Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'

Wacko Jacko has beaten it but his music still thrills

In the world of Pop Culture, Michael Jackson holds a singular place. Following the Beatles, many acts have followed inducing short lived periods of hysteria filled popularity (Bay City Rollers and Duran Duran come to mind) but only Michael Jackson came that close to world domination. Thriller became the best selling album of all time during its inital run on the charts 25 years ago and the public became enamored with Jackson and his quicksilver dance moves, red leather jacket and sparkly glove.

For me, I sat out the Thriller phenomenon mainly because I was more into Rock than dance pop. As a kid, I idolized Jackson when he was part of the Jackson 5 but somewhere along the way I stopped caring. This ended up being an unintentionally wise move as the mega success of Thriller seemed to send Jackson around the bend, he just plain lost his mind. Some of the traits that were initially endearing like the focus on children, the arrested development of puberty, the plastic surgery-became creepy over time. After anointing himself the King of Pop, the downhill slide worsened until eventually he would be dogged by repeated charges of pedophilia.

So now at the 25th anniversary of his career zenith, Jackson is in an even more singular spot. The public still loves Michael Jackson's music and is showing signs of renewed interest beyond the normal fans, but in the minds of most people (including me) he's Wacko Jacko-an insane superstar who abuses small boys when he's not endangering them or rearranging his face like one giant Mr. Potato Head.

Where most artists would be able to take able to this interest and translate it into a comeback, Jackson can't because no one wants to see him. Meanwhile, the public is bringing back his music without him. Recent examples include:

• David Cook / Chris Cornell remaking "Billie Jean" as an atmospheric ballad


• Fall Out Boy with John Meyer remaking "Beat It" as alternative rock


• Life water has a commercial of lizards and Naomi Campbell dancing to "Thriller"


• Rihanna's "Don't Stop The Music" samples "Wanna Be Startin Somethin"


• Chris Brown performs Michael Jackson's dance moves on a regular basis

The public has found a way to separate the man from his music, while for most artists this would be a crime in Jackson's case it's actually nice. It gives people license to enjoy his hit songs again without the guilt of some really nasty stuff. Michael Jackson's back...you just can't see him. Some people are better heard and not seen. Thanks for the memories Michael Jackson, don't let the door hit you on the way out.