Nov 12th 2007: Michael is on the cover of Ebony magazine! EbonyJet Online Magazine - Michael Jackson in his own words by Bryan Monroe (Originally ran in EBONY Magazine, December 2007) Q: How did it all start? A: Motown was preparing to do this movie called The Wiz… and Quincy Jones happened to be the man who was doing the music. Now, I had heard of Quincy before. When I was in Indiana as a child, my father used to buy jazz albums, so I knew him as a jazz musician. So after we had made this movie-we had gotten pretty close on the film, too; he helped me understand certain words, he was really father-like-I called him after the movie, out of complete sincerity-´cause I´m a shy person, ESPECIALLY then, I used to not even look at people when they were talking to me, I´m not joking-and I said, “I´m ready to do an album. Do you think… could you recommend anybody who would be interested in producing it with me or working with me?” He paused and said, “Why don´t you let ME do it?” I said to myself, “I don´t know why I didn´t think of that.” Probably because I was thinking that he was more my father, kind of jazzy. So after he said that, I said, “WOW, that would be great.” What´s great about working with Quincy, he let´s you do your thing. He doesn´t get in the way. So the first thing I came to him with was from Off the Wall, our first album, and Rod Temperton came in the studio, and he came with this killer-he´s this little German guy from Wurms, Germany-he comes with this … “doop, dakka dakka doop, dakka dakka dakka doop”, this whole melody and chorus, Rock With You. I go, WOW! So when I heard that, I said, “OK, I really have to work now.” So every time Rod would present something, I would present something, and we´d form a little friendly competition. I love working like that. I used to read how Walt Disney used to, if they were working on Bambi or an animated show, they´d put a deer in the middle of the floor and make the animators kind of compete with different styles of drawing. Whoever had the most stylized effect that Walt liked, he would pick that. They would kind of compete, it was like a friendly thing, but it was competition, ´cause it breeds higher effort. So whenever Rod would bring something, I would bring something, then he would bring something, then I would bring something else. We created this wonderful thing. Q: So, after Off the Wall, in the spring of ´82, you went back in the studio to work on Thriller. A: After Off the Wall, we had all these No. 1 hits from it - “Don´t Stop ´Til You Get Enough,” “Rock With You,” “She´s Out of My Life,” “Workin´ Day and Night”-and we were nominated for a Grammy award, but I was just not happy with how the whole thing happened because I wanted to do much more, present much more, put more of my soul and heart in it. Q: Was it a transition point for you? A: A COMPLETE transition. Ever since I was a little boy, I would study composition. And it was Tchaikovsky that influenced me the most. If you take an album like Nutcracker Suite, every song is a killer, every one. So I said to myself, “Why can´t there be a pop album where every…”-people used to do an album where you´d get one good song, and the rest were like B-sides. They´d call them “album songs”- and I would say to myself, “Why can´t every one be like a hit song? Why can´t every song be so great that people would want to buy it if you could release it as a single?” So I always tried to strive for that. That was my purpose for the next album. That was the whole idea. I wanted to just put any one out that we wanted. I worked hard for it. Q: So, the creative process, were you deliberate about that, or did it just kind of happen? A: No, I was pretty deliberate. Even though it all came together some kind of way, consciously, it was created in this universe, but once the right chemistry gets in the room, magic has to happen. It has to. It´s like putting certain elements in one hemisphere and it produces this magic in the other. It´s science. And getting in there with some of the great people, it´s just wonderful. Quincy calls me a nickname, “Smelly.” Smelly came from -and [Steven] Spielberg calls me that, too. Back then, especially back then - I say a few swear words now-but especially then, you couldn´t get me to swear. So I would say, ´That´s a “smelly” song.´ That would mean, ´It´s so great´ that you´re engrossed in it. So he would call me ´Smelly.´ But yeah, working with Quincy was such a wonderful thing. He lets you experiment, do your thing, and he´s genius enough to stay out of the way of the music, and if there´s an element to be added, he´ll add it. And he hears these little things. Like, for instance, in “Billie Jean,” I had come up with this piece of the bass lick, and the melody, and the whole composition. But in listening, he´ll add a nice riff… We would work on a track and then we´d meet at his house, play what we worked on, and he would say, ´Smelly, let it talk to you.´ I´d go, ´OK.´ He´d say, ´If the song needs something, it´ll tell you. Let it talk to you.´ I´ve learned to do that. The key to being a wonderful writer is not to write. You just get out of the way. Leave room for God to walk in the room. And when I write something that I know is right, I get on my knees and say thank you. Thank you, Jehovah! Q: When´s the last time you had that feeling? A: Well, recently. I´m always writing. When you know it´s right, sometimes you feel like something´s coming, a gestation, almost like a pregnancy or something. You get emotional, and you start to feel something gestating and, magic, there it is! It´s an explosion of something that´s so beautiful, you go, WOW! There it is. That´s how it works through you. It´s a beautiful thing. It´s a universe of where you can go, with those 12 notes… (He´s now listening to an early, writing version of Billie Jean playing on an iPhone…) …What I do when I write is that I´ll do a raggedy, rough version just to hear the chorus, just to see how much I like the chorus. If it works for me that way when it´s raggedy, then I know it´ll work… Listen to that, that´s at home. Janet, Randy, me… Janet and I are going “Whoo, Whoo…Whoo, Whoo…” I do that, the same process with every song. It´s the melody, the melody is most important. If the melody can sell me, if I like the rough, then I´ll go to the next step. If it sounds good in my head, it´s usually good when I do it. The idea is to transcribe from what´s in your mentality onto tape. If you take a song like “Billie Jean,” where the bass line is the prominent, dominant piece, the protagonist of the song, the main driving riff that you hear, getting the character of that riff to be just the way you want it to be, that takes a lot of time. Listen, you´re hearing four basses on there, doing four different personalities, and that´s what gives it the character. But it takes a lot of work. Q: Another big moment was the Motown 25 performance… A: I was at the studio editing Beat It, and for some reason I happened to be at Motown Studios doing it-I had long left the company. So they were getting ready to do something with the Motown anniversary, and Berry Gordy came by and asked me did I want to do the show, and I told him ´NO.´ I told him no. I said no because the Thriller thing, I was building and creating something I was planning to do, and he said, ´But it´s the anniversary…´ So this is what I said to him. I said, ´I will do it, but the only way I´ll do it is if you let me do one song that´s not a Motown song.´ He said, ´What is it?´ I said, ´Billie Jean´. He said, ´OK, fine.´ I said, ´You´ll really let me do “Billie Jean?” He said, ´Yeah.´
@afreenfirdos7837
3 жыл бұрын
Thank you so much for writing his wise word... thanks a lot...
@ATHINAMJJ
3 жыл бұрын
@@afreenfirdos7837 Thank you very much for your kind words
@user-wd4fj2dc7q
2 ай бұрын
I love the part when he said, step aside and let God (Jehovah) enter the room, no betty way to say it!
@user-wd4fj2dc7q
2 ай бұрын
Can you hear the excitement in his voice? So wonderful to hear him so happy and excited! ☺️☺️☺️☺️☺️❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
@linnycrocus6023
5 жыл бұрын
LMAO he said he opened doors for Prince. I live for the shade.
@Annsu2017
4 жыл бұрын
I think this is the first time he even talked about prince(musician) or even said his name....other than his son prince
@99annanic
4 жыл бұрын
I don’t think he meant it in that way. It’s obvious that once MTV agreed to play Billie Jean that it opened the door for black artists like Prince to release their music on MTV. Plus in the end Michael and Prince just had a friendly rivalry.
@jacksonaktak
2 жыл бұрын
It's the truth, though. 1999 came out before Thriller, but initially it wasn't a big hit. Then MJ broke down the racial barriers with Thriller and then they released 1999 again and it became a hit.
@richardkovacs2006
2 жыл бұрын
I don't think it's a shade, just the contrary. He singled Prince out of the many black artists who got to MTV after him
@codychavarria6088
2 ай бұрын
Yes, MJ broke racial barriers and kicked down the doors. He was not to be denied. MTV and other radio mostly white stations that only played white and rock now played mj. Then came prince, Lionel Ritchie to be more popular and made it easier on the eyes to having black artists super popular
@kialambright1879
Жыл бұрын
Words cannot express how much I miss him. Every interview should've worked like this. Rest in peace, Mike. 🕊 ❤🎶
@user-bl1pw2th4l
7 жыл бұрын
He had the most interesting life of any artist ever. It's so sad that he is not with us to share more stories. And to think that this interview was almost ten years ago exactly.
@alexandria62753
7 жыл бұрын
I love listening to Michaels voice he seemed very happy and confident with this Ebony interview love the photo shoots too❤️ We miss you beloved Angel heart💔🌻❤️
@glamourisbest
2 жыл бұрын
He really did!
@cazprescott9
5 жыл бұрын
Ebony did a better job with his makeup than the tv networks. They also gave him cool clothes to wear. The Brooklyn Museum is a great location!
@Briski__
6 жыл бұрын
He was full of so much wisdom
@theuniqueoneable
6 жыл бұрын
still listening in 2018 ....... Mj is the goat and he had a certain coolness with him
@phamhornilla897
5 жыл бұрын
Oh boy! I'm still here to listen in your sweet voice.I wish your alive.cool voice ..handsome,genius. Kind hearted. Miss you MJ!!!
@Luckykeke77
6 жыл бұрын
It doesn't matter how he look he's the same person inside
@kimstrickland5308
3 жыл бұрын
I totally agree He Is The Same sweet person
@doggonelover2038
5 жыл бұрын
Such wisdom.... I could listen to him years after years.... But still have things to learn from him.....
@ATHINAMJJ
5 жыл бұрын
So true,even though I'm a fan since 1987 I earn sth new for Michael every time.Keep Michaelng!
@user-vb7gg2fq1e
8 ай бұрын
Thanks a lot for sharing this interview, these amazing pictures znd the transcript if the interview. Michael is amazing. Love and miss him so much.
@jenniferpetti859
6 ай бұрын
He looked beautiful in this interview
@amlsuleman2075
Жыл бұрын
So beautiful Michael Jackson 💗 💜👏👍🙏💖❤
@mrpussinboots4252
4 жыл бұрын
It's struck me how young sounding he is here. If you had no idea of the year you would presume this interview was done in the 80s.
@Elena-er7zp
4 жыл бұрын
it’s crazy how his voice never changed
@mrpussinboots4252
4 жыл бұрын
@@Elena-er7zp vocal wise it did however his normal speaking voice here sounds like the 80s.
@finderkeeperrrs
Жыл бұрын
@@mrpussinboots4252damn you really ain't a fan with a pfp like that. So sad 😭
@swoods7720
10 ай бұрын
I agree I thought this was from the 80’s when I first heard it…though he was really talkative here, more of a hallmark of Mike in the 2000’s.
@fouadal-saied9483
4 ай бұрын
beautiful father Michael 💙 midnight girl 💙🍫💯
@briewilliams2507
2 жыл бұрын
He’s so beautiful I love him sm 😭
@user-wd4fj2dc7q
2 ай бұрын
Crying, me too, still in 2024
@tangie5886
Жыл бұрын
Genius 👑
@Hi.Shadow
5 жыл бұрын
His mind was everything! I miss him so much.
@MJsBuddaflyGirl
10 жыл бұрын
Thank you much for sharing this. I love the way it was presented ; )
@ATHINAMJJ
10 жыл бұрын
Thank you,I'm glad you like it!!
@suzyscott6654
3 жыл бұрын
Yes, my father bought this issue of EBONY as soon as it came out. I think that we still have it. It was very informative and insightful.
@ATHINAMJJ
3 жыл бұрын
You are very lucky
@phattebytch
8 жыл бұрын
Great interview, thanks for sharing.
@ATHINAMJJ
8 жыл бұрын
+phatte thanks for watching!
@smile8346
10 жыл бұрын
love this Interview...wonderful dear Athina♥... I would like to see Michael at the interview...Thank you for beautiful sharing♥:)
@habibabennani2135
10 жыл бұрын
michael jackson ebony interview full really very wenderful
@adina2207
9 жыл бұрын
oh my i fainted on 4:33
@sangdicaprio
4 жыл бұрын
That is why to escape death I attempt to bind my soul to my work - and then you left us Michael :*(
@CeeStyleDj
7 жыл бұрын
Listening in 2017 baby! 😎 Mj's still the best.
@theuniqueoneable
6 жыл бұрын
2018!!!!!! for me and beyond lol
@lindacosta5551
5 жыл бұрын
CeeStyleDj 2018
@afreenfirdos7837
3 жыл бұрын
Listening this in 2020 November 21
@Milkers777
3 жыл бұрын
Listening in 2021 MJ Forever The Best👑✨
@gaboman5340
2 жыл бұрын
2022
@darkangelslive
6 жыл бұрын
Listening... Again! May, 2018!
@ERepeke
Жыл бұрын
5:46 MJ talking about Prince
@ATHINAMJJ
8 жыл бұрын
November 12 2007 - Michael’s issue of Ebony magazine celebrating the 25th Anniversary of Thriller hits the newsstands in the US. Exclusive: Tha King of Pop Talks, God, Creativity, Fatherhood and Music: On his creative process for his Thriller album: “I was pretty deliberate [about it]. Even though it all came together some kind of way, consciously, it was created in this universe, but once the right chemistry gets in the room, magic has to happen. It has to. It’s like putting certain elements in one hemisphere and it produces this magic in the other. It’s science. And getting in there with some of the great people, it’s just wonderful. […] We would work on a track and then we’d meet at [Quincy Jones’] house, play what we worked on, and he would say, ‘Smelly, let it talk to you.’ I’d go, ‘OK.’ He’d say, ‘If the song needs something, it’ll tell you. Let it talk to you.’ I’ve learned to do that. The key to being a wonderful writer is not to write. You just get out of the way. Leave room for God to walk in the room. And when I write something that I know is right, I get on my knees and say thank you. Thank you, Jehovah! […] I’m always writing. When you know it’s right, sometimes you feel like something’s coming, a gestation, almost like a pregnancy or something. You get emotional, and you start to feel something gestating and, magic, there it is! It’s an explosion of something that’s so beautiful, you go, WOW! There it is. That’s how it works through you. It’s a beautiful thing. It’s a universe of where you can go, with those 12 notes…” On working with the young generation of artists: “Sure. I’ve always been the type where, I don’t care if it’s the mailman or the guy sweeping the floor. If it’s a great song, it’s a great song. Some of the most ingenious ideas come from everyday people, who just go, ‘Why don’t you try this, or do this.’ It’ll be a wonderful idea, so you should just try it. […] I always want to do music that inspires or influences another generation. You want what you create to live, be it sculpture or painting or music. Like Michelangelo, he said, “I know the creator will go, but his work survives. That is why to escape death, I attempt to bind my soul to my work.” And that’s how I feel. I give my all to my work. I want it to just live.”On whether or not he thinks a great deal of him having affected history: “Yeah, I do, I really do. I’m very proud that we opened doors, that it helped tear down a lot. Going around the world, doing tours, in stadiums, you see the influence of the music. When you just look out over the stage, as far as the naked eye could see, you see people. And it’s a wonderful feeling, but it came with a lot of pain, a lot of pain. […] When you’re on top of your game, when you’re a pioneer, people come at you. It’s there, who’s at the top, you want to get at them. But I feel grateful, all those record-breaking things, to the biggest albums, to those No. 1’s, I still feel grateful. […]“ On the kind of music he likes to create: “I think, like, the rap thing that is happening now, when it first came out, I always felt that it was gonna take more of a melodic structure to make it more universal, ‘cause not everybody speak (sic) English. And you are limited to your country. But when you can have a melody, and everybody can hum a melody, then that’s when it became France, The Middle East, everywhere! All over the world now, ‘cause they put that melodic, linear thread in there. You have to be able to hum it, from the farmer in Ireland to the lady who scrubs toilets in Harlem to anybody who can whistle to a child poppin’ their fingers. You have to be able to hum it.” On following then presidential race between Obama and Clinton: “To tell you the truth, I don’t follow that stuff. We were raised to not…we don’t look to man to fix the problems of the world, we don’t. They can’t do it. That’s how I see it. It’s beyond us. Look, we don’t have control over the grounds, they can shake. We don’t have control over the seas, they can have tsunamis. We don’t have control over the skies, there are storms. We’re all in God’s hands. I think that man has to take that into consideration. […]“ On his concerns about the state of the world today: “I’m very concerned about the plight of the international global warming phenomenon. I knew it was coming, but I wish they would have gotten people’s interest sooner. But it’s never too late. It’s been described as a runaway train; if we don’t stop it, we’ll never get it back. So we have to fix it now. That’s what I was trying to do with “Earth Song”, “Heal The World”, “We Are The World”, writing those songs to open up people’s consciousness. I wish people would listen to every word.” “I just wish they (including the authorities) would do more for the babies and children, help them more. That would be great, wouldn’t it?” On the difference between the Michael of 25 years ago and the Michael of today: “That Michael is probably the same Michael here. I just wanted to get certain things accomplished first. But I always had this tug in the back of my head, the things I wanted to do, to raise children, have children. I’m enjoying it very much.” On the press’ coverage of him: “I don’t pay attention to that. In my opinion, it’s ignorance. It’s usually not based on fact. It’s based on, you know, myth. The guy who you don’t get to see. Every neighborhood has the guy who you don’t see, so you gossip about him. You see those stories about him, there’s the myth that he did this or he did that. People are crazy! I’m just about wanting to do wonderful music. But back to Motown 25, one of the things that touched me the most about doing that was, after I did the performance--I’ll never forget. There was Marvin Gaye in the wings, and the Temptations and Smokey Robinson and my brothers, they were hugging me and kissing me and holding me. […] That was my reward. […] I remember doing the performance so clearly, and I remembered that I was so upset with myself, ‘cause it wasn’t what I wanted. I wanted it to be more. But not until I finished. It was a little child, a little Jewish child backstage with a little tuxedo on, he looked at me, and he said [in a stunned voice] ‘Who taught you to move like that?’ And I said, ‘I guess God… and rehearsal.’”
@rowenadevera3933
6 жыл бұрын
I love & miss u,,Michael Jackson 2018
@LAMONTWILLIAMS21
10 жыл бұрын
Thank you for this video
@ATHINAMJJ
9 жыл бұрын
Sandra Walker you tube makes them automatically...
@user-wd4fj2dc7q
2 ай бұрын
I love 💕 listening to his voice, so soothing! 😍😍😍😍
@kelseytaylor6314
9 жыл бұрын
Amazing video!!!
@evadream375
3 жыл бұрын
GRATEFUL ATHINA FOR SHARING THIS PRECIOUS GIFT OF YOUR CREATION LOVE FROM GREECE TO YOU
@user-wd4fj2dc7q
2 ай бұрын
Listen at his Genius
@cssvgccds8608
6 жыл бұрын
I love You meu anjo Michael, Saudades
@simbij
10 жыл бұрын
Amazing person indeed
@cherylcarnes3631
Жыл бұрын
Gorgeous
@helenkurniawan6220
6 жыл бұрын
So beautiful 💙💖
@immacampobasso
2 ай бұрын
E sono qui oggi 16 06 2024 ad ascoltare il mio Re❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
@SunnyDays70s
4 жыл бұрын
Genius
@isabelmendes4621
8 ай бұрын
MEU amado rei do pop e um homem maravilhoso muito culto elegantissimo charmoso com certeza todas vez que ele abordava um assunto era algo proveitoso eu sou só admiração por este grande ser humano com certeza viraria dia noite com um papo proveitoso daqueles saimos cheio de sabedoria compartilhando uma compahia maravilhosa quem nummca sonhou desejou comversar com este lindo principe Peter pan eu amo tudo em você lindo🇧🇷😍❤❤❤❤
@immacampobasso
2 ай бұрын
Dio la sua voce come manca, manca il suo tutto❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
@GreeshmaPradeep-cy2mc
10 ай бұрын
I wish it didnt end 😔
@ATHINAMJJ
10 ай бұрын
Great interview
@OUTTHEMUDSERIESTV
2 жыл бұрын
Here in 2022 ! The 🐐 himself
@KellyODonnell1993
6 жыл бұрын
Do you have the Jackson brothers Full interview on Larry King Live I love the Jacksons
@ATHINAMJJ
6 жыл бұрын
no i don't
@saratreadwell5711
11 ай бұрын
🥰😍🥰❤️
@MikeJack1987
Жыл бұрын
Were they cooking while they’re doing this interview!
@ATHINAMJJ
Жыл бұрын
🤣🤣🤣
@GreeshmaPradeep-cy2mc
10 ай бұрын
😂😂
@dianneboucaud2835
6 жыл бұрын
dare michael hello how are you my name is dianne how are you hi i am hug hug fan your music i hope its ok to sent you if i can right ypu on this page hopeling great you alone fans all over world i am one of them this year i pray you will get my new fan request sooon if its ok willing hopeing get meet me on facebook live chat line if you have computher thanks
@gpesalazar
6 жыл бұрын
no me/gusta el fotoshop que le quito años y unas ropas que le hacen ver tan feo no necesitaba sino lucir dignamente su edad era un astro y un genio
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