Okey so I know some of you are going to say this person and blog post has absolutely nothing to do with me, horses or HorseGirlTV but I must declare all of you incorrect. Much like Sir Paul McCartney and his Beatles buddies shaped modern rock n’ roll, this man (love him or hate him) Michael Jackson changed modern rock n’ roll forever by infusing it with his secret recipe; dash of moonwalk, pinch of crotch grabbing, simmered to create his genre changing pop style.
Now how does this have to do with horses, me or HorseGirlTV?
I grew up listening to MJ. I watched the advent of MTV with Friday Night Videos by way of a flicking black and white television screen. No, I’m not that old to have a black and white TV. We were just that poor to not afford color until later. I remember boycotting Pepsi after “they” burnt his hair. How sick (strep throat) I was when the Pepsi scandal happened and how it only made my hormonally fueled female self sicker but how much brighter my evening was when Brent dropped off flowers and the People Magazine with an article about MJ.
I learnt to moonwalk on the zebra striped linoleum of my father’s old taxidermy shop showroom wearing my knock-off red and black Thriller jacket. I watched in awe and terror (never been a scary movie person) for the world premier of Thriller and like many, I could still perform the dance sequences for you even 25 years later! I have been to quite a few concerts and have told people for years the Jackson Victory Tour (the final time he and his brothers ever toured together) was by far the best concert of my life. I’ve performed countless dance routines and tried to find new and exciting remixes of his music for incorporation into kur. Wait, did I type kur? Yes, how many musical freestyles have been inspired by Jackson? How many arenas have played his music during competitions?
Born to a sleepy southern town where kids grow up, take their parents jobs, produce babies and never leave that same sleepy town (think the 80s flick with Kevin Bacon, Footloose) I was inspired from an early age to be more than just a big fish, little pond person. If little Michael Jackson from small town Indiana could have the top selling album of all time then I could certainly achieve more and thus we’re here today, post dotcom luck/success story, producing the Internet’s leading equine based series about to take a sabbatical traveling to Holland, horse in tow (or flight as this case may be) to train with the best dressage rider in the world. Ok, so it’s not the top selling album of all time but I’ve moved around, seen the world and while it’s an ever evolving process I’ve have been and will continue to make my mark on this world with a tip of the hat to that early on inspiration.
So I do not feel silly or amiss when I say I mourn the loss of the life of a person I’ve never met. People are likening this to the assassination of Kennedy or the equally untimely death of Elvis Presley but to kids that grew up with the “Off the Wall” and “Thriller” Michael Jackson, we’re worlds apart from those ages and to compare would simply negate the power those losses held for the people of that time. You might not like me for admiring someone who’s been in company with some extremely bad press but all that aside, the man was the greatest performer and entertainer of my generation. He will be missed by many but the inspiration he’s created in his fans does not die with him. RIP Michael Jackson.
Photo is from one of my birthdays. Yes, it’s me, Brent and a Michael Jackson cake and NO I don’t remember if it was chocolate on the inside or not.
