To be perfectly blunt, I want to punch all the Michael Jackson jokesters in the mouth right now. If you were a child of the eighties like me, you know what a profound effect Michael Jackson had on the world — musically, visually, culturally. Not America, but the world. Without Michael Jackson, there would be no Janet, no Britney, no Justin, ad infinitum. To put it in jazz terms, Michael Jackson was the Charlie Parker of the pop world. The amount of followers is too numerous to measure.

Most people in their early to mid twenties or younger probably remember the freak, the pasty white, nearly opaque guy who seemed to have an unnatural predilection towards children. I remember that guy too, but that wasn’t the same guy I knew in the late seventies and eighties. I remember the afro, the penny loafers, the moonwalk, Off The Wall, Thriller. I remember the titan. And no matter what you say, you can’t that away from me.

I’m truly saddened by Michael Jackson’s passing. I know about all of the allegations and assaults on his character. And maybe his actions did beckon such scrutiny. But as far as I know, these rumors were never validated. The saddest part is that Jackson never got the chance to revive his career. Fatty Arbuckle’s career was ruined due to allegations from shady sources, but he at least had a small window of time near the end of his life to enjoy a brief rekindling of fame. Jackson deserved one more shot.

So, tell your jokes, Mr. and Mrs. Ordinary. Then go back to your ordinary lives. For no matter how hard you try, you will never be able to extinguish the light of this extraordinary man.

My favorite MJ song. Can’t explain why. But it knocked me out the first time I heard it. Still does.