R-I-P

"A-B-C, easy as 1-2-3."
That was probably the first record I heard that I liked as a kid. I don't know if it was the simple lyrics, addictive beat or the fact that a kid only slightly older than me was singing it. But, there was something about that song that had me wearing out that record growing up.
Michael Jackson changed a lot from his "A-B-C" days to his death yesterday at the age of 50. A few people have changed genders but he might be the only person to change ethnicities.
It's easy to focus on Wacky Jacko but before those days, Michael Jackson was probably the most influential musician of my lifetime.
I was always a Prince fan. During the 80s, you couldn't like both. You were either a Prince guy or a Michael guy. I liked Prince but part of me chose him because I liked being different. EVERYBODY liked Michael.
Like most folks my age, I remember where I was when he moon walked on stage for the first time. I remember where I was when the video for Thriller came out. Those are moments etched in my mind.
Regardless of how you feel about his later years, which saw him on trial for heinous accusations and also saw him exhibit incredibly weird behavior. The dude really was the King of Pop. He didn't create MTV but he made it with ground breaking videos.
Like Elvis and the Beatles, Michael Jackson's contributions to music will last forever.
His videos, his dance moves, his weirdness - "A-B-C. It's easy as 1-2-3."
Rest in peace.