Michael Jackson is History

I was surprised, just as I'm sure the rest of the world was yesterday, when I found out Michael Jackson had died. It was kind of a strange feeling. He was an icon from my youth, with the rhinestone-studded white glove, the gravity-defying moon walk, and his music, of course. I remember when I was a kid, my mom, sister and I would dance to his records (yes records!) in our family room. We had Beat It and maybe Thriller on 45's, and would often dance so hard, we would make the records skip. I remember when he came out with his new music videos, and we watched one on cable at my aunt's house. (We didn't have cable back then. Wait, we still don't have cable.) As a kid, I remember liking his music because it always made me want to move. But then things changed. Michael was quiet for a while, and when he reemerged, he was stranger and more eccentric. His behavior, like his face, got more bizarre each year. He's been called the "King of Pop," and compared to Elvis, who was the "King of Rock and Roll." When it comes to Elvis, everyone has their favorite Elvis--the younger, skinny, Jail-House-Rock, Ed-Sullivan-Show Elvis; or the older, heavier, white-jump suit Elvis. I suppose it will be the same with Michael. Some will remember the cute (black) kid who upstaged his brothers, and went on to create thrilling new music and videos in the 80's. And others will remember the one-man freak show with the melting face, who spent more of his later years in the courtroom than in the recording studio. Which will you choose to remember?