In 1979, I was editor of The Bradley Scout at Bradley University in Peoria, Ill. The entertainment editor, I believe the section was called "D2", was Bart Chaney and he announced during our weekly meeting that he was going to review the new Michael Jackson album.
I was taken aback. "Michael Jackson?"
Now, as a white guy living in the Midwest, the last I heard of Michael or the Jackson 5 was that cheesy Saturday morning cartoon featuring such "bubblegum" tunes as "ABC."
So, I was stunned that a college newspaper would feature such a review and even more stunned that a college student would even raise such an idea. And, as was my wont all those years ago, I began to mock Bart.
"Who will we review next week? Donnie Osmond?"
Bart was quick to defend he album (a large, 12-inch-round vinyl disc that was about four times the size of a CD which was that thing we oldsters used to listen to music on before iTunes) and stuck to his guns. The review ran and, of course, "Off the Wall" is considered Jackson's best album and it set the stage for his next 30 years. It was a seminal moment in popular music.
Apparently, I was wrong to mock.
I was just thinking of that meeting and the good-natured mocking and I was once again reminded how quickly time has flown. It doesn't seem possible that it has been 30 years. Now, THAT truly seems off the wall...
More later,
Mark
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