Michael Jackson Renaissance

"...don't you carry nuthin' that might be a load. Come on and ease on down..ease on down the road".

We have been jamming to The Wiz in my house today. Hub and I hadn't seen it years and the kid has never seen it, so I reserved it at the local library and picked it up today.

The kid is responsible for a Michael Jackson renaissance in our house of late. Starting back in Easter when hub received the 25th Anniversary Thriller CD in his Easter Basket (yeah, that's another post..and yes, I'm well aware that Easter is about the Resurrection of Christ not bunnies and candies and mess). Anyway..the kid became mesmerized by the pre-weird, still black (somewhat) Michael Jackson in all of his 80's glory. This is the Michael that went to the White House and hung out with Reagan, glamorized greasy jheri curls and had people all over the world jamming to his music. It was an amazing (except for Reagan) time.

My eight year old sat just as transfixed watching the Motown 25 performance of Billie Jean a few months ago - just like I had back in 1983 on the night when he performed it live.

At first - I didn't quite get the kid's interest in MJ. I mean this is a ChrisBrownSeanKingstonRihannaChaChaSlide listening to kid. He's constantly dogging the hub and I about our music. I mean when you were born in 2000....Jay Z is old school. But something about the pre-weird, still black Micheal and his music and genius has connected with the kid.

So I've dug out my old copy of Off the Wall, gotten on Amazon.com to look for Jackson's An American Dream and have been checking out the oldies racks for old J5 collections.

I'm thinking we'll let the MJ history lesson stop with the Bad album. That's kinda when he lost the plot. Banging up cars, grabbing his crotch and bleaching his face and stuff. Crazy.

When the kid asks for the post Bad album, I'll stick The Wiz DVD in again. I mean it has Richard Pryor, Nipsey Russell and the lovely Lena Horne - not to mention MJ in a really, sweet, brilliant performance as the scarecrow.

Come on and Ease on down the Road - indeed!!