Musicians honor Michael Jackson

Memories from members of Silverstein, Mae, Bedouin Soundclash, Emery and more.

No matter who you are or where you came from, it’s almost impossible to say that you weren’t affected by the music, personality and unquestionable talent of Michael Jackson. As news broke of the King Of Pop’s passing, we asked musicians to tell us what Michael Jackson meant to them.

“My earliest childhood memory is my mother, holding me in her arms and dancing with me to Thriller which she bought back in 1982 on vinyl. Thriller will always be one of the best and most successful pop records ever made as Michael Jackson was arguably the greatest pop songwriter of all time. His melodies and lyrics will forever affect the way good music is written and recorded. King of Pop, you will be incredibly missed.”
DAVE ELKINS
Mae

“My earliest memory of Michael Jackson for me was when my mom bought my brother and me the Thriller album on vinyl when it came out. It was crazy! I seriously danced my ass off for the entirety of the album every time I jammed it. It was perfect in every feasible way. I remember seeing the video for the song “Thriller” and my life’s goal after that was to learn the zombie dance at the end. Such grace and precision! Plus, that video scared the shit out of me, man! But, the biggest part of the whole Thriller memory and MJ as a whole, was the gatefold of the “Thriller” album. He was hangin’ hard with a fucking baby tiger! That’s Bad!”
RYAN PARRISH
Darkest Hour

“After I was born, my mom would sit with me and watch and record lots of music television to our Beta machine while she was home on her maternity. I’d watch those videos almost daily as I grew older, one of my favorite being a tape of the Motown 25 when Michael first busted out the moonwalk. When I was 4 years old, I wanted the red jacket he wore in “Beat It” so bad, my parents found a blue one like it and I would put it on and practice moonwalking in front of the mirror, trying my hardest to nail it, the spin and toe point included. The news of Michael’s passing deeply saddens me and these are great memories that I will hold on to forever. Thanks Michael, for being an inspiration in my own music career, for being a model of how to always progress with your music, and for teaching the world how to dance and look cool doing it. I never had a chance to see you live, but I will always have my Beta tapes and the memories to live by.”
EON SINCLAIR
Bedouin Soundclash

“I personally love Michael Jackson’s music. I think he basically fronted the entire pop music industry. He took the classic rock style and added a hip hop flavor to it and started a whole new genre of music. The “Thriller” video basically sent dance music videos soaring, not to mention how his style of dance influenced everyone in the world. He had his flaws, as we all do, but I have to give credit where credit is due and I think he deserves as much musical credit as anyone else in his generation.”
DEVIN SHELTON
Emery

“Michael has touched, influenced and inspired so many people including myself. “Beat it” and “Billy Jean” were 2 of my favorite songs growing up. I’ve been listening to them for as long as I can remember. He truly is the king of pop!”
AARON “BUBBLE” PATRICK
Bury Your Dead

“We heard about Michael Jackson’s untimely passing during a soundcheck at our first show on tour. The atmosphere of the entire venue suddenly fell into a fog of surreal disbelief. MJ was one of those iconic figures who, while his appearance and persona may have been constantly permutating and fluxuating, his existence seemed permenant and infinite. How could MJ be dead? He is immortal. And at least in the musical universe, this is absolutely true. His legend as King of Pop will go on forever.

Each of us have a different part of MJ’s expansive career that we personally gravitate towards, whether it be his years with the Jackson Five, his epic Thriller video, or the brilliant musical collaborations with Quincy Jones. You can’t help but respect his artistry as a musician and performer, and his impact on the recording industry is undeniable. And whether or not the music we write is directly influenced by MJ’s music, each of our lives have been impacted by the works he has given us. We as musicians are indebted to him. Michael Jackson will be sorely missed by us, his fans, and his legacy will live on forever.”
REBECCA SCHLAPPICH
Kiss Kiss

“Michael was THE MAN. There was no one bigger than him when I was growing up, and it seemed like everytime he released a new single, video or anything at all, it was all anyone was talking about. Everyone loved him. Kids, parents, grandparents, everyone knew the songs and whether they admitted to it or not, secretly rocked out to them.

In recent times there has been so much negativity surrounding Michael, but I will remember him as the amazing performer and singer he was. He had an extremely tough upbringing being a child star and I don’t think he ever felt completely comfortable with himself. It’s hard to understand what it would be like to be in his shoes, but Michael’s music will live on and be enjoyed by many generations to come.

Michael, you are missed more than you know.”
SHANE TOLD
Silverstein

Many musicians also took to Twitter to express their feelings; here’s an encapsulation of our scene mourning:

Ryan Ross, Panic At The Disco mj is gone? Listening to I want you back. R.I.P

Gabe Saporta, Cobra Starship just remember being a 4 yr-old immigrant; hearing “Bad” on the radio, and asking my mom, [insert thick hispanic accent]:

Amanda Palmer Dying of happy poetry today. Missing michael…

Four Year Strong RIP Michael, Ed and Farrah.

Zack Merrick, All Time Low rip mj i will never forget listening to thriller on the record player when i was a child

Jake Turner, Say Anything real quick on the MJ passing… It’s so sad, but if it was Larry Bird I’d be in bed for weeks maybe even years!

Jack Barakat, All Time Low RIP MJ. You will be forever loved.

Alex Gaskarth, All Time Low Remember him for the incredible music you’ve heard, not the alogations. Today is history.

Tegan And Sara just had mj listening party. sara remembers the night the black or white video premiered. even our grandparents watched. it was huge.

Hunter Burgan, AFI I just talked to my mom about how sad she felt when John Lennon died.

Travis McCoy, Gym Class Heroes MJ PARTY AT THE CRIB. CANDLE LIGHT VIGIL ON THE RIVER LATER. Never saw this one coming….

Jonathan Cook, Forever The Sickest Kids Michael Jackson is nothing short of a legend, I wish people would allow the family their space to mourn alone. Stay away from the hospital!

Chris Carrabba, Dashboard Confessional Listening to Ryan Alexander and thinking about the life of Michael Jackson.

Thursday Mourning Michael Jackson. Remembering hearing Thriller for the first time. :’-(

Jordan Buckley, Every Time I Die farrah fawcett and ed mcmahon must feel like those 2 dudes that got nailed to a cross right next to jesus. (that was my last one)

Bryce Avary, the Rocket Summer will never forget landing on a Memphis runway, turning on my phone and seeing the news that Michael Jackson passed away. This feels awful.

Aaron Gillespie, Underoath/the Almost R.I.p king of pop

Gallows RIP Jacko. LA is definitely a weird place to be right now. If you own one of our old ‘Bad’ style shirts then keep it safe!

Jimmy Eat World Sad news about MJ. RIP. His music will last forever.

Joel Madden, Good Charlotte I’m getting off the computer. Gonna spend time with my family. It was a sad day. Need a break from all of this. Rest in Peace Michael.