I had the poster on my wall.  No, not this one:

I'm not sure why I didn't have the Farah Fawcett poster on my walls.  Maybe it was because I was a Jaclyn Smith kinda guy.  No, next to my posters of George Iceman Gervin, Robin Yount, Larry Bird, John Jefferson and Dr. J... I had this one:

I don't think my older brothers understood it very much.  I know my dad certainly didn't it.  But I think it's something that anyone close to my age, 39, can understand.  Michael Jackson was IT.  Thriller was it.  We knew it was something different.  We knew this guy was something special and we knew we were fans of someone that would stand the test of time.  This was our Elvis.  This was our Beatles.  He was everywhere. 

Just like I will never forget where I was when I found out he died, I and anyone who's my age, can tell you exactly where they were when the Thriller video debuted on MTV (in my family room with my friend Dave). 

Even then, this character was flawed.  He looked funny, he talked funny and we did chuckle when Michael said to his girlfriend in that video that he "was not like other boys".  No he wasn't, but we still watched.  Then we watched it again and again. 

After I needle burned my album, I recorded it onto cassette, creating the perhaps the most bizarre 90-minute tape ever because Def Leppard was on the other side. 

My older brothers never did buy in.  However, I'll never forget my dad's reaction when he saw IT happen.  We and the rest of the world were rocked while watching the  Motown 25th anniversary special.   I remember both of us saying "what the heck was that" when MJ broke off what we now know as the moonwalk.  "Was that real?" we asked each other.  Then he did it again and we knew it was.  (here's the video, first moonwalk at 3:30 if you don't want to listen to the song).

Watching Michael Jackson getter more weird just as he grew more white always saddened me.  But I never forgot about his crazy talent.  I admitted on the full disclosure hour last year that I still crank the song Black or White. 

By now you may be sick of the coverage of his death.  It too shall pass.  But i'm still watching.  I am still in a bit of shock.   I wonder if I can still moonwalk a little?