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Post by NatureCriminal7896 on Feb 3, 2022 6:45:58 GMT
“Michael Jackson is still very active in my life. He seems to still constantly be around me. He was one of the few people I have ever met in this entire business who never had a bad word to say about anyone. He approached everything without ego. I know this sounds bizarre, but the first few years I worked with him this was the closest person I know who was a Jesus character because he always was just so kind and loving to everybody.”
Vincent Paterson, director and choreographer
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Post by NatureCriminal7896 on Feb 6, 2022 1:52:42 GMT
"Whenever he couldn't sleep, we would hear him in the studio. We could see the studio windows in our trailer. It was 3:30 in the morning, pitch black outside, the whole quiet neighborhood. The studio light was on. You didn't hear anything for a while. There was a TV there; maybe he was watching videos or something. Then, about fifteen minutes later, you heard that voice that sold millions of records. Beautiful. Incredible. That gave you the creeps.
How can you not get goose bumps listening to Michael Jackson?
It will always be an amazing memory for all of us.''
— by Bill Whitfield, Michael Jackson's former bodyguard in excerpt from the book ''Remember The Time: Protecting Michael Jackson in his final days'.
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Post by NatureCriminal7896 on Feb 10, 2022 21:13:58 GMT
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Post by NatureCriminal7896 on Feb 10, 2022 22:18:29 GMT
"I remember before going on tour with Michael Jackson, he made all the dancers sit on the floor and, one by one, we had to dance, alone, as if we were performing in front of an audience. He watched attentively, watching us individually and taking notes. As soon as I finished my turn, he told me some things I hadn't got right.
He told me that my arm wasn't outstretched enough in a song, or that my little finger should be touching my thumb, that sort of thing. It was details and he noticed everything! Every little thing you did he paid attention to, and it's this perfectionism that made him such an amazing artist."
— by Cris Judd, dancer, accompanied the King of Pop during the HIStory Tour
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Post by NatureCriminal7896 on Feb 11, 2022 5:51:24 GMT
"He lost the ability to be a kid before his twelfth birthday. Michael Jackson was never really able to go anywhere without a bodyguard, without a limousine, without people to protect him from his success.” -Suzanne De Passe
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Post by NatureCriminal7896 on Feb 14, 2022 23:04:27 GMT
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Post by NatureCriminal7896 on Mar 2, 2022 5:57:33 GMT
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Post by NatureCriminal7896 on Mar 2, 2022 6:50:56 GMT
Former bodyguard Michael La Perruque, in a former interview recalled that one afternoon, one of Michael's security guards received a call from the hotel reception after being called by name. On the other side of the phone was the sexy voice of a young woman.
The woman said she was one of Michael's fans, but when she saw how attractive the bodyguard was, she couldn't stop thinking about him. She, flirting, asked the bodyguard if he would like to meet at a specific time and place outside the hotel that night.
the man didn't refuse And, apologizing, he left the hotel to meet the mystery woman.
The whole time, Michael stood at the window laughing, watching the bodyguard try to find his mysterious wife. Michael then slapped his thigh and began howling with laughter.
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Post by NatureCriminal7896 on Mar 2, 2022 7:02:59 GMT
Former bodyguard Michael La Perruque, in a former interview recalled that one afternoon, one of Michael's security guards received a call from the hotel reception after being called by name. On the other side of the phone was the sexy voice of a young woman. The woman said she was one of Michael's fans, but when she saw how attractive the bodyguard was, she couldn't stop thinking about him. She, flirting, asked the bodyguard if he would like to meet at a specific time and place outside the hotel that night. the man didn't refuse And, apologizing, he left the hotel to meet the mystery woman. The whole time, Michael stood at the window laughing, watching the bodyguard try to find his mysterious wife. Michael then slapped his thigh and began howling with laughter. 😂😂😂
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Post by NatureCriminal7896 on Mar 5, 2022 9:42:04 GMT
Matt Forger — Victory under construction
Michael Jackson's illustrious sound engineer and longtime collaborator reflects on his participation in the recording of the album Victory, the last one michael recorded alongside his brothers.
State of Shock is victory's first single. Initially, this title was supposed to be a duet with Freddie Mercury, but in the end Michael recorded it with Mick Jagger. How was Jagger chosen to come face to face with him?
''I'd love to know that answer. I know the schedule was too tight to finalize State of Shock for the Victory album, and Michael and Freddie's schedules were incompatible. Mick was a great choice because of his popularity with the Rolling Stones. You don't become so famous without giving yourself up completely. He has been and remains a rock and roll icon for many years. Therefore, it was a logical choice, which combined two of the greatest best-known intépretes in the world of music. The song had a lovely rock energy that matched Mick's image, and after the success of Thriller, who could turn down the opportunity to work with Michael?''
It looks like the song was mixed from a 16-track recording by Brent Averill. This reminds me of Say, Say, Say, whose solo version of Michael played by Bill Wolfer was used to finalize the sung version with McCartney. What is the process followed when using such a font?
''It wasn't be like that. Brent made a recording, a 16-track demo, and some of them ended up in the final mix. But another engineer, Bill Bottrell, also worked on some of the tracks adding elements. Bruce replaced Bill and added other elements, such as the lead vocals. It was a very collaborative project that evolved at every step. Bill has also worked on other tracks on the album: Torture, We Can Change The World, Body, One More Chance and The Hurt.''
The sound of the drum is very specific, as if it were a real shock wave. How did you program and mix to achieve this result?
''This sound was obtained in a combination of a nonlinear digital reverberation effect and strong signal compression. It was one of those studio experiments that Michael loved.''
The recording took place in Los Angeles (recorded by Michael) and New York (recorded by Mick Jagger). How did the two teams manage to collaborate remotely?
''Bruce recorded Michael's part at Westlake Studios in L.A. Then traveled to New York to record Mick Jagger's vocals at A&R Studios. When we got back to L.A., we finished the vocal arrangement. I wasn't present at this session and I don't know how the mood was in the studio at the time.''
Among Michael's brothers, only Jackie and Marlon provide backing vocals. Is there a reason for that?
''The backing vocals were recorded before Bruce and I started working on the project, so I don't know much about it.''
Still in the victory era, you mixed the victory tour's opening sequence: called Kreeton Overture. This tour is one of the first to take place in stadiums. What memories do you keep of this project? This initiated in Michael an increasingly theatrical tradition of conceiving the staging of his concerts, with elaborate soundtracks. He developed this theme in particular to arrive at the history tour's intro video.
''I was working with Bruce Swedien on the songs Michael was preparing for the victory album, in addition to being the sound engineer for Centipede, Rebbie Jackson's album, when Michael asked me to mix the soundtrack for the opening number of the Victory Tour. I believe the title was The Sword In The Stone. Recording began at sunset sound studio in Los Angeles in mid-May 1984 and continued in early June. Then work continued at Studio A in Westlake. I don't remember exactly who composed the song, although in my memory I think it was Jai Winding. I also don't know who wrote the dialogues because I got into the project in the middle of the road. Right where we recorded Thriller, we did some overdubs in the middle of June. Then we rule the voice of the narrator. The team hired Paul Frees, a Los Angeles artist specializing in voice acting, and asked him to record based on Orson Wells. We started mixing in early July. It looked like a soundtrack, and Jai wanted it to sound dynamic and dramatic. That's how the final mix turned out. When I went to the concert in December at Dodger Stadium and could see the number on stage it was exciting.''
— interview by Richard Lecocq
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Post by NatureCriminal7896 on Mar 5, 2022 10:45:16 GMT
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Post by NatureCriminal7896 on Mar 7, 2022 6:48:20 GMT
By the age of 21, Chris Grant had already achieved a lot. As a teenager, he did P. Diddy's last tour, and at 20 got a job as a choreographer on Beyoncé's world tour. It was at this time that Michael Jackson announced his comeback shows at London's O2 Arena.
Upon learning that an audition was coming, Chris Grant just couldn't pass up that chance.
"I grew up with Michael Jackson," Grant recalls. " My grandmother bought me the movie Moonwalker, and I watched it every day... I wanted to be like Michael. I was looking forward to introducing myself. At every family party, I danced, i performed for everyone."
Didn't Grant regret leaving Beyoncé's tour for this opportunity?
"No, Beyoncé convinced me," Grant laughs. "She said she'd hit me if I wasn't! She was rooting for me. And if I hadn't been chosen for Michael's tour, I could still go back to dancing on her tour.''
The Test for "This Is It"
Grant recalls that 5,000 people attended the test. Participating in auditions of this magnitude was a little scary. "I've never danced on a grand tour like this. I was young—a dancer from Florida. Many of the dancers were from Los Angeles and had already worked with other artists." "I was very quiet," Grant recalls. "I was very nervous but focused on the number I was performing with. I wanted to show you everything I can as soon as possible.''
The dancers were selected for 23 days. The first auditions took place without Michael — he himself appeared only on the third day to select the main participants of the show. Grant claims he didn't let his excitement hurt his performance.
"I was very nervous, worried about what everything would be like in Michael's presence —but as soon as the music started playing and it was time to get on stage, I stopped thinking about it. I completely turned off my thoughts, so I danced like he wasn't there. And then I thought, "I hope he noticed me, I hope you enjoyed it!"
And Grant's hopes were justified. As Travis Payne remembers, seeing Grant, Jackson exclaimed, "Look at this!" Grant became the first dancer to be selected by Jackson.
"If Michael wasn't there, I don't think he would have picked me," Grant admits. "Michael saw me, saw the emotion in me. I saw him jump while I was dancing, but I didn't know he reacted like that. Later, they told me he saw himself in me.''
The First Encounter with Michael
After the main dancers were selected, they had the opportunity to meet Michael.
"When we left the stage to meet him, he looked like his statue from the HIStory album," Grant recalls. "He was dressed all in black and wore glasses. His hands were too big and his hand was firm. My hand sank into your hand... It was so amazing to be in your presence that I wanted to cry. But I couldn't even do that because I was in shock.''
"Michael said to me, 'You dance incredibly well.' And I just couldn't take my eyes off him. I think I told him he was amazing. I do not remember ... I never thought that would happen. When I was a kid, I dreamed of meeting him, but I never thought it was possible. And when it finally happened, the feeling was incomparable. I can't describe that moment.''
"Michael was the kind of person who, just looking at you, already knew all about you. From the words he addressed to me, it was clear that he understood everything. He knew I was nervous. He advised me to conserve energy for the public.''
Rehearsals with Michael
A week after casting, the dancers began rehearsing and, according to Grant, were very intense. "We rehearse six days a week, with a day off.". In the first few weeks, the group's rehearsals took place without Jackson. "During that time, we met, made friends, tried to work together to look good on stage," Grant explains. "Michael would come from time to time, watch us, sometimes express his opinion, but at first he was very shy."
The rehearsals with Jackson were irregular, as he had a lot to do. "He had a lot to do in terms of vocals, voice warm-up, costumes," grant says. "He didn't stay in rehearsals all the time. At first, Michael came only occasionally. He started rehearsing with us when we moved to Staples Center. He did his best, sliding and everything—it was amazing! As soon as the music started, he showed us all his dancing. He was still at his best and proved it.''
The first song we rehearsed with Michael was "They Don't Care About Us". We were constantly confused because we couldn't take our eyes off him. All the time I had to warn my dance partner Dres: "We need to focus, we need to get back on our side!" And he said, "I can't -- it's Michael!" But after that first pass, I was able to control myself. I was able to concentrate and started doing my job.''
"I used to feel the energy of the music, Michael's energy, and dance to the fullest. He then stopped and looked at me. I thought maybe i was pushing too hard. But Michael just shook his head and smiled as if I was doing everything right. He was a very warm person. I've never felt anything like it. I was so happy! The energy emanating from him was completely unique.''
When it came time to select the ballads, Jackson was in doubt between "Human Nature" and "Stranger In Moscow".
"I remember we watched Michael rehearse "Stranger in Moscow." He tried different options: make a medley with the song, perform it entirely as the first ballad or leave it for an encore. So Michael tried different songs, listened to how they would sound, chose between fan favorite songs and those that were best suited for the show's set list.''
Michael Jackson in control
Although Michael Jackson attended the rehearsals and was directly involved in creating the show, Grant says he initially felt like he was being controlled.
"At first, it looked like he was being controlled," Grant says. "I felt that sometimes people questioned Michael's opinion, and I didn't understand that, because man, it was Michael Jackson!. He followed all the instructions but it was clear that he had something to say.
But on the last day, he solved the problem with his own hands: "This is my show. We'll do whatever I want. " I really liked it. That's what I expected from him. He worked with us, made suggestions, made changes. He knew what he wanted. All the dancers felt, "He better give his opinion. He's going to defend his group. "
Latest trials
During the last two rehearsals, Michael Jackson, according to Grant, became fully involved.
"I think he felt that everything was finally fitting into a single image. We've all felt that in the last two rehearsals. It was just a different feeling. Michael was very involved, helpful. He lived on stage. Other waves emanated from him. He found a connection with us, with the music.
Something important has happened. We felt, "That's it, now you can sleep in peace." The environment has been very hot these past two days. We left rehearsals with a smile.'
As Grant recalls, the last ones were nothing special. "The last song I rehearsed with him was Thriller. We run the whole show. Before leaving, Michael told us, "We rehearsed well," he smiled, and promised to see him the next day. He made a positive sign.''
Goodbye Michael
The next day was no different from the previous ones, until they learned that Michael Jackson was being taken to the hospital.
"We rehearsed and waited for him to come," Grant says. "And then the phone starts ringing... Each of us prayed, and then when we gathered to pray together, we were told that he was gone...
We just started crying.
The whole arena was crying. The worst thing happened. One of the most terrible days of my life. Such a sudden end to what should be beautiful and incredible.
We didn't know what to do, what to say, where to go. We almost got what we were dreaming of, it was almost ready. And at the last moment he was gone.''
The memorial
A few days later, the dancers returned to rehearsals, this time getting ready to perform at a memorial concert where they played "Will You Be There" with Jennifer Hudson. "It's a beautiful song and we thought it would be a good one for his funeral," grant says. "We wanted to do something on our own."
The song was originally rehearsed for the "This Is It" shows, but was never confirmed to be included on the set list. "We rehearsed, but not very intensely. We've done this a few times for Michael. He sang a few lines and always said not to give our best. Save energy for fans.''
''The rehearsal for the memorial was very exciting,'' Grant recalls. It was then that, while rehearsing with Jennifer Hudson, I suddenly realized, 'This is not a dream.' So I really got it. And I started crying and I couldn't stop. I'm the quietest and quietest of the group—they always make fun of me because of it—so when I started crying, the others couldn't help it either. Mechia cried, then Dres and then everyone else. I remember Jennifer looking at us in shock.''
Obviously, Jackson's death shocked the young dancer a lot. He speaks of these events in a low voice. "It's still difficult, because when I meet people, I have to answer a lot of questions. My friends and family understand, so they don't ask me anything, but it's very difficult to talk to the fans. I'm not over it yet. All this is still with me, you know.''
Grant says it wasn't easy for him to agree to attend Jackson's private funeral.
"I'm still young—deaths and funerals are often difficult for me. It was a very strong experience for me. And at the same time, I had to smile at their family, at their children, at the guests, to show them that life goes on.''
The release of This Is It also gave Grant confusing emotions. According to him, it was difficult for him to watch the movie. He is also surprised at how the scenes were chosen for the film: "Interestingly, in the episodes included in the film, Michael does not give his best. Although in rehearsals there were times when i showed everything I could. There was a lot missing from "This Is It." I don't know why they didn't show it.''
Michael Jackson fans
After the release of "This Is It" Grant and his fellow dancers received aggressive emails from fans accusing them of Jackson's death.
"Some fans say it's our fault," he laments. "They say we needed to know, how Michael felt, that we should intervene. yes, we should do that, we had to do that. But that was not the case. We had no control. We were just dancers. We were as shocked as the rest of the world.''
"I even thought about deleteing my Facebook account and other networks. It was simply impossible to stay there. Of course, not all fans are like that, just a few. You blame us for everything. But I'm silent, let them say what they want... not worth discussing. Everyone has their own opinion and it cannot be changed. People will say what they want anyway.''
Grant says the flow of "hate mail" ended up drying up. Now he mostly receives letters from curious fans, and sometimes they ask "crazy questions". "The craziest question I received was what kind of underwear Michael was wearing. my God, how do I know that!?''
Plans for the future
After the cancellation of the "This Is It" tour, Grant received invitations to tour with other artists and also made charity performances. "My dream is to be an artist. Like Michael. I want to entertain people, make my own music videos, write music. I've always dreamed of it. My first dream -- meeting Michael, dancing with Michael -- has come true. Now, my main dream is to become a successful artist and continue your work.''
"Michael changed my life as a child, now he taught me that nothing is impossible. Whatever you do, you need to devote 125 percent to your work. No... 180 percent! If this is your passion, work for your own pleasure. Find contact with the music. Find contact with the public. I learned a lot from him just by watching, listening. He was an amazing person. I want to use that knowledge. For me, he will always be a role model, like a father.''
Article based on interviews with Chris Grant for bocamag.com and interviews with Charles Thomson, 2010.
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Post by NatureCriminal7896 on Mar 10, 2022 12:28:26 GMT
"All artists have egos, but MJ was different. He was the kindest and sweetest artist I've ever worked with," Michael Bearden, the music supervisor of the King of Pop shows, told MTV News. "He wasn't on stage for him, he was on stage for his fans. He loved his fans. He loved, loved and loved. So all he did was for them, he said to me, 'We can't fool the public. You can't fool the fans.'
Michael Jackson intended these shows not only to serve as a note of thanks to fans, but also to continue to spread his message of love, Bearden said. He wanted the world to know that This Is It was a platform for everyone to start paying attention to the world —our planet.
"'This Is It' — obviously people buy this as their last tour," Bearden said of the double meaning of the tour name. "His passion was to save the world, save the planet, heal the world. ...
"He would say to me, 'If we don't stop doing what we're doing with global warming and the Earth and how we're treating each other... it can be irreversible in four or five years or something like that,'' Bearden explained.
"So 'This Is It' meant to him this: we don't have much more time to save the planet, to heal the world."
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Post by NatureCriminal7896 on Mar 12, 2022 15:54:14 GMT
Mick Guzauski (one of the best sound mixing engineers in the world, and winner of 9 Grammys) and Andrew Scheps (producer and mixing engineer, winner of several Grammys) talked to pureMix. The chat is quite technical but at one point they talk about what it was like to work with The King of Pop Michael Jackson.
Mick: 'I really enjoyed doing a session with Michael Jackson in Montreux, Switzerland, where he recorded backing vocals and it was the most amazing thing there is. He did 16 tracks, four harmonies of four tracks each, singing in slightly different ways in each harmony. This guy was a master, he did it so fast and so perfectly....''
Andrew: ''Another thing I remember was recording the choir: the vibrato had to start at exactly the same point, go up and down the sound wave at the same time and it was perfect.''
Mike: ''I know. Always in a socket''
Mick: ''Yes, maybe a few things...''
Andrew: ''Well, on the main vocals I always wanted to try some things that worked and others didn't, but on the backing vocals he knew exactly what he wanted to achieve and just got it right. People more or less knew his talent, but it's impossible to understand the talent he had until you were with him in the studio watching him work or watching him sing a full song on the beatbox, a song that was just in his head and how the musicians tried to play the song for a whole month, all based on that vocal.''
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Post by NatureCriminal7896 on Mar 27, 2022 8:11:30 GMT
"I remember one day we went to pick up the kids to take them out for ice cream.
Mr. Jackson stayed home.
It was February and it was still cold.
We were on the street and Mr. Jackson called me, asking if Blanket was wearing the hat. No, he wasn't wearing it. He'd forgotten.
Mr. Jackson said, "Come back and get it."
And we're back home.
People laughed at his idea as a father, mocked him for his children's names and the use of masks.
The more you knew him, the more you saw that, for him, being a father was the most normal thing in the world.
One day we were doing security at home. He called us and told us he had little liquid soap for clothes, asking if anyone could go buy more.
Before that, I had never thought of Michael Jackson in the laundry room, washing his children's clothes. But he was like that most of the time.''
— from the book Remember The Time: Protecting Michael Jackson in his Final Days, by Bill Whitfield and Javon Beard and Tanner.
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