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Monday, June 29, 2009 8:50 PM Local dancers imitated Jackson's moves By Janet Conner-Knox | Times Staff Writer For the average Michael Jackson fan, just watching him dance and sing was enough. But for two Wilson men, just watching Jackson's moon walk wasn't enough. They had to join in the dance. In fact, in Wilson if you say the words Michael Jackson impersonator, lots of people automatically know you mean Anthony Taylor. Taylor has been impersonating Jackson for more than 25 years now. During the late 1980s and through the 1990s, Taylor became Michael Jackson for many outings, children's parties and company entertainment. Taylor, who is over 40 years old, even did Jackson a personal favor pretending to be him during the 1984 Victory tour. Taylor got the job as a decoy for Jackson when he auditioned in front of some Pepsi executives in Kinston. "One of the people in the interview told me that if I could do one Michael Jackson dance he might be convinced," Taylor remembered. "So I broke into the moon walk. That did it." On the tour, one of Taylor's jobs was to ride in the limousine so fans would chase the car while Jackson would enter into the venue by another entrance. Taylor said at that time Jackson's lawyer thought he looked so much like Jackson that in his contract he wasn't allowed to wear the famous glove on the same hand as Jackson did. He said many people might not have thought being a decoy was a great job, but for him it was wonderful. "I was only 20 years old," Taylor said. "And I got to be around my favorite entertainer." Taylor said he also got bruised up a lot by enthusiastic fans. Taylor was first drawn to Jackson's talent when they both were only children. "It was the first time that a kid, just like me, was on the radio," Taylor said. "As a child you are used to adults singing and having careers, but not kids. I identified with him right away." Taylor said he felt like a relative died when he got the news of Jackson's death. "Michael Jackson was like everybody's uncle or brother," Taylor said. Taylor hopes to do a tribute to Jackson in Wilson in August, the month of Jackson's birthday. Jerylmayne White, 28, said he learned to dance because of Jackson. "I identified with him a lot," said White, who flew to Los Angeles after learning of Jackson's death. "We both had very strict fathers, both raised as Jehovah's Witnesses, and both very misunderstood." White said he would sit mesmerized by Jackson's dancing and would watch his videos over and over. "My style of dance is b-boying (break dancing), but I do Michael's dances too," White said. Just like Jackson, White said he feels at home and free while dancing. "It doesn't bother me when people watch me dance; I love to dance," White said. "Dancing is an escape. No matter where I am, I am going to dance. I learned that through Michael Jackson." White said it bothers him that even in Michael's death people won't let him rest in peace and bring up any negative thing they can. "You know Michael was somebody's son and brother and father," White said. "Everybody would want their loved ones to be remembered by the wonderful things they gave to the world." Like Taylor, White is putting together a tribute to Jackson that he said won't be ready until next year this time. He said it will take that much time to get the dancers together and get the choreography right. "The dancers have to be on point because Michael was on point," White said. "A tribute to him can't be sloppy." Although White said he knows he won't be able to go to the funeral, he said he wanted to be in L.A. to be around other fans. "But you know, I can go anywhere in the world and I guess the atmosphere will be the same," White said. "He had fans all over the world." janet@wilsontimes.com | 265-7847 |
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Marilyn said...
Elvis was a drug abuser. When he died we looked passed the bad, and focused on the good he did. We did it in a very respectful way.
Monday, July 06, 2009 at 11:17 AM
Jeff in Wilson said...Elvis was a drug abuser. When he died we looked passed the bad, and focused on the good he did. We did it in a very respectful way.
Monday, July 06, 2009 at 11:17 AM
Notice the defenders of the drug addict fail to include a name or any way of discerning which said said what? I do not think he was a pedophile at all, he was emotionally about 10 years old and a ravaged drug addict, but my gut says he would never harm a child. The lessons learned here should be to NOT act like him.
Sunday, July 05, 2009 at 8:17 PM
Michael Jackson is the world's greatest entertainer. PAST, PRESENT, and FUTURE because HE WILL LIVE FOREVER. You will SEE WHAT HE IS CAPABLE OF. And you will be begging for his forgiveness.
Sunday, July 05, 2009 at 12:37 PM
Thank you Intelligent for calling me out regarding my poor conduct and behavior in name calling.You were right about not being insulting,and it was very juvenile and immature of me. I humbly apologize to the WDT staff and the other commentators.
Thursday, July 02, 2009 at 3:33 PM
I don't see any point in insulting one another all because the media has turned this whole situation into a circus. When Elvis died the same thing happened then. (That's life guys)
Thursday, July 02, 2009 at 2:51 PM
