Today he's officially half a century old, joining Prince and Madonna, both of whom reached that milestone earlier in the summer. This week, he spoke with Good Morning America about his birthday, life, and career.
On my 12th birthday back in 1992, one of my presents was a cassette of his Bad album from 1987. I had asked my parents for it earlier in the year after having seen him in the 3-D film Captain EO at the EPCOT Center. It's not an overstatement to say that that cassette was life-changing; I had never been so fascinated by an artist and his music before (save for a brief interest in Vanilla Ice, which fortunately ran its course quickly).
Soon after my birthday, he performed in Bucharest, Romania as part of his Dangerous World Tour. It was a spectacular concert that drew the largest audience in HBO's history up to that point. I was at a wedding the night it aired live, so I programmed my VCR to record it. That same night after returning home to watch it, I studied the performance of "Billie Jean" and quickly taught myself the moonwalk, which is still a great way to impress friends and family!
Speaking of which, here's how to do it:
When I became a fan, it was close to the end of his pre-allegation career. Though he was (and is) a man of many eccentricities, there was no real stigma in being a Michael Jackson fan. Of course, that all changed in 1993 with the child-abuse allegations leveled against him. He has always maintained his innocence, and at the time I proudly defended him and maintained my admiration for him. Since then, though, I gradually branched out and discovered other artists and music while his career and personal life seemed to be in a perpetual state of decline.
His innocence is debated to this day, even after being acquitted in 2005 of additional child-abuse allegations. Of course, we have no way of knowing for sure if he is and we probably never will. I certainly hope so for the sake of all parties involved, but for now I can only commend the good he has done through his high-profile charity work and trust that it is indicative of his supposedly good intentions toward children.
Not surprisingly, Michael Jackson has kept a much lower profile in recent years. His last album was 2001's Invincible, which defied expectations and topped the charts in America. I will check on occasion to find out the latest news on him, though it is often anyone's guess. Rumor has it that he is currently living in the Las Vegas area and is preparing a new album.
Sadly, these days it is almost impossible for most of us to listen to his music or watch his videos anymore without that question lingering in our minds, and I have long since moved on. Still, I look back fondly on the excitement and invigoration his music and videos once brought to my life. When it comes to overall talent and showmanship, there has never been an entertainer like him before, and so many younger performers of today cite him as a major influence. Whatever we may think about him, the man is a living legend.
On that note, I leave you with one of my favorite Michael Jackson performances, this one from the 1992 Bucharest concert during which he sang the title track from what is still the world's biggest-selling album:
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