Remember the time

If you grew up anytime between 1970 and 1995, give or take a couple years, Michael Jackson was part of your childhood.

Maybe you thought he was the coolest thing ever; you coveted that sleek leather jacket and practiced the moonwalk across the kitchen floor.  Maybe you thought he was for wusses as you cued up the new Whitesnake album. Maybe you grooved to “Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough,” but couldn't quite figure out what he was doing with Eddie Murphy and all those Egyptian babes in the “Remember the Time” video.

It wasn't until 1984 that I realized just how big MJ truly was. I couldn't help but hear the nonstop murmurs bouncing off my middle school's hall lockers as the “Thriller” video — The Video — made its MTV debut. My folks wouldn't yet indulge in cable TV for another six years, so all I could do was inhale the vibe.  Did you see?!? His eyes?!? The zombies?!?

Finally, when I managed to tune in a UHF station (remember UHF?) in New York that briefly attempted to compete with MTV, “Thriller” was the only thing that could prompt more anticipation in our living room than "Take on Me" (remember A-ha?). We were entranced.

These are less glamorous times for the King of Pop, but nearly everyone has their Michael Jackson memory.  We've collected a few.  No doubt you'll have your own.   -Jon Bonné

Nothing but cheers
When I was eleven years old, I stood in a crowded gymnasium with my hands on my hips and my head turned to the left. As I waited for the opening chords of “Beat It” to pound through the speakers, I glanced down to make sure that my white pom-pom was in my right hand, and my maroon in my left. I was in the fifth grade, and my cheerleading squad was relying on Jackson’s music to carry us to victory in our first competition.

The song finally began, and a kind of hush fell over the audience. By that time, in the fall of 1983, the tune was familiar, but it was still new and fresh, and the excitement of the song made up for the gawky fumbling of a group of prepubescent girls.

As the song faded out, our routine completed with a Rockette-style kick line, each member of the squad grinned. We didn’t need to wait for the judging ceremony to know that we had won first place.

When most people hear “Beat It” now, they probably remember Michael’s red leather jacket with all the zippers, or the gangs having a dance-off in the video. But for me, that song will always bring back the excitement of performing — and winning. -Kim Reed

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A first purchase
When Jackson released “Thriller,” I was about nine years old and had recently discovered the joy of Casey Kasem's Weekly Top 40. In those pre-downloading days, I recorded music by holding up a big ol' tape recorder to the radio when a song that I liked came on the air, trying to time it so I got most of the song and missed the DJ chatter and commercials.

“Thriller” was too good for that kind of treatment. First of all, I liked most of the songs that made it to the radio — “Billie Jean,” “Beat It,” “Wanna Be Startin' Somethin',” “Thriller,” “Human Nature,” “The Girl Is Mine” ... way too many songs to record on my own.

Plus, Michael Jackson was so hip back then, with the moonwalk and that sequined glove, that it was considered cool among my elementary school pals to have the album. There was no recourse — I walked into the now-deceased Waxie Maxie's with my seven dollars and bought my very first tape.

Sadly, I suspect that when my son finds that out someday, he'll understand the whole “buying tapes at the record store” concept, but won't ever believe that at one time, Michael Jackson was considered cool. -Craig Berman

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