Michael Jackson: an a-capella tribute

Michael Jackson died suddenly and unexpectedly today. He was only 50... But I don't think anybody would say he died too soon. The last ten or fifteen years, he had become an increasingly sad self-parody. But now Jackson's troubled life is over, and there will be no more tabloid shots of his latest plastic surgery disaster, no more failed albums or concert tours, no more allegations of sexual abuse. (I never knew what to think of all that. I don't believe he actually molested children. But was his conduct improper? Did he do terrible things? Maybe. Probably. Who knows?) He had nowhere to go but down, and at least now he won't fall any farther.

No matter what you thought of him as a person, there was no denying he was one of the great pop entertainers, up there with Elvis. Tempted though I am to link to his classic Thriller video, I know that approximately nine billion other sites are already doing that today. So instead I'll share this strange little tribute, featuring a lone frenchman(?) doing a 64-track, a-capella version of the song. I discovered it just last night, strangely enough. I've heard the original song so many times over the years that I barely hear it anymore, it slides off my eardrums. But this clip actually made me hear the song in a new way, and appreciate it all over again. There's a reason why Jackson became so famous, all those years ago.

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

Oh, what the hell... Here's the zombie dance, from Thriller. There's Jackson, at the height of his fame, dancing on his own grave. And, just because it's so very awesome, here's Jim Blashfield's Terry Gilliam-esque video for 1986's Leave Me Alone. Watching Jackson thumb (what's left of) his nose at the media and then finally escaping his crazy themepark of a life takes on a whole different meaning today, doesn't it?

Got a tip for Monsters and Rockets? Want to contribute to the site? Send us an email.