I'm 2 years older than Michael Jackson and grew up being fascinated by him and the Jackson 5, seeing him first (if I recall correctly) on the Andy Williams TV Variety show -- in fact: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDWHkMM4LRw
It feels really weird to have seen the entire arc of his life and career -- his child stardom, his rise to being quite literally the biggest global pop star in human history, his decline, and now his death. I had gotten burned out on MJ after the way "Thriller" was inescapable for about 18 months. But years later, Terrence Parker rehabilitated MJ for me -- and probably a lot of other people. Somehow, the way TP would cut up doubles of the "Billy Jean" intro seemingly for DAYS before letting the first verse drop made it clear how genius it truly was. The weekend after DEMF I got asked at the last moment to spin at a bar for some nebulous benefit event. Of course I brought the "Do You Remember The Time" double 12" and played the Steve Silk Hurley mix, and of course, everyone in the room bust a big smile. It's way too easy to psycho-analyze and make a tragic narrative out of his life, but to focus on the failures, the weirdness, the dysfunctions that marked the last half of his life is to miss the fact that for a brief time, there was no one else on the planet who could top him. His best work will still be played in 100 or 500 years from now.
