Michael Jackson, Michael Jackson, Michael Jackson... it never stops. It's understandable though—the parade of fascinating items/events/revelations has continued without rest since the day MJ passed away.
The news today? The emergence of jaw-dropping footage of one of the most memorable incidents in the lengthy HIStory of the King Of Pop: Michael's hair catching on fire during a shoot for a Pepsi TV commercial.
The affair swiftly took on legendary status in the pop culture ether. Jokes were made on late night shows, and on playgrounds. Neil Young parodied the event in the video for This Note's For You. Now, after 25 years, we can see what happened. It's horrifying.
The direction for the scene had Jackson descending a set of stairs. Once Jackson was safely out of range, pyrotechnics were to shoot off. For the first five takes, the sequence went as planned. During the sixth take, the explosion occurred early. Jackson's hair, visibly and horrifically, catches fire. Jackson seems unaware, and continues to dance before being overwhelmed by rushing stagehands who douse the flames. A shaken Jackson, his scalp visible, is walked offstage.
Adding to the oomph factor: Jackson's family blames the incident and resulting recovery for Jackson's friendly relationship with painkillers.
There's little audio so feel free to play "Billie Jean" loudly while watching. Or even—gulp—"Man In The Mirror"?