Directed by Mr. Ben Fries.

So my mom called me in tears today to tell me the news. We have lots of happy memories of dancing to Michael Jackson records in the Millhiser house. In fact, I have a scar from the time I fell during a solo dance session to “Beat It” on my dad’s speakers (they were big, my parents had left the room) and busted my forehead open, Age 3, 1985 (Mom?). My parents actually got to see him play live three times – twice on the Victory tour and once on the Bad tour where they bought my sister and I matching shirts which we wore to the shreds, literally.

In HG! Alex and I, like many people we know, reference “Off The Wall” and “Thriller” often. Those drums! Those string arrangements! And those fucking guitars! CHRIST! It’s PERFECT! I sincerely believe that nobody will ever top the truly magical perfection painstakingly put to tape by the dream team that made those records: Michael, Rob Temperton (ex Heatwave dude, superstar songwriter) and, of course, Mr. Quincy Jones, Bruce Swedien and the countless session players (Toto, Brothers Johnson, etc.). Alex and I have both spent way too much of our lives trying to figure how and why, technically, those records sound so good and, unfortunately, according to Mr Swedien in his book and numerous posts to the gear-nerd blog gearslutz, it seems to be a result of sincere otherworldly talent, which we lack.

So, this is getting long and I could go on and on. But here’s to Michael. One of our heroes, and I’m sure one of yours too…Nick