Alexander Austin tells us more about his Michael Jackson mural

It only takes a second for Alexander Austin to recall his finest moment impersonating Michael Jackson.

“In ninth grade, I played football and we’d have to go out of town for games,” he says, laughing at the memory. “And, on the bus, I’d lead a Michael Jackson song: ‘Dancing Machine.’ All the guys on the team would do the background, and I’d just break out. My coach used to get mad at me and he actually banned me from singing after we lost a game. But we did end up winning the city championship that year.”

When the King of Pop died in June, Austin was devastated, like all of Jackson’s fans. It just so happened that the Kansas City artist was already looking for inspiration for a new mural at 18th and Troost.