His Story and Ours: Remembering Michael Jackson

I was working at a summer day-camp when I heard Michael Jackson had died. It would be hard to say I was immediately distraught. After all, this is a man whom I had never met, whose public image was as defined by the controversies of his tumultuous personal life as the music he created and who hadn't put out an album of new music in almost eight years. I was shocked, but this seemed like just another in a long line of "shocking" MJ moments. Yet when a young boy at the camp announced that he bet "everyone would be happy" to hear of the singer's passing, I couldn't help but snap at him-in very un-camp counselor fashion-and assert that he had no idea what he was talking about.

But that's just it. When it comes to Michael Jackson, who died after going into cardiac arrest on Thursday afternoon, it's hard to say that people are certain of what they think they are. We'll probably never know the truth about the accusations of pedophilia and molestation, nor will we ever truly understand what made Jackson such an eccentric (although that word really doesn't seem to cover it). You can try to analyze the relationship he had with his father or cite his nonexistent childhood as a driving force behind his fantasy life at Neverland Ranch, but you don't know that for sure; no one does.

For a man whose existence was shrouded in rumors, speculation and uncertainty, we must simply focus on what we know: Michael Jackson wrote and performed brilliant pop music. To call him "groundbreaking" is such an understatement that it's a shame there isn't a word to better encapsulate the King of Pop's career. In 1968, a 10-year-old Michael entered the public eye with his brothers, an adorable face and a voice to match, and the world was fortunate enough to watch and listen as he slowly traded in an afro and glittery jumpsuit for one glove and a leather jacket.

The fact that debate exists over which Michael Jackson record deserves recognition as his finest exemplifies what a true talent he was. You might prefer the disco atmosphere of the perfect Off the Wall to the sometimes-overlooked pop rock of Bad, but that distinction is up to listeners themselves. There's no way to tally up the influence a record like Thriller, the best-selling album of all time, has had on popular music. You'd be hard pressed to find any pop, R&B, hip-hop or dance record today that doesn't have its roots in the music Jackson put on wax over 25 years ago.

Jackson wasn't just a singer; he was a performer. His stage presence and dance moves were undeniably some of the most innovative and mind-blowing ever. There isn't anyone who hasn't attempted, albeit most often unsuccessfully, to recreate the moonwalk in his or her living room. His music videos-from the hypnotizing lights of "Billie Jean, to the epic scale of "Thriller," and even the over-the-top yet always entertaining Disney attraction "Captain EO"-single-handedly defined and set an almost unattainable bar for the relatively new art form.

Undoubtedly, it will be hard to ignore mention of Michael Jackson for quite some time. In fact, it might even seem pointless for UC Berkeley's student newspaper to pay tribute to an artist whose finest work was released years before almost all of the school's student population was even born. I have full confidence you'll read more revealing, in-depth profiles of the singer's life in other publications, and I don't expect this writing to make you reexamine your opinion of the troubled performer. I do hope, however, that if anything, this serves as yet another reminder of how lucky we are to have had an artist like Jackson release the music that he did. Thank you, Michael, for the way you made us feel.