Haha. And no.
That was my standard answer to the question I was frequently asked from about the age of six through 12: "Hey, are you related to Michael Jackson?"
Despite sharing a name, I was only what you might call a mild fan of The King of Pop. I liked his music well enough, but I didn't own an original copy of the Thriller album (I guess in part, due to the fact that we didn't own a record player at the time, and I'm pretty sure cassette tapes were just coming into fashion when it was released). Newsflash: I'm old!
I was a fan of Michael Jackson's videos though. Videos were huge when I was a kid, and video channels actually used to play them instead of the reality shows and outdated Mike Myers' movies that get broadcast now (seriously MuchMusic -- a weekend airing of Wayne's World?). I used to love watching and then re-watching the newest releases after school on CBC's Video Hits. Or if I was lucky enough to stay up late enough on a Friday night (read: never happened), I tuned into Good Rockin' Tonight with Stu Jefferies. There's no doubt that Michael Jackson's Thriller video is one of the best of all times. I still watch the whole thing through whenever it comes on. Cheesy for sure, but very entertaining.
The first time I saw the Thriller video was in Grade 4. One of the boys in my class owned a new-fangled gadget called a VCR (see above reference to my advanced age), and brought in a taped copy of the video for the class to see. This was a BIG deal, let me tell you. I can still remember our teacher administering a warning before she showed it to us, explaining that we were about to see some scary images, like in a horror movie, and if anyone was frightened, we could stand out in the hall. Did she think she was teaching a bunch of babies? We were in Grade 4 for goodness sakes! We were all hardened to the ways of the world by that point -- especially growing up on the mean streets of Lakefield.
But watching a video, really any video, in class really was out of the ordinary. I'm sure I was genuinely excited, as I perched on on the edge of the desk, all of us crowded around the portable TV stand. The lights were turned off, the curtains drawn and those first howls filled the room. And then Michael was on screen in that red leather jacket, with its unnecesary zippers! Then his eyes turned yellow and began to glow! There were zombies, too! Ones that could dance! And in case they didn't freak us out, Vincent Price did with his creepy narration! In terms of pop culture, it really doesn't get much more 'thrilling' when you're nine years old.
I've seen the Thriller video many, many times since then, but that first viewing was undoubtedly the best. And sadly, it's my one real memory of Grade 4. I'm so glad I didn't miss it by standing in the hall.
That was my standard answer to the question I was frequently asked from about the age of six through 12: "Hey, are you related to Michael Jackson?"
Despite sharing a name, I was only what you might call a mild fan of The King of Pop. I liked his music well enough, but I didn't own an original copy of the Thriller album (I guess in part, due to the fact that we didn't own a record player at the time, and I'm pretty sure cassette tapes were just coming into fashion when it was released). Newsflash: I'm old!
I was a fan of Michael Jackson's videos though. Videos were huge when I was a kid, and video channels actually used to play them instead of the reality shows and outdated Mike Myers' movies that get broadcast now (seriously MuchMusic -- a weekend airing of Wayne's World?). I used to love watching and then re-watching the newest releases after school on CBC's Video Hits. Or if I was lucky enough to stay up late enough on a Friday night (read: never happened), I tuned into Good Rockin' Tonight with Stu Jefferies. There's no doubt that Michael Jackson's Thriller video is one of the best of all times. I still watch the whole thing through whenever it comes on. Cheesy for sure, but very entertaining.
The first time I saw the Thriller video was in Grade 4. One of the boys in my class owned a new-fangled gadget called a VCR (see above reference to my advanced age), and brought in a taped copy of the video for the class to see. This was a BIG deal, let me tell you. I can still remember our teacher administering a warning before she showed it to us, explaining that we were about to see some scary images, like in a horror movie, and if anyone was frightened, we could stand out in the hall. Did she think she was teaching a bunch of babies? We were in Grade 4 for goodness sakes! We were all hardened to the ways of the world by that point -- especially growing up on the mean streets of Lakefield.
But watching a video, really any video, in class really was out of the ordinary. I'm sure I was genuinely excited, as I perched on on the edge of the desk, all of us crowded around the portable TV stand. The lights were turned off, the curtains drawn and those first howls filled the room. And then Michael was on screen in that red leather jacket, with its unnecesary zippers! Then his eyes turned yellow and began to glow! There were zombies, too! Ones that could dance! And in case they didn't freak us out, Vincent Price did with his creepy narration! In terms of pop culture, it really doesn't get much more 'thrilling' when you're nine years old.
I've seen the Thriller video many, many times since then, but that first viewing was undoubtedly the best. And sadly, it's my one real memory of Grade 4. I'm so glad I didn't miss it by standing in the hall.
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