R.I.P Michael Jackson

Hearing about Michael Jackson's death yesterday came as more than a little shock. This is HUGE! Like the Kennedy assassination, John Lennon's death, President Reagan being shot, and the Challenger explosion, I predict that hearing the news of MJ's death will be one of those events that will be permanently burned into our collective memories. We will remember where we were and what we were doing when we heard about it.

For me, I read about Michael Jackson's death on Collectible Medium Green (dish collector's site). It was around 4:15 PDT, and I was reading a thread about Farrah Fawcett's death, where someone had mentioned that MJ had also died. I thought that couldn't be true--someone's idea of a joke, perhaps. So I turned off the DVD I had been watching (Dallas, Season 1...it was the episode where Bobby was working to help Cliff beat a murder rap) and turned on the local news. Sure enough...

Michael Jackson's music was a huge part of my childhood. An icon of my generation, if you will. I got the Thriller LP for my 11th birthday and played it until I damn near wore it out. His videos were in constant rotation on MTV. My friends and I tried to learn and copy the group dance from the "Thriller" video.

But perhaps my favorite Michael Jackson record is 1979's Off The Wall. It's one of the few complete albums that I have included on my iPod. Plus, the videos from "Rock With You" and "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" are pure, chintzy disco gold.

Thank you for the music, Michael!