051105
Oh boy, I should carry my camera around with me more often. Yesterday as I was leaving the subway I saw a Michael Jackson impersonator dancing and lip-syncing to Billy Jean. He had everything: the white hat, the shoes, the white socks. He did the best moonwalk I’ve seen since the 80’s. He looked just like a black Michael, except he was really, really short. After he was done a very robust woman ran up to him and gave him a hug.
I’m not a Michael Jackson fanatic. In fact I think that guy is wierd. Not just wierd wierd, but melt-your-face-off, wear-goofy-clothes, and think-that-screaming-fans-who-say-they-love-you-actually-do kind of wierd. Don’t get me wrong. Michael Jackson is an awesome dancer and a decent pop song writer (and the impersonator was good too), but the story of his life just seems really tragic. He seems to be trying to live out the values the media broadcasts to us every day, and it has drawn him so far out of touch with reality that he’s in the predicament he’s in now.
Someday someone will make a made-for-tv movie about Michael, and it will boost ratings for a few days. Poor guy. But Billy Jean is a neat song; it’s got a driving beat, a catchy hook, and you can dance to it. And even though it’s the new millenium, the moonwalk still looks cool. I guess no matter how “popular” you are though, the celebrity world view will kill you.
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