Mike & My Youth

Welcome back readers. I have decided to write a quick blog before the 2009 NBA Draft which should be taking place within the next hour or so. However, I must depart from sports for a minute and share my thoughts about the pop icon of the true '80's babies', Michael Jackson, who passed on today. I send condolences to his family and loved ones and I ask the fans who are reading this just go to youtube.com, put on the MP3, spin that CD or go waaaaay back in the day and run that cassette tape.

While on the subject, it made me think not only of my mortality, but also conjured up some of the memories from the past. Yes, I had the Thriller album poster on the wall and begged my mother for jheri curls as a snot nose. I remember the MTV world premier of the 'Thriller' video which was one of the most entertaining videos I've ever seen...to this day (pop stars of today, please take note). The thoughts of Mike defined my youth in many ways from the little kid listening to 'Off The Wall' to the 'Thrilller' era to my teenage years when I grew out of his sound. I am not stunned about this by any stretch because death is a part of life and is never a matter of if, but when for ALL OF US. Enjoy the memories and the music and in celebrating his life, you are indeed celebrating yours as well because many of us grew up with him. I started thinking about all of the things that went on in my life during this time...Jessie Jackson's run for the Presidency, space shuttle Challenger's explosion, the U.S.'s invasion of Grenada, a young hip hop culture emerging, Nancy Reagan's hollow 'Just Say No' campaign, the nasty rumor about 'killer clowns' that drive a white van and hunt kids during Holloween, the Iran Contra Affair, Larry v. Magic, heck, the New England Patriots were in the Super Bowl back in these days... As you can see, the music of Jackson binds into the memories of my youth. For instance, when the 'Thriller' single first dropped, my family was coincidentally on the way to Gary, Indiana (Mike's hometown), for the funeral of my uncle. I had the Fisher Price recorder (stop laughing), pressed to rear speakers of the car and made sure to tape the song as it played at least three times an hour on the radio.

Another quick memory from back in the day: I remember being the chubby 9 year old wearing the tight 'mom chosen' Sears & Roebuck brand 'Husky' jeans with holes in the knees patched up, running around Parkside Christian Academy on a rampage. In my 3rd grade class, there was a kid named 'Reggie' who was a quiet, constructive type of fellow who was the class representative for Michael Jackson. He would wear the high water, leather pants with white socks and well polished penny loafers. He even had the well sought after 'Beat It' and 'Thriller' leather jackets and was sporting white tee shirts before they became very popular. Whereas me and the rest guys, we weren't so fortunate; remember 'Members Only' folks? Zips, the suede Ralph Sampson Pumas w/ fat New York laces, Kangaroos and Izod shirts before they became $100? How about Nike when they were sold at Stride Rite before a gangly kid from North Carolina changed the way the youth viewed footwear? Shoot, I thought argyle was a brand name when I was young...yeah, that's how in touch with style my mother was back in the day. Anyways, Reggie's biggest talent however was his propensity of drawing photos of Mike ALL THE TIME. He studied his 'swag' and drew pictures from the Grammy Award ceremony photos, Mike's public appearances to his album covers. So what he always drew Mike with a huge square head and the body of a toothpick? Thinking back, it kind of looked like a cross between Razor Ramon and one of the Olsen twins. We would even have competitions in class as to who was the best singer: Michael Jackson or Prince? Yeah, these were the times that defined my youth.

Sadly, the Mike I grew up with, which captivated my generation, is not the same as the Mike we've seen over the past 15-20 years. Age had changed his appearance and his view of music/entertainment while many of us children that listened to him became hardened adults...some even fragile in response to the rapid changes of our world. Despite this, I have learned to accept that I too am no longer that young kid that was mezmorized by Mike's talent; my music tastes grew over the years and I am unable to think as I did when I was younger. All I can do now is enjoy the memories and think when Wu-Tang Clan, w/ Gladys Knight sample of course, asked 'Can It Be That It Was All So Simple Then?' it meant more than just the passage of time, it meant that our lives weren't so compartmentalized and complex; and if it was, did we stress it the same we do as adults? It just so happened that Mike provided the soundtrack for many people during that time. But alas, change is a part of life as much as death. It took me a time to realize this and whatever happened in Mike's personal life in recent times will not tarnish my memories of his music...it defined many aspects of the times I 'came up' in.

I hope. Somewhere. Today. At this time. Reggie is a healthy adult and happy with his life. I hope he understands that I along with all of our classmates are thankful he was able to show his love of Mike to all of us. I also hope that he is still not drawing those distorted Mike pics. It is truly sad that young people can so effortlessly show adoration with such genuine fervor while adults seem only to ride with what is the most popular opinion...in a very disingenuous manner. With that, I say to all of his fans, only YOU can keep him alive. I hope you use it as a porthole to examine your lives and understand the unique journey that life gives us all. Play that music and enjoy not only his talent, but your life.

***I will have exciting news available to all members of the AlphaleticArticles blog community soon. It will involve prizes, raffles and good times, so stay posted.