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The Real Jailhouse Rock: Why the Prisoners Dance to “Thriller”

7/27/07, 2:05 pm EST

Photo: Led Zeppelin
American prisoners lift weights in jail. Filipino inmates re-create the choreography from the most definitive music video in history. Why? “Inmates say to me: ‘You have put my mind off revenge, foolishness, or thinking how to escape from jail, or joining a gang,’” says Byron Garcia, a government security consultant in the Phillipines. Garcia explains that dancing is mandatory for all inmates (except the ill or elderly) at the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabiliation Center. Garcia initially had inmates marching along to “Another Brick in the Wall,” then required them to groove to the Village People’s “YMCA” and “In the Navy” before moving on to songs from films like Sister Act and a Queen track. Inmates apparently inquire how many YouTube hits their clips have earned (1.3 million for the “Thriller” video so far), and say the dancing is theraputic. Hopefully nobody reenacts Oz plots when they find out what’s up next: “Ice, Ice Baby.”


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Comments

Natalie Z | 7/27/2007, 2:13 pm EST

This is obscure, and awesome.

charliemapleton(aka CM Funk) | 7/27/2007, 2:50 pm EST

What happens if a fight breaks out because some guy refused to share a cookie with somebody during lunch? “Didn’t We Almost Have It All” by Whitney Houston?

Crutty.

Former DA Mike Nifong | 7/27/2007, 11:28 pm EST

Please,please,please. You’ve gotta help me. I don’t wanna go in there! WAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!

Looks Like... | 7/28/2007, 1:07 am EST

Tai Chi

Crista | 7/30/2007, 5:57 pm EST

Certainly its because Filipina culture is an older hence wiser
I say AWESOME!!!
Wish our prisons would take note..

Yeah,Yeah Yeah | 7/31/2007, 1:37 am EST

You’re, right Crista. Once again, America is shit. We’re all classless and stupid. We’re an evil empire. Die America Die. Evil Americans! Enough is enough is enough! Pipe down, Fuck you. Don “Sammy the Bull” (Formally known as “Uncle Sam”)

the fall out boy scout | 1/28/2009, 10:28 pm EST

I think this is a great idea. Dancing is fo sure theraputic and MJ was one of the best… Oh and btw mr. CM Funk, its the Black Eye Peas’ “Where Is The Love”.

koko | 3/13/2009, 1:40 pm EST

i luv that idea

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