What you didn't know about 'Thriller,' 30 years later
'Thriller' Was the Beginning of Michael Jackson's Transformation
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At the height of "Thriller," Jackson still enjoyed good press and looked more like the little boy who grew up in the spotlight as the star of the Jackson 5. "This was pre-him being called 'Wacko Jacko.' There was no bad media. Michael was the King of Pop, the king of the media. He could do no wrong," Brown said. Soon after, Jackson began tinkering with his appearance and his antics began to overshadow his talent. "In between the time the 'Victory' tour ended and in 1987 when 'Bad' was released, he started doing different surgeries," Brown said. "By 1991, he had totally changed his skin color." Yahoo's Johnson said, "You have to wonder why. Maybe it was all a part of this transformation he was trying to make. He wanted to be the King of Pop. He wanted to take himself from one place to another place. Maybe for him, his physical makeup was also a part of the transformation he wanted to make."
