"MICHAEL...MICHAEL...MICHAEL..."

I saw a pretty strange spectacle that I feel I have to report on.

So Michael Jackson died.
I heard about it late. I hadn't heard about it until late Friday afternoon when I saw the news playing on a little screen inside the train.
It really made me sad. Regardless of Jackson's transformation into a third sex ghoul, and his alleged, and very probable, molestation of Culkins and kids with cancer, it made me sad.
Mainly because I have so many memories of listening to "Thriller"with my brother when I was a kid. (the album, not the song, because the song scared me)
It bummed me out when I heard the news, and I mailed my friend Sato, and he told me he thought that Michael Jackson would never die. I know what he meant.

So on Saturday night I was drinking with my friends in Yoyogi park.
After the sun went down we decided to leave, and ran into a large group that was holding a candlelight vigil for Michael Jackson. All of the people there were just milling around with stunned expressions on their face. Someone had made an impromptu shrine which had candles spelling out "MJ", and various computer printouts of Michael Jackson album covers set up around the candles. Some people were holding candles and their faces were under-lit and spooky looking. Everyone was basically silent, or whispering.
The whole thing was pretty disorganized. Somewhere "Remember the Time" was playing from a tinny speaker. There were three Japanese Michael Jackson impersonators. One was dressed like Thriller era Michael, another like Bad era, and a third in all black. It seemed like they had all just showed up and were eying each other.
Everyone made a circle as if something was going to happen. But nobody got into the circle except for a toddler who wandered in, and then a bunch of women from the crowd remarked about how cute the kid was.
Eventually the MJ impersonator in all black entered the circle and started to dance. All of a sudden, disparate voices in the crowd started singing "Billie Jean", but very self-consciously, in mumbly half whisper. It was apparent that none of the people who were singing spoke any English, and it was pretty touch and go until the chorus. It sounded like "she was...beauty queen... scene... ra ra ra".
Even stranger that far away in the dark the little speaker was tinnily playing Dangerous-era songs. And the Michael in black was saying "ooh" and "hoo!" as he spun and danced. When I got closer I could hear that under is breath he was saying "Michael...Michael...Michael" to himself.
Hearing him saying this to himself creeped me out really bad.