The Thriller Beats it for good

I had mixed emotions when I heard the news Michael Jackson died of an apparent heart attack. My initial response was "Good, it's about time that freak croaked". But then I thought back to high school and the great music he put out that revolutionized the pop culture. I challenge anyone who was really into MJ to deny that they at least tried to Moonwalk. I was actually pretty good at it.

Before a thoughtful piece from the FL Times, I leave you with this bit of gallows humor:

Michale Jackson is going to come back as a plastic grocery bag. That way he can still be white, made of plastic, and still be a threat to children.

Setting the freak show of the last 15 years aside, the Michael Jackson of the '80s is the Michael Jackson we love, the one we want to remember. The one who gave us Thriller, Beat It, Billie Jean. (And the Moonwalk — which I never learned to do.)

Not botched plastic surgeries, sex abuse allegations, televised trials, unexplainable marriages, and baby-dangling.

What if the weirdness of the last 15 years or so didn't happen? What if the King of Pop made music instead of tabloid headlines around the world?

Just when we were about to find out — The Gloved One reportedly was preparing for an upcoming concert comeback tour — the American tragedy that had become Michael Jackson ended as just that: A tragedy.