Human nature

Michael Jackson's Thriller introduced me to music.

From the moment I set the needle to wax, and "Wanna Be Startin Somethin'" kicked in, I was in heaven. I tried to imitate everything Michael did: the moonwalk, the jacket, the sequined glove, the power of his voice, his presence. When he was onstage, I listened, and whatever was going on in the world no longer mattered. He could do no wrong.

When MTV aired "Beat It," and its exaggerated depictions of street life — smoky pool halls, knife "fights", and Eddie Van Halen's scorching guitar — my enthusiasm knew no bounds. And how could you forget the clip for "Thriller." Jackson wasn't just out to be a star, he was out to transform pop music in all its mediums. Vincent Price's demonic laugh at the end still sends chills down my spine.

Then "Bad" arrived. Yeesh. A kick in the teeth. "I'm bad, I'm bad, you know it." Come on. What is this crap? Isn't this same guy who walked on glowing sidewalks in "Billie Jean"? Now he's fronting a crew whose moves consist of doing the splits on roller skates? Bull. It wasn't bad. It was worse: Jackson, and all his moves, was becoming a parody, a joke. And no amount of plastic surgery was going to correct that.

Some jokes weren't funny. Allegations of child sex abuse at his Neverland Ranch. it didn't matter that he was acquitted — in the court of public opinion, he had turned into a freakish shell of his former self.

Fast forward to a week ago. The 25th Anniversary reissue of Thriller arrives. I put on "Wanna," and three quick snare drum hits later, I'm a kid again, vibing and air-drumming to this pop music clinic. I forgot about the tabloids and the charges and the parodies. I'm dialed into this bad-ass, imitated by so many (Justin Timberlake) but unequaled. Yes, he did ruin his image by making stupid choices, but the moonwalker set the tone for every burgeoning pop prince or princess who dreams about screaming fans. Write good, meaningful songs from the gut, or in Michael's case, find a couple guys who can do that for you, and the rest will take care of itself. —MH