I had a sheltered childhood. My mom didn’t like me to watch “evil” or “dirty” things, and forbade me to watch many things, even some innocent things like Scooby-Doo (not that I was missing much there). So it’s no surprise that my mom didn’t care for Michael Jackson. I grew up being pretty unfamiliar with his work, only hearing a few songs in the 90s such as Black or White and You Are Not Alone.
With that, you should know what I’m about to say. I’m about to tell you that until about twenty minutes ago, I had never heard the song Thriller, or seen the video. Ever. Not even the shortest clip. Oh sure, I had heard of it plenty of times, but never got around to watching it. But being the 80s fan that I am, and spurred by the recent passing of Michael Jackson, I realized I could not go without seeing it any longer. So I went to Youtube.
What do I think of it? Well, what can I say that hasn’t already been said 100 million times? There’s a reason why it is so monumentally popular and well-liked. It was genuinely creepy. As I was watching it, I tried to imagine that I was five years old again, and I realized that if I had seen this back then, I probably would have had nightmares for months.
Also, the song is a great dance tune. And Michael Jackson does a brilliantly choreographed routine. With zombies. Don’t forget Vincent Price. I mean, damn– do music videos get any better than that? I (and many others) say that they don’t. Or at least, they haven’t yet. At this rate, they probably never will.
Fuck yeah, Thriller. I didn’t see it until I was about twelve, and I’m glad, because as a little kid I would have been freaked out and might not have been able to appreciate it. Twelve was just the right age for it. (Although to be honest, that one zombie that vomits black sludge does creep me out a little, even now. I love it when he comes on screen, though.)
And re: being sheltered, that’s pretty awesome that you managed to turn out as a nostalgia geek without full pop culture exposure. Also, it is really nice to find someone else who never cared for Scooby Doo. I have never been able to sit through an episode of it and when people talk about it my whole brain glazes over.
Yeah, Scooby-Doo can fuck off. I never understood why people go batshit over that show.
Thriller STILL scares me.
And I’m almost 30.
Oh dear. Oh, you poor, poor thing. I just want to give you a hug. That is one of the saddest things I’ve ever heard.
I’ve never been a big MJ fan, but his 80s videos were always a treat. Thriller is definitely the greatest music video of all-time. It scared me, but at the same time, I was drawn to it. Maybe it has something to do with why I love zombie movies so much now.
You know I’m a huge MJ fan, and although I cannot comprehend not seeing Thriller until now, in some ways I envy you. What a magical thing to experience as an adult.