Story by Terry Shropshire
Images by Hiltron Bailey for Steed Media Service
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. – The story you’re about to read is true. You may want to sit down for this. This writer was standing outside the Los Angeles Hilton when two middle-aged white women from rural Texas, clamoring like nervous teenage groupies, asked me a very peculiar question. They wanted to know if they could take a picture with me.
“Why?” I asked, rather perplexed.
They wanted to show their kids the man who took Michael Jackson’s picture.
“My 24-year-old will get a kick out of this,” shouted the more rotund of the two, her voice coated in a Southern accent as thick as beef stew. “They think he’s cool,” said the taller one, who was sporting a beehive hairdo and was buzzing about with nervous energy. What manner of man is able to elicit such excitement from this woman’s kid who wasn’t even born when Thriller hijacked popular culture, revolutionized MTV and altered music making forever?
Yet a similar scene unfolded in Beverly Hills less than 24 hours earlier. Actually it was worse, because it involved reporters who are ostensibly accustomed to covering celebrities. Jackson was the star guest of another famous Jackson, Reverend Jesse Jackson, who celebrated his 66th birthday at the Beverly Hilton on trendy Wilshire Boulevard. A pregnant silence of excitement choked off all conversation on the red carpet when it was finally announced that the reclusive, eccentric legend was en route. For most on the overflowing red carpet, it would be the first close-up visual of the man whose Thriller album sold more than 100 million copies worldwide (including 54 million in the U.S. alone), according to the Guiness Book of World Records, and spawned seven Top Ten hits, two No. 1 songs (“Beat It” and “Billie Jean”), and won a record eight Grammy Awards. It is an arresting sight to view the current incarnation of Michael Jackson.
Michael Joseph Jackson Sr., 49, scarcely resembled the 24-year-old architect of the music revolution that began in December 1982. And he certainly looked nothing whatsoever like the Afro-headed kid who, at 14 years old, told his family that he would one day produce the biggest album the world had ever seen. Rev. Jackson gently took his hand and escorted a hesitant Michael, who nervously peered over at the awaiting media frenzy. The man who has sold more of one album than most do in an entire career, looked frail, almost brittle, as he traipsed along the red carpet. His skin was bright like a lantern, as if it could glow in the dark. Michael surveyed the mushrooming madness from behind large, black shades that were perched precariously on the ski slope of a finely sculpted nose. His reconstructed ivory face was starkly contrasted by a curtain of straight black hair that cascaded down to his shoulders, like an ebony waterfall. Even though he retains that lithe frame, his posture was sunken in the shape of a question mark, as if years of intense scrutiny and controversy had weighed too heavily on him. By comparison, Prince and Madonna, two megastars from the ‘80s who are also 49, appear years younger than the ages indicated by their birth certificates. But the media and circling onlookers couldn’t have cared less. It’s as if the snapshot of the Michael Jackson from his Thriller days is encased in their subconscious, and they refuse to let it go. It didn’t take long for the order to quickly dissolve into pandemonium. Reporters and photographers were machine-gunning questions into Michael’s face. Camera crews were elbowing and jockeying like they were clearing out for a rebound. Toward the end, after Michael led the birthday rendition for Rev. Jackson, the red carpet became a swirling mob of humanity toward the door to the auditorium.
Michael Jackson was flanked by black music royalty: Berry Gordy, the Motown music mogul who was already spearheading a mammoth, history-making empire when he reluctantly signed Michael and the Jackson 5 to the label in 1969. To Michael’s right was the equally beloved Don Cornelius, whose booming bass baritone fueled the seminal “Soul Train” weekly dance program. Talk show titan Larry King also strode down the carpet with them. Jackson did not utter so much as a vowel during his time at Rev. Jackson’s party. But the star power flew off Jackson like sparks, providing indisputable confirmation that the residuals of that unforgettable era still resonate with his fans.
Gordy, 78, long ago predicted Jackson’s phenomenal success. But even this musical prophet could not have fathomed just how big that 10-year-old kid from Gary, Ind., would become. “I just love him,” Gordy said, before recalling the 25th anniversary of the Emmy-winning and ratings blockbuster, “Motown 25” that helped Jackson moonwalk into intergalactic and uncharted realms. “I remember everything about that night. It was wonderful, wonderful, wonderful. It was one of the greatest performances I’ve ever seen.”
And that’s the point. Today marks the silver anniversary of the time when it seemed that Michael Jackson could actually change the weather. Michael-mania was so rampant that he was voted the 10th most powerful man in America at the time. President Ronald Reagan fawned all over him during Jackson’s famous White House visit in 1984. Everything and everyone associated with Jackson, including musical prophet Quincy Jones — and a rotating cadre of flunkies and managers, became famous or experienced exponentially amplified celebrityhood. People honestly believed that some supernatural powers wafted off the Thriller album sleeve. At the pinnacle of Thriller’s impact, reports began flying out of hospitals that songs from Thriller were actually helping to heal sick children.
What hasn’t changed is that 25 years later, everything that Jackson does or says still translates into an automatic ratings bonanza. He is still a magnet for media attention, whether it’s the notorious 2005 child molestation trial, or widely disseminated reports that his stunning 2,500 acre ranch — which includes a mastodon of a mansion, bumper cars and a primate center — is subject to foreclosure because he defaulted on a $23 million loan. What will make headlines is if the reports of a possible reunion tour turns out to be true. According to media assertions, the original Jackson 5 (minus youngest brother Randy) is clamoring for Michael to give his approval. Even sister Janet, who carved out a legendary career on her own, is allegedly anxious to join the future project.
What can be said for sure is that Jackson is working on a comeback album, set for 2008, which would mark the “real” 25th anniversary of the year that Jackson’s impact was felt to the fullest degree. Will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas and Kanye West are the most prominent producers who have been named thus far. But there are scores of contemporary artists who would love to collaborate with Jackson even now – like Usher, Justin Timberlake, Ne-Yo and Chris Brown. A few years ago, Jermaine Dupri was asked about whom he’d still like to work with. “Michael Jackson,” he said without hesitation. “I would love to just get inside his head.”
Tyrese once said that he wouldn’t care if Jackson beatboxed to his written material, simply because, “It’s Michael Jackson.”
Former Gangsta rapper-turned-filmmaker Ice Cube recalled that, as kids, he and his friends would rush home to catch the showing of the “Thriller” video. And Quincy Jones says that during his travels around the globe, he can’t tell if it’s 1983 or 2007 because nightclubs everywhere still play “Billie Jean” and “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’.”
Invincible: Why Thriller’s Success May Never Be Surpassed
Michael Jackson’s Thriller stands as a testament to the talent and ambition of the man himself; but moreover, it’s a watershed moment for popular music. Much like the Beatles Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band established the album as pop music’s greatest creative vehicle, Thriller proved that albums could be the driving force in the way that popular music was marketed. As certain factors have resulted in a steady decline in sales for the industry, labels are looking for a savior. But, we may not see another Thriller for a long, long time. The planets have to be aligned for something as extraordinary as 25 million albums sold, and here are important facts to consider …
The dawn of music videos: MTV was still a new, undeveloped phenomenon in 1982. Most established stars had dismissed the idea of shooting videos for each single as shallow and pointless, but Jackson embraced the art form wholeheartedly. With Thriller, Jackson turned each video into a short vignette and in doing so, almost single-handedly legitimized the medium, redeeming the fledgling network and launching his career into the stratosphere.
Motown 25: There are only a handful of singular performances that become cultural touchstones; and Michael’s performance on the “Motown 25th Anniversary” television special is one such performance. At once exhilarating and mesmerizing, this has become one of those ‘Where were you when …’ moments that define a generation. You can book shows with big stars, but for that performance to happen at that particular time was pure serendipity.
Downloading: Album sales have declined steadily since 2000, with 2007 sales dropping 20 percent below 2006’s numbers. With more and more listeners looking online for their music options, it’s hard to imagine an album that would have the sales numbers of Thriller simply because there are too many other options to purchasing an album. – todd williams
