I Wasn't A Michael Jackson Fan Growing Up, But 'This Is It' Won Me Over

This confession may get me beaten up by an angry mob donning white gloves and surgical masks, but I wasn't much of a Michael Jackson fan growing up. 

Actually, I should rephrase that. No, I'm not back pedaling like the King of Pop doing his famous Moonwalk. I'm just clarifying that I was a fan of some of Michael's music, but I didn't really get his whole persona. 

 

Being a Generation Xer, I was a preteen when Thriller took the universe by storm back in 1983. But the first time I saw the iconic video for the title track, I was genuinely scared.

And not the good kind of scared you get when anticipating that first big drop on a rollercoaster ride. I mean the kind of creeped-out scared you get when watching a really eerie horror movie that gives you nightmares.

But I did enjoy many of Michael's other music videos and songs: "The Way You Make Me Feel," "Jam," Remember the Time," "You Rock My World," just to name a few. And I was a huge fan of Michael's baby sister Janet, especially in her funky Control and Rhythm Nation incarnation in the late '80s and early '90s.

But I just never really understood all the hoopla about Michael as a performer. I could sort of take him or leave him.

So back in October 2009 when some friends of mine who are devoted Michael fans planned a group outing to an opening-night screening of This Is It, the documentary that chronicles rehearsals leading up to what was to be Michael's last live show, I went along just to be sociable and out of curiosity. I wouldn't have rushed out to see This Is It of my own accord.

Watch highlights from the This Is It documentary at this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_SLU3m6uCA

After seeing the documentary on the big screen, I was once again underwhelmed by the hype and didn't really see what everyone was raving about.

However, I recently picked up the This Is It DVD specifically to watch the bonus material. As someone who has staged a theatrical production myself (a play I wrote and produced; details at http://www.springtimeofourlives.com), I'm always interested in the behind-the-scenes workings of how shows come together.

I must say that hearing insider commentary from This Is It director Kenny Ortega and the other choreographers, dancers, singers and musicians who worked closely with Michael has given me a whole new appreciation for him as an artist. It's clear that he was a creative force of nature whose distinctive music and dancing has influenced scores of performers for generations to come.

 

Timor Steffens, one of the This Is It backup dancers, said it best: 

 

"When I came to this rehearsal and saw how Michael danced in real life, I started to doubt myself, like what I was doing is actually not dancing. It's isolated movements on rhythm. ... Dancing is a feeling that you have.

"And when I started to rehearse with Michael Jackson, if you look closely at what Michael Jackson's really doing and you listen to the music, he is an instrument of music.

 

"And if you were deaf, you could not hear music, you look at him, you will see the music play in his body. That just changed my whole point of view on dance, my whole point of view on life."

Before watching the This Is It bonus material, I had an impression of the show as some garish, over-the-top spectacle. But after seeing how much hard work and artistry went into putting the show together, I think it would have been a great treat for Michael's fans and a good primer to win over those of us who were skeptical.

Although This Is It never made it to the London stage due to Michael's untimely death on June 25, 2009, I'm glad I got to see Cirque du Soleil's production of Michael Jackson: Immortal when it came to Value City Arena in my city, Columbus, Ohio, in April 2013. 

Immortal seems to have incorporated many of the elements of Michael's This Is It show, and I can honestly say that Immortal is one of the best productions I've ever seen. It really captures Michael's essence and has many of the fantastical, magical elements of his performance style.

There's no doubt in my mind now that Michael Jackson's artistic legacy will live on forever.