Rob Sheffield Quotes

When I was growing up in L.A. in the late '70s and early '80s, Michael Jackson's was the first face on TV that looked like mine.

People still look at Michael Jackson as being a Motown artist.

It was an amazing experience to work with Michael Jackson, who is a legend.

As a little kid, I was obsessed with Michael Jackson.

I am a huge Michael Jackson fan.

Instead of the Beatles and the Stones, my mum and dad were listening to Michael Jackson, Barry White.

'Remember the Time' and 'You Rock My World' from Michael Jackson were two of my favorite songs ever. My mom used to bump them all the time.

When I was three years old, one of the first albums I ever heard was Michael Jackson's 'Off the Wall.'

If I had to go back to something, I would go back to the 'Victory Tour' of the Jacksons, because I love me some Michael Jackson. I'd get my one glove, and my high water pants on, and my sparkly socks and black loafers.

Michael Jackson was one of popular culture's greatest artists. Nobody danced better. Few sang more compellingly. No one understood more about stage spectacles or music videos. He was an innovator. His reach was global.

Working with Michael Jackson was awesome. He was an incredible entertainer, dancer, singer, magician, everything, and he was really sweet, too.

My brother Steve, who was a few years older than me, had 'Bad' on tape, and I remember listening to 'Smooth Criminal' and just thinking it was the coolest thing ever. I must have been five or six at the time, and I remember walking around school by myself thinking I was Michael Jackson. I wasn't dancing, exactly - more like walking musically.

Who didn't want to dance like Michael Jackson? I know I did.

Even as I was trying to become a rock god, Michael Jackson was the ultimate magic rock star to me. I loved his music, his scene and style. He transcended musical categories.

Everybody wanted to be Michael Jackson. That's how Will and I got to know each other.

I started dreaming of becoming a singer after seeing Michael Jackson in the 'Billie Jean' video. The mix of fantastic choreography and amazing music made such a huge impact on the music industry.

My introduction to Motown was through The Jackson Five and Michael Jackson. Michael's been my greatest creative inspiration, so that's how I really became familiar with Motown as a whole, and as I got older, I learned far more about the other groups.

My highest score karaoke song is 'Ben,' by Michael Jackson.

I first met Michael in the early days of the Jackson 5 at the family home in Los Angeles, and the memory that stands out is that Michael, as cute and wide-eyed as an 11-year-old could be, was eager to get through the interview so he could watch cartoons before having to go to bed.

When I was really, really young, I was in love with Michael Jackson.

I first wrote about Michael Jackson in the 1980s. His skin was growing paler, his features thinner, and his aura more feminine. Some called him a traitor to his race. Some fussed about his gender fluidity. I saw him as a post-modern shape-shifter. But the shifts grew more extreme and mysterious.

For me, the '80s was great because you had Boy George, Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Prince, and Cyndi Lauper. No one put boxes saying this is urban, this is popular, this is underground. It was just good or bad.

I was 14-15 when I first saw Michael Jackson dance, and I thought, 'How can he move like that?' I started following him. We didn't have TV in those days, and could access videos on VCR. But who in Gujarat would keep a MJ tape? After a year or so, I knew somebody from Mumbai who got that tape for me.

You can hear 'Human Nature' all over our song 'Elevate.' It's an amazing song. That hooky arpeggio in the beginning is great. Unlike most Michael Jackson ballads, even though I'm a huge Michael Jackson fan, this song is kind of restrained. It's not a huge, crazy song you can dance to - it's just this beautiful piece of music.

I have always admired Michael Jackson, and he's the one I get most inspiration from. I hope to become an artist like him as he won so many people's hearts and gave that love back to them through his music.