Glimpsed: Rams Head Live!

(Baltimore Sun photo by Kenneth K. Lam / July 8, 2009)

A day after Michael Jackson's memorial service in Los Angeles, Baltimore's Rams Head Live! presented Who's Bad: The Ultimate Michael Jackson Tribute Band. In the audience, Joe Galea paid his own tribute to Jackson. He wore an outfit he had assembled a couple of weeks before Jackson's death, for a Washington nightclub's theme night.

"I'm a huge Jackson fan. Not scary; I wouldn't have gone to L.A. for his memorial. But, I like his music."

In real life, however, Galea's style is more chiller than "Thriller."

"My style is chilled. I never dress up," says the 25-year-old stroke rehabilitation researcher (who declined to give his employer's name).

What do his friends say about his look?: "They say it's very European. I don't own khakis." Galea moved to the Butchers Hill area about a year ago from his native Britain.

The look: White v-neck T-shirt. Black jeans, rolled at the cuffs. White perforated leather belt. Black and gold sequined jacket. White socks. Black Fred Perry canvas sneakers. One white cotton glove.

Where it came from: He bought the T-shirt and his sneakers at Urban Outfitters. The jeans and belt came from Topman in London. His jacket and glove came from Killer Trash in Fells Point.

And what about those white socks?: "I borrowed them from my housemate. I'm not American. So, I don't own white socks."

The rest of the back-story: "In D.C., they have these Michael Jackson, Prince and Madonna nights at the Black Cat. So, my friend and I decided to dress up as Michael Jackson ... So, when the Michael Jackson band came [to Baltimore], we all decided to be funny and dress up."

When he's not "Off The Wall": "I'm usually in Levi or Diesel jeans -- usually in gray -- a pair of smart trainers and a ridiculous T-shirt with a cool picture on it. The most important thing I wear is T-shirts ...[One of my favorites] is a white T-shirt. It has got a bit of art on the front and says 'Make Art, Not War.' Another has an apparently famous Civil War general and he's got a huge mustache. That's why I bought it. The mustache."

His shopping habits: "[I shop] about once a month. I go down to the Inner Harbor and Harbor East. Urban Outfitters is my favorite store. By a mile. I like retro stuff. Retro Adidas are one of my favorites."

His fashion dos and don'ts: "Never wear white socks. If you can incorporate neon into your clothing, then you should do it. Don't wear popped collars. Don't wear socks and sandals."

What did the crowd think of his outfit?: "People seemed to like it. A lot of people at the show came up and wanted to get photos taken with me. And then they would say, 'Do a moonwalk.' My biggest move is the spin on the top of my toes. Everyone loved it ... It was all love. No abuse."
-- Sloane Brown