When Michael Jackson debuted the moonwalk in 1983 the world was enrapt. The dance goes back farther, to the 1930s, and pops up again in the 50s, before reappearing via mimes and West Coast poppers in the 70s. Follow the circuitous route of an iconic move in this classic episode.
AI Summary
# How the Moonwalk Works
Josh and Chuck take you on a groovy journey through the history of one of pop culture's most iconic dance moves—the moonwalk. Starting with surprising origins in 1930s jazz and tracing the move through mimes, Soul Train dancers, and ultimately Michael Jackson's legendary 1983 performance, this episode reveals how a simple illusion of walking backward while moving forward became a cultural phenomenon. Along the way, you'll learn about the dance styles that influenced it, the celebrities who popularized it, and even get step-by-step instructions on how to pull off the move yourself.
Movies Discussed
A Head Full of Ghosts
"I just read a book called head full of ghosts, which is pretty neat. — Josh mentions reading this psychological thriller novel, though it's a book not a film/TV adaptation."
— Josh
Footloose
"Dancing in the Sheets. Remember that hit? Yes. This great Footloose song track song. — The hosts discuss 'Dancing in the Sheets' by Shalamar as a song from the Footloose soundtrack era."
Michael Jackson Video Greatest Hits: HIStory
"He was doing Billie Jean, which when the thing came out was the number one song in America. — Josh references Michael Jackson performing 'Billie Jean' at the Motown 25 special where he first moonwalked publicly."
— Josh
Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever
"So about a year later, almost exactly a year later, NBC broadcast this special called Motown 25. — Josh describes the famous NBC special where Michael Jackson debuted the moonwalk to a national audience."
— Josh
Out of Sight
"Daniel choreographed like his smooth criminal video and Cooley and Casper are the dudes who like lean with him. — Josh mentions Michael Jackson's 'Smooth Criminal' music video and the choreographers involved in the famous lean move."
— Josh
Shields and Yarnell
"I remember watching Shields and Yarnel as a kid on television on major network TV. — Chuck mentions watching the mime comedy duo Shields and Yarnel perform on network television during the 1970s."
— Chuck
Soccer AM
"They had him on Soccer AM? Apparently it's not just about sports, but they have comedy bits and pop culture stuff. — Josh explains that Jeffrey Daniel was interviewed on the British show Soccer AM about the moonwalk history."
— Josh
Solid Gold
"He's dancing on Soul Train, he's dancing on Solid Gold. There's another couple of dancers named Jaron Casper. — Josh references Jeffrey Daniel dancing on the TV show Solid Gold where he performed the backslide/moonwalk."
— Josh
Soul Train
"So back to Jeffrey Daniel. He's dancing on Soul Train, he's dancing on Solid Gold. — Josh mentions that Jeffrey Daniel performed on Soul Train as a dancer."
— Josh
Stand by Me
"Or the stand. That's the big one, right? — Josh asks about Stephen King's The Stand as a recommended novel to read, though this is a book not a film/TV show."
— Josh
The Blues Brothers
"He was also awesome in the Blues Brothers. Oh, yeah. Wow. He was still around for that. — Chuck mentions that Cab Calloway appeared in the film The Blues Brothers."
— Chuck
The Right Stuff
"And then right now, I'm reading the right stuff, Tom Wolf classic. — Josh mentions reading Tom Wolfe's The Right Stuff, which was also adapted into a 1983 film."
— Josh
The Shining
"The shining is probably the one I should read? Probably not because you're so used to Kubrick's shining. — Chuck suggests Josh shouldn't read Stephen King's The Shining because the Kubrick film adaptation is so different from the book."
— Chuck
Top of the Pops
"Like no one in America watching this NBC special had been watching Top of the Pops as well. — Josh mentions that American audiences hadn't seen Jeffrey Daniel's moonwalk performance on the British show Top of the Pops."
— Josh
What's Happening!!
"It was a TV show called What's Happening about these three friends in South Central LA in the 70s. — Josh explains that What's Happening!! was the show featuring Fred Berry as Rerun, who was part of the Lockers dance group."
— Josh
White Knights
"Well, I did see that movie. Yeah. No, there was a guy, Savion Glover? — Josh mentions watching the film White Knights featuring Mikhail Baryshnikov while discussing tap dancers."
— Josh
💬 Comments
Log in to leave a comment.