Moonwalk: The 25th Anniversary
It’s the 25th anniversary of Michael Jackson’s album Thriller and his premiere of The Moonwalk. (ir)Regardless of the man, his tunes have stood the test of time. And beyond the music, it’s MJ on the MTV that made him the King of Pop. Last year prisoners in Manila doing Thrilla went viral. In 2008 will we see an en masse Moonwalk?
I mean, come on – no dance from the last 25 years can touch the Moonwalk. Yeah we can all participate in the Electric Slide, The Macarena and the Soulja Boy. Some of us can do the Running Man. But even when the Moonwalk is broken down like a card trick, it still stupefies. Usher and JT can’t come close (nor can I). Is it the Greatest Of All Time? Well…what else is on the ballot?
Now while the dance is ethereal, it did not appear out of thin air. Here is a quick moonwalk video history:
In the above 1932 Betty Boop clip, Cab Calloway (as a cartoon walrus) has some sharp moves.
1955: Tap dancer Bill Bailey slides a moonwalk into the final five seconds of his routine.
1982: Shalamar brings us into the 1980’s, and like MJ, he’s inspired by the mime Marcel Marceau. But MJ just does it better. best. it’s his move and it aint easy to do.
So Dear Readers, if you ask nicely, I’ll snailmail over some of these glorious MJ stickers. We’ve got a cache at Desedo HQ. They help to inspire our wardrobe decisions.