The Thrill of Thriller

Before he was infamously iconic for 'Vitiligo', setting his jerry curl juice aflame, hanging babies off balconies and a plethora of other 'choice' actions.. Micheal Jackson was, quite simply, 'The Man'. How I'd long for the days of Micheal Past when it was all Billy Jean and Bad instead of this white woman in his place that can DANCE like Michael but with the added surprise of flinging body parts off of his/her face while he/she is moonwalking along. I can continue on with all the pro's and con's of his life BUT.... i digress and choose to leave sleeping dogs, or rather, dead rotting corpses, to rest.

Speaking of rotting corpses; I give you one of the most beloved and widely known song/choreography ever composed by ANY artist, ever.




'Thriller' was Micheal's 6th studio album released in 1982 under Epic Records. The album itself skyrocketed Micheal's up and coming fame even more so and cemented his title as artist of the century. The album contained some of the most well known works by Michael Jackson including "Billie Jean", "Beat It" and, of course, "Thriller"

'Thriller' was directed by John Landis (known for his work on 'A Werewolf in London' and 'Blues Brothers 2000') and was released as one of the the first theatrical music videos ever created. The video is considered "a watershed moment for the [music] industry" and went on to receive national and global acclaim. Guinness World Records listed it in 2006 as the "most successful music video" and in 2009, was inducted into the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress, the first music video to ever receive this honor, for being “culturally, historically or aesthetically” significant. "Thriller" went on to win MTV Awards in 1984 in three categories: Viewer's Choice, Best Choreography and Best Overall Performance in a Video. In 1999 the Video was award by MTV again as '100 Greatest Music Videos Ever Made'. It also won a Grammy in 1984 for "Best Video Album" and again in 1985 for "Best Video, Long Form".

The video resides on the list of 'Most Expensive Music Videos Ever Made' with production Costs at $1,877,233.42. (Michael Jackson has 5 videos on this list alone, with 'Scream' a video preformed with his sister, Janet; topping the list at a staggering $9,303,080.93) Mind you this is in 1983, when people were still peeing in their pants over the giant brick we called cell phones.

Aside from the obvious achievements and accolades this video alone has raked in for the departed artist, 'Thriller' is still one of my favourite videos. I can remember being a kid and watching MTV waiting for the recognizable opening disclaimer: "Due to my strong personal convictions, I wish to stress that this film in no way endorses a belief in the occult." This is back when Michael wanted to be a Jehovah's Witness, by the way. Makes you wonder if you would've slammed the door in his face at 7 in the morning on Sunday any LESS hard. I'm also pretty sure 'Jesus Juice' isn't on the list of 'things I'm allowed to ingest' according to that particular faith, but, that's a whole other blog post...

I would stare at the choreography for hours, painstakingly trying to mimic intricate dance moves all the while enthralled by the voice of one Vincent Price, who I think I had a thing for even back then.. 20 or so years later, and i still can't moonwalk, its more like a sad attempt at dragging my feet across the floor glancing over my shoulder hoping i don't plow into the coffee table and crack my head open or step on the cat only to be mauled from the ankle up. BUT, i can do one hell of a Thriller dance and can shuffle/monster hand/ clap with the best of them. Speaking of the Best of them: there's a jail in the Philippines that.. oh you know what, you can watch that too