THE ‘80s A Special Report :...

Forget the wacko image . . . the oxygen tank . . . the Elephant Man’s bones . . . the menagerie . . . and the tabloid-headline links with Diana Ross, Brooke Shields, Liz Taylor and Bubbles the chimp.

They all may be part of the formula used by Michael Jackson to so intrigue the public that he ended up as Vanity Fair magazine’s Celebrity-of-the-’80s. But the real reason this manchild reached his promised land in the ‘80s was his music and electrifying presence.

Manchild he is. On the man side, Jackson’s leap from child prodigy to the pop innovator of “Thriller” was unprecedented (save perhaps for that of Stevie Wonder). Combining that originality with his imaginative command of the new music video form, Jackson virtually redefined the concept of a pop star in the early ‘80s, not to mention the concept of album sales: “Thriller” has sold more than any other album in history--40 million copies worldwide, its successor “Bad” “only” 20 million.

In the process he created a new “sound of Young America,” every bit as pervasive (and ultimately color-blind) as the Motown sound in which he was nurtured. It’s hard to believe he released only two albums during the decade. There wouldn’t even be a New Kids on the Block without Jackson’s inventions.

On the child side, the 31-year-old Jackson was the Peter Pan of the ‘80s, living his heroic fantasies as he saved the world from gang wars (the “Beat It” and “Bad” videos) and intergalactic evil (“Captain EO”). On the surface the roles seem ludicrous: a shy, frail young man with the money (not to mention the stunning dance moves) to give form to his daydreams. But the pop world followed it all with almost pathological interest. When Michael wore just one glove, so did kids around the world.

The Taste Makers project was edited by David Fox, assistant Sunday Calendar editor.