Hitting the high notes

Reflections on the death of an unusual musical icon

  • By: John Baker  
  • Published: 7/14/2009 1:39:37 PM
John Baker
I have this secret rock star inside of me.

Most people don’t see it because on the outside I’m overweight, have a ton of grey in my goatee and I have virtually no musical talent – none, nada. I love music, always have and would love to be able to play an instrument or, dare I say it, sing well.

But I can’t. I took piano and trombone lessons as a youth, but it never went anywhere. From a voice standpoint, I’m probably somewhere between fingernails on the chalkboard and a constipated chimpanzee – all enthusiasm and shrieking, little actual sounds that you’d mistake for harmony.

I do, however, play a pretty mean air guitar and drums and if you heard the caterwauling coming from my car as I drive hoGot a News Tip?me from work, you’d be impressed with the sheer volume and intensity. I notice I sound better the louder the music is turned up and that makes me feel better about myself. Daydreaming about being the lead singer for Journey or Styx is optional.

So there you have it – a lover of music who has no musical ability – John Baker, poster boy.
But I know when I see something special; know when the “moment” of a generation has arrived.
I missed the Beatles and Elvis Presley, two sounds that defined a generation -- musicians and vocalists who helped redefine dance, dress and other cultural styles.
Missed those two, but I didn’t miss Michael Jackson.

In fact, I was right in the middle of the berth of the King of Pop, watched in wonder as the sound and look of a generation was formed, looked on wide-eyed as a new musical medium emerged through the television and probably still didn’t grasp how big it all was.

I witnessed first-hand young people screaming themselves hoarse, breaking into tears at the sheer emotion of a live performance, or simply fainting away at the sight of Jackson moonwalking across the stage.

Yes, it was all so Beatles and Elvis – so powerful and beyond most people’s comprehension.
Look, I know that Jackson wasn’t the flavor of the month for many people, but before it got so strange, so “out there,” it was something to behold – a tidal wave of musical innovation that turned MTV from a lark into a muscular player on the entertainment scene.

“Video killed the radio star,” may have launched MTV, but it was Michael Jackson who turned it into a must-see channel that influenced an entire generation’s language, look and feel.
MTV owes its success to Jackson and those who wisely emulated him as the years went by. The fact they can’t seem to play videos now isn’t Jackson’s fault. Mindless “reality” shows seem to flavor people’s breakfast these days.

It was Jackson who took the simple concept of music videos and turned it into a production worthy of movie directors and opening nights. It went beyond – far beyond – guys lip-synching into the camera with a bunch of tin foil as a backdrop.

Everything that has followed in the world of music owes its success to the video concepts that Michael Jackson pioneered. And I was there for it all.

I can’t speak for the man’s mind, but I can certainly speak to his talent – which was prodigious – and his passing last week is one of those moments that makes one who came of age in that early ‘80s ponder it all, even 20-plus years later.

No, I never wore a white, sequined glove on one hand, could never moonwalk (butt is just too big), could never spin effortless or balance on my toes, but I could listen to music that cut across culture, race, sex and religion. Jackson’s music was a force even as it evolved.

The ‘80s were a curious time. We were emerging (sadly) from the polyester and bell-bottoms of disco just as MTV hit. People wanted something visual, but with the musical sensibilities that the radio offered. They wanted to change the way they dressed, the way they danced, the way they wore their hair (hello, mullets) and redefine themselves apart from the flash and disco lights of the late ‘70s.

Jackson’s death didn’t hit me hard, but it made me reflect a bit.
What will truly define Michael Jackson in the coming years? Will it be the sweeping changes he brought to music and video, the dynamic impact he had worldwide, or will it be the unseemly freak show that seemed to develop through the ‘90s and beyond?

I spend a few hours Youtubing Jackson’s catalog over the weekend, spent time remembering songs I hadn’t heard in years, perhaps decades. It was a pleasant reminder that I had indeed witnessed something every bit as dynamic and big as the Beatles and Elvis. I had seen the King of Pop take his throne and expand his kingdom through a musical journey that is still completely his own.

I’m not sure how the world will remember Michael Jackson moving forward, but I’ll choose to remember the music and mania that, at the top of his game, was like nothing we’ve seen since.
It was something to behold for a musically-challenged former disco dancer from the mid-Willamette Valley.

Here’s to you, Michael – “No one wants to be defeated. Showin' how funky and strong is your fight, it doesn't matter who's wrong or right. Just beat it, beat it.”

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H.B. from Svensen
7/16/2009 9:44:36 AM

I was just a babe when Michael became King, but I used to practice my moonwalk in footed pajamas. Thanks for the reminder that he was more than a media specticle. He was an incredibly talented singer and dancer. His influence in the music industry was unlike any other. Hopefully people will chose to remember him for that portion of his life.
 
D.B. from Salem
7/17/2009 10:01:20 PM

I'm hopeful that people will remember the wonderful music and superlative talent rather than the circus that came later. Thanks for reminding us just how big it all got back then.

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