, 2009
By VeTalle Fusilier

And I wonder, who’s lovin you? -Michael Jackson

We texted and called each other with the news like nothing before.  We all had to know, we all made sure each other knew.  Now some believe the angels can move in both directions, St. James teaching them to camel walk forward and Michael can now get them all moon walking backwards.  And some think him to perhaps be working a hotter room. But the world has decided, we choose to remember the sensitive, caring singer of Black and White, and We are the World, the King of Pop, and leave the weirdness.  We all love and mourn the dancing machine.

Dancing Machine Merv Griffin

We knew he was special from our first sighting.  And we watched the cartoon and loved the whole family.  And everybody cherished their own Jackson 5 member in his or her own way.  My cousin was heartbroken when Jermaine got married.  But Michael was shining a special light, even then.  And now we just sit around, with our head hanging down.

Who’s Lovin You

And the best selling album of all time was not just the monster strut of Thriller, but "The Girl Is Mine", Beat It, Wanna be Startin Something, "Human Nature, "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)",  and "Billie Jean", which was the soundtrack to the world getting over-wowed by his performance at the Motown 25th Year Awards.   You’ve seen it here before; Michael Jackson was sent to teach them how to moonwalk.

Billie Jean

We know the money, the adoration, the eternal curse of being and the dark corners that accompany black achievement manifested themselves in very strange and more obvious than normal ways with our Michael. May we not let this happen to any artist ever again.  If we are honest, Michael became the man we loved before the accident, though we’re not quite sure what the accident was. But we were all trying to get to London to see our black entertainment heritage live, hoping for a renewed faith, a connection with our earliest memories. We had already witnessed his last years give way to a different inspiration, one begging to be less publicly judged. 

Scream

And still the world felt his swagger.  One day, our children will take a course in the Michael Jackson studies department, and have the ironies of the later lyrics, the military look, and a heart condition that led him from our midst interpreted in a manner that I won’t dare.  But his fans and followers loved him worldwide without doubt.  And he rocked it all over, every time.

And so Eric, what indeed do you tell your children?  Show them prison thriller video? show them his worldwide impact?  Maybe you have to teach them about the blue notes, the ones between the black and white keys.   Teach them to dance and let them learn from the reverent joy in their elders’ eyes as they reminisce about the best that ever did it.   And like most human heroes, we remain inspired by their contribution, not their extra-marital affairs, children by different women, or ability to feed our insatiable hunger for imperfect intimacies, even their weirdness.  Rest in Peace, Your Highness. 

Do You Remember

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VeTalle Fusilier is a producer in Washington, DC. It's pronounced VEE-tal FEW-suh-LEER