The below "Thiller" video is a poor substitute for the original which, naturally, I can't embed because music companies are fucking stupid about this shit.



Anyway, my "Thriller" story. From my mouth and my attitude, you'd probably never know it, but I led a pretty sheltered childhood. My parents still don't have cable; they don't listen to Top 40 stations. We watched a lot of "Murder She Wrote" and the family-friendly shit ABC aired on Fridays and I used to sneak downstairs at an ungodly hour to watch "Dukes of Hazard" and "Jem" on the teeny TV in my dad's workshop because I didn't think they would approve.

I saw the Thriller video when I was 5, at a winter camp thing that involved a bunch of father-daughter bonding with other fathers and daughters (a YMCA Indian Princesses sleep-away, though I'm sure they call it something else now). The girls ranged in age from 5-12 (or so), and I was the youngest. They gave me a Pepsi -- and my parents didn't let me drink caffeine, so I ended up high as a kite and up all night.

I also ended up scared shitless. It was at least 15 years before I could hear the Vincent Price interlude without shuddering and having nightmares. I may have cried. I'm pretty sure this is why I still can't really stand zombie movies, despite an overwhelming love of gore and action pictures.

That summer, our babysitter's kids had the vinyl record. I couldn't listen to that song, but we danced around their basement like crazy to the rest of it.