Have you seen my childhood?

The profile for this blog states that I'm an ex-Usher back-up dancer who was booted from the tour for upstaging the star of the show. Not true. The mini "biography" was taken from my profile for my a capella group in college, the

Meddiebempsters.

It was all a play on the Sammy Davis Jr. like persona I took on while in college, singing with bands, traveling from state to state and country to country with my a capella group,dancing in and choreographing various pieces for performances and the like.

Quite the change of pace for this adventurous little black man. Unlike other "performers", my skills weren't honed in childhood lessons and teenage classes. It was all a hobby for me that I happened to be ok at. Singing and acting was taken on here and there in elementary school, but that was it. From then til college, a love for the art of song and dance took place, as it does for many a child everywhere, within the confines and comfort of my own bedroom. As much as I hate to admit it, I spent many, many nights putting on a "dance" track and performed it as if on a stage, not stopping til the song ended, having a ball. [I know I know, always a shining beacon of masculinity.] And this is something that goes back to when I was very young. Not from a musical household, but I am instead from a household that appreciated good music and getting down on the good foot.

One of my first tapes that I found in my house was Rhythm Nation: 1814. I haven't listened to it all the way through since god knows when, but it is still the starting point for my love and adoration for Janet Jackson, a love and adoration I still hold til this day. And I was more than happy to renkindle that love of her and my childhood this past Monday when I indulged in one of my favorite things: thrift shopping. Ever the fan of record stores with deep catalogues and a fondess for all things used, I spent a fair amount of time at Streetlight Records in Santa Cruz, searching for things I didn't even know I wanted or needed.

I'm up on my new releases so there was nothing new to really attain, but eventually my mind drifted to the past, grabbing Joy Division, old Cure releases, and whatever else grabbed my attention. Slowly but surely I went for the Prince and the Michael* and the Janet albums. Imagine how excited I was when this tiny yet hip record store in Santa Cruz had its fair share of cheap and used Mike and Janet records. [Prince not so much.] I went through it all and there it was, Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814 for 5.95. [Said excitement would repeat itself later when I found ten dollar copies of Cabaret and West Side Story]

Reading the back tracklist reminded me of my early years as a kid who appreciated albums just as much as he did sigles. And yes this album is full of hits: Rhythm Nation, Miss You Much, Love Will Never Do (Without You), Alright, Escapade, Come Back to Me and Black Cat! -Sigh- Remember the days when artists released tons of singles from an album and you actually enjoyed them or didn't roll your eyes and go 'jesus make a new album?' -Sigh- Those were the days.


But this album was also great for me for all the little things that weren't released or as popular; the three second let's dance intro before Miss You Much, the social commentary on the state of the world that somehow managed to fit perfectly with the upbeat numbers on love, or the LP version of the singles that stretch til you can't sweat and sing along no more [check the nearly seven minute Alright]. Good times. Welcome back Rhythm Nation, I missed you much.




*The powers that be also let me find a cheap used copy of Micheal Jackson's Dangerous. A Futuresex/Lovesound for a pre futuresex/lovesound period.