Michael Jackson and I were very close (not really)

Michael Jackson and I once shared a moment in history.

Well, "shared" might be too strong a word. But I'm sure that if he had been aware of our moment in history, he would have appreciated it.

The date was Feb. 25, 1986. I remember it as if it were Feb. 25, 1986.

The place was the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, and the event was the Grammys telecast.

I was there. Michael Jackson was there. We were destined to either meet, or stand very close to one another.

He was there because his "We Are the World" anthem, which he co-wrote with Lionel Richie, was a front-runner in a number of categories. It went on to win record of the year, song of the year, best pop performance by a duo or group and best music video.

After collecting their Grammys, winners usually walk backstage to pose for photos, and to answer questions from music journalists.

However, if a recording artist is up for multiple awards, he or she might opt to stay in the auditorium and wait for the later awards to be announced. After they've collected all their awards, they venture backstage with an armful of trophies, which makes a better photo.

The problem with that strategy from a media standpoint is that, if someone loses a late category, they might never come backstage.

On the night in question, there was only one person the media throng wanted to see, and that was the self-proclaimed "King of Pop."

He didn't come backstage after the first win, and he didn't come back for the second win. He didn't come back for the song's third win, and the media were getting anxious.

What if the song lost in the fourth category, and Jackson never came back? How much could we write about Phil Collins?

Our fears were unfounded, and "We Are the World" won its fourth Grammy. We were told that Michael was headed our way. A rush of excitement rippled through the normally jaded crowd of journalists.

The way it was set up backstage for the print media was similar to how cattle are set up before they're slaughtered. We were packed into a large room with no chairs. There was a single microphone at the front of the room, and a large speaker about 15 feet away in the corner. The winners entered from behind the speaker.