and it cuts like a knife...
I don't know where to begin other than to say I'm finally to a point where I have regained motor control and have enough control over the tears to post about Michael.
Despite never meeting him or seeing him in concert, Michael Jackson has been one of the most influential people in my life. Of course I've known who Michael Jackson is for as long as I can remember. Still, my first Michael-related memories are from when Dangerous came out. Lisa got the cassette for her 11th birthday, but she didn't seem to like it that much (she preferred NKOTB and country music). I, however, was in love at first listen. I borrowed her copy and listened to it so much she eventually gave it to me. From that point on, my life has been made up of Michael Jackson memories.
When I was little, my mom wouldn't allow my siblings and me to watch The Simpsons...with the exception of one episode: the Michael Jackson episode. I remember watching the premieres of the Remember The Time and Black Or White music videos on Fox. If I remember right, we actually scheduled dinner around the music video airings. I have vivid memories of watching him do the Superbowl halftime performance and seriously believing he was a magician because there was no way he was doing the things he was doing without magic. When he did his interview with Oprah, I begged my mom to let me stay up to watch (luckily she let me). He talked a lot about his love of children, which now carries a different meaning than it did to me at the time. But I remember feeling so special because of what he said about kids, and I remember telling my mom that when I grew up I was always going to work with kids so I could let them know how special they were. Considering where I'm at with my career path, I'd say he's been slightly influential. ;)
I don't remember much about the scandal at that time, except that I was really angry at people who would accuse him of things like that. I do, however, remember being angry when he married Lisa Marie Presley (he was my first celebrity crush...). I remember where I was when they announced they were divorcing. It was that big of an event for me. Cassi and I were babysitting our cousins (Caleb and Hannah) and sat in my aunt's basement watching Michael Jackson videos on MTV all night. They even aired the Michael Jackson TV movie, and I was so excited (I was a big fan of the TV movie).
4th grade was when my Michael Jackson love reached obsessive levels. Our 4th grade teacher was a big music fan, so instead of focusing on classical artists like most music classes did, he focused on more contemporary artists including people like John Denver, Cher, and Michael Jackson. He brought in a VHS of "Thriller" one day, and surprisingly it was my first time seeing it. From that point on, I would stay in at recess so I could watch it (it fit perfectly into the 15 minutes). For the next birthday someone, I don't remember who, gave me VHS copies of his music videos and Cassi and I watched them almost every day. [They've also been getting a lot of play tonight.] People started calling me the Michael Jackson girl. To this day, when I see people I knew in elementary school they ask if I'm still a Michael Jackson fan.
The first CD I ever owned was HIStory. Cassi and I even made up choreography to the title track, and I'm pretty sure we both still remember it. Long before I was a Beatles fan I knew Paul McCartney as the British guy who sang with Michael Jackson. I still prefer Michael's version of "Come Together" because it was the first version I knew. There was a time in junior high where Cassi and I went to church activities, and I remember one of the activities was to make a collage of things that described us. I wanted pictures of my crushes (this was pre-Taylor), so I put a picture of JFK Jr, Will Smith, and Michael Jackson. I was made fun of for that, but I really didn't care.
I remember hearing "You Rock My World" on the radio the first time and shaking in the car as I listened because I was so excited. When Invincible came out I had to work (at the high school daycare) so Cassi bought me a copy. The whole day I was distracted, and I freaked out when Cassi gave me my CD. He released it in different colors, and I remember thinking Cassi got it in green because she wanted to secretly keep it for herself. He was always #1 on my list of people I wanted to see in concert, and I remember being so excited when he did his tribute/anniversary concert on Sept 10, 2001 (wonder why I remember the date...). I didn't go, but I was almost as excited as I would have been if I had actually gone. They aired it multiple times on CBS, and I still have a copy of the concert somewhere. It inspired me to download a bunch of his rare & older songs from Napster, and that was when I first heard "Ben". Since then, I've wanted to name my son Ben. Now I'm thinking Benjamin Michael sounds nice...
As seems to be standard, I also remember where I was when I heard the verdict in the most recent trial. My dad, Jon, and I were heading back from a family reunion in Northern California. We were somewhere between Winnemucca and Wendover, Nevada when they announced on the news that the verdict was going to be aired shortly. The radio signal was cutting out, and I was freaking out that I wouldn't be able to hear it, so my dad pulled off the freeway to find a clear signal. We literally stopped in the middle of a field because that was where reception was the best. I'm lucky my family is understanding and puts up with me. ;)
Now the sad part. I'm doing it in a separate entry because this is way too long as it is...
Despite never meeting him or seeing him in concert, Michael Jackson has been one of the most influential people in my life. Of course I've known who Michael Jackson is for as long as I can remember. Still, my first Michael-related memories are from when Dangerous came out. Lisa got the cassette for her 11th birthday, but she didn't seem to like it that much (she preferred NKOTB and country music). I, however, was in love at first listen. I borrowed her copy and listened to it so much she eventually gave it to me. From that point on, my life has been made up of Michael Jackson memories.
When I was little, my mom wouldn't allow my siblings and me to watch The Simpsons...with the exception of one episode: the Michael Jackson episode. I remember watching the premieres of the Remember The Time and Black Or White music videos on Fox. If I remember right, we actually scheduled dinner around the music video airings. I have vivid memories of watching him do the Superbowl halftime performance and seriously believing he was a magician because there was no way he was doing the things he was doing without magic. When he did his interview with Oprah, I begged my mom to let me stay up to watch (luckily she let me). He talked a lot about his love of children, which now carries a different meaning than it did to me at the time. But I remember feeling so special because of what he said about kids, and I remember telling my mom that when I grew up I was always going to work with kids so I could let them know how special they were. Considering where I'm at with my career path, I'd say he's been slightly influential. ;)
I don't remember much about the scandal at that time, except that I was really angry at people who would accuse him of things like that. I do, however, remember being angry when he married Lisa Marie Presley (he was my first celebrity crush...). I remember where I was when they announced they were divorcing. It was that big of an event for me. Cassi and I were babysitting our cousins (Caleb and Hannah) and sat in my aunt's basement watching Michael Jackson videos on MTV all night. They even aired the Michael Jackson TV movie, and I was so excited (I was a big fan of the TV movie).
4th grade was when my Michael Jackson love reached obsessive levels. Our 4th grade teacher was a big music fan, so instead of focusing on classical artists like most music classes did, he focused on more contemporary artists including people like John Denver, Cher, and Michael Jackson. He brought in a VHS of "Thriller" one day, and surprisingly it was my first time seeing it. From that point on, I would stay in at recess so I could watch it (it fit perfectly into the 15 minutes). For the next birthday someone, I don't remember who, gave me VHS copies of his music videos and Cassi and I watched them almost every day. [They've also been getting a lot of play tonight.] People started calling me the Michael Jackson girl. To this day, when I see people I knew in elementary school they ask if I'm still a Michael Jackson fan.
The first CD I ever owned was HIStory. Cassi and I even made up choreography to the title track, and I'm pretty sure we both still remember it. Long before I was a Beatles fan I knew Paul McCartney as the British guy who sang with Michael Jackson. I still prefer Michael's version of "Come Together" because it was the first version I knew. There was a time in junior high where Cassi and I went to church activities, and I remember one of the activities was to make a collage of things that described us. I wanted pictures of my crushes (this was pre-Taylor), so I put a picture of JFK Jr, Will Smith, and Michael Jackson. I was made fun of for that, but I really didn't care.
I remember hearing "You Rock My World" on the radio the first time and shaking in the car as I listened because I was so excited. When Invincible came out I had to work (at the high school daycare) so Cassi bought me a copy. The whole day I was distracted, and I freaked out when Cassi gave me my CD. He released it in different colors, and I remember thinking Cassi got it in green because she wanted to secretly keep it for herself. He was always #1 on my list of people I wanted to see in concert, and I remember being so excited when he did his tribute/anniversary concert on Sept 10, 2001 (wonder why I remember the date...). I didn't go, but I was almost as excited as I would have been if I had actually gone. They aired it multiple times on CBS, and I still have a copy of the concert somewhere. It inspired me to download a bunch of his rare & older songs from Napster, and that was when I first heard "Ben". Since then, I've wanted to name my son Ben. Now I'm thinking Benjamin Michael sounds nice...
As seems to be standard, I also remember where I was when I heard the verdict in the most recent trial. My dad, Jon, and I were heading back from a family reunion in Northern California. We were somewhere between Winnemucca and Wendover, Nevada when they announced on the news that the verdict was going to be aired shortly. The radio signal was cutting out, and I was freaking out that I wouldn't be able to hear it, so my dad pulled off the freeway to find a clear signal. We literally stopped in the middle of a field because that was where reception was the best. I'm lucky my family is understanding and puts up with me. ;)
Now the sad part. I'm doing it in a separate entry because this is way too long as it is...