What Does It Mean To You?

Say what you may about Michael Jackson, but he's touched us all in one way or another...

Anyone who grew up in the 80s will have particularly spectacular memories of his musical genius and revolutionary moves.

My first memory of Jackson was trying to partake in my older sister and cousin's frenetic dance routine to Blame it On the Boogie, which was something of a hindrance as I'd yet to master various motor skills, like walking.

Top of The Pops brought us videos showcasing his electric dance moves (Billie Jean - January 2nd 1983) and the first of many statement jackets (Beat It - February 14th 1983), all of which MT USA repeated with aplomb on Sunday afternoons.

It was a Saturday morning in late '83 when the video for Thriller was debuted on Anything Goes (yep, Angus 'Odd Socks' McAnally and Mary 'Make 'n Do' were that cutting edge). Mary Fitzgerald warned all parents to take their young children away from the telly and I was frogmarched swiftly into the kitchen for fear it'd give me nightmares... That didn't stop me earwigging at the kitchen hatch to hear Jackson roar "GO AWAY", in an uncharacteristically deep voice (c'mon, that was scary first time) at his freaked giddlefriend, and VincentPrice's cackle - both of which instilled slight night terrors (yep, nervous child).

Our household went into meltdown (unfortunate turn of phrase) on 27th of January 1984, when news came to us that a large studio light had fallen on Jackson while he was shooting a Pepsi advert in the Shrine Auditorium - "setting his hair on fire." He never did quite look the same after that. But the prospect of nearly losing him  was insurmountable at the time.

Then, the unimaginable. Michael Jackson came to Ireland. He played the first of two dates in Cork's Pairc Ui Chaoimh on July 30th, 1988. Somehow my sisters managed to get tickets, but I was - of course - "too young to go" with them. I spent the whole of my tenth birthday, devastated, bawling "BUT I'M TEN NOW!" in the garden, ignoring my Mum, glaring at my new Swatch Watch, and perfecting my version of the Moon Walk.

And then there was JarvisCocker's stage invasion during Jackson's performance at the 1996 BRIT Awards...

Here are some fond memories of Michael Jackson, the indisputable giant of 80s pop culture.

What are yours?

Some shots of Jackson as he's best remembered. For a more extensive gallery, pay Caught Out a visit.