Thursday, October 01, 2009

Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough

Today Eddie and I visited the childhood home of Michael Jackson. Located on a corner lot at 2300 Jackson Street in Gary, Indiana, it was less than two miles off the interstate, so we decided it was just too close to not swing by.

It's a small house which sits at the intersection of Jackson Street and 23rd Avenue. It's vacant and maybe because of his death, still attracting visitors. Several cars drove by while we were there, getting out and taking pictures in front of it. One guy had Jackson 5 songs drifting out of his half open car window.


Not one bit of the house was written on, but the lamp post in the front yard, several fence poles on the property and the One Way sign out front, had many words for the King of Pop from "We Love You" and "Rest In Peace" to "U are the world" and "Absolutely Irreplaceable". They came from Brooklyn to Memphis, Buffalo to Anaheim.

We found out from one of the neighbors that Spike Lee was in the area yesterday filming the home for part of a documentary he was doing on Michael Jackson. As usual, our timing was such that we missed all the action. Actually, I'm kinda glad we missed the crowds; we would have never gotten the truck down the little street it was located on had there been a film crew in the area.

I didn't write anything about Michael Jackson when he died and I really don't care about what people think he had become. Whether or not the allegations over the years were true has nothing to do with the musical impact he had on my youth. His music is part of the soundtrack of my life, having been played many times for many reasons.

And unlike some people, when I think of Michael Jackson, it will be for what his music brought to the world and to my life. That can never be changed. It just is. To this day, I remember the exact moment I heard "Billie Jean" and what I was doing. I remember that we'd beg to stay up late to watch "Friday Night Videos" just to catch "Thriller". And I know for sure, the only thing I think of when I hear his songs are all the good feelings associated with them. It makes me smile.

And I don't think I can ever get enough of that.


~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
1 YEAR AGO:
The Clubhouse Girls
2 YEARS AGO:
Morning On The Air Train
3 YEARS AGO:
The Other Side Of The Tracks
4 YEARS AGO:
Vicki Bin Laden

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I agree with you. I love his music and I always will. I feel for all the loniless he lived with and hope that now he is in peace.

XOXOX
Grace