Never Can Say Goodbye

Never Can Say Goodbye

Labels: In Memory of...

When I woke up yesterday, paying my light bill and getting some food in my place was all that was on my mind. It never occurred to me that quite possibly the most famous man to walk the face of the Earth would die that day. There are some days that you never think will happen, a Black man being elected president of the United States and Michael Jackson dying were two that I never thought I would live to see. Yet, I woke up this morning wishing that the second half of my day was a dream and that I wasn't watching TV when the news broke that Michael Jackson had been rushed to the hospital.

The odd spectacle that became his life could never overshadow the talent and the moments that became magic for millions. There has never been a moment more spectacular than watching him perform "Billie Jean" on Motown 25. You remember, right after he said how much fun it was performing with all of his brothers, "including Jermaine," and how he likes singing those old songs, but he liked singing the new songs even more. Then, the hat appeared and we watched history.

It was one of those moments that you wished to place in a capsule and hold forever. That night he became more than an entertainer, he became THE entertainer, an icon. What happened next only cemented that legend, everybody in the world bought Thriller!

It's hard to talk or think about Michael Jackson and not bring up the circus that was his life. The monkey, the midget, the "marriages", the kids, the nose(s); the charges all distort his impact on not only music, but American culture. Michael is ours! He is as American as apple pie and despite the noses and change of skin color, he is as Black American as sweet potato pie!

What bothers me the most is that there is a generation out there who only know Michael as a sideshow freak and have to witness his greatness in clips and see the pictures or footage of a man we used to know. I see 1984 Michael when I think of him, the jheri-curl, still brown skin, that's where I like to keep him, not what he became.

At times on stage, everyone would be doing the exact same steps as Michael, but he just looked different, he just seemed to dance that much better, move in a way that others couldn't. He was truly separate from everyone else, something we have never and will never see again.

The King of Pop left a void in music, life, culture that no one will ever be able to fill.