Orianthi and Steve Stevens discuss working with Michael

Re: Steve Stevens discusses working with Michael

^ thanks for sharing, in the middle of listening now
 
Re: Steve Stevens discusses working with Michael

I agree with Eddie, I'd have loved Michael to do a whole rock album even if it wasn't heavy metal. The tracks he released proved he could compose rock, no matter if it had pop, r&b, funk, etc elements.
 
Re: Steve Stevens discusses working with Michael

Thank you Word Smith!!! I loved that part where Steve Stevens talked about Michael imitating David Lee Roth-what I wouldn't give to see a video or hear an audio of that!!!
 
Thank you Word Smith!!! I loved that part where Steve Stevens talked about Michael imitating David Lee Roth-what I wouldn't give to see a video or hear an audio of that!!!
Diamond Dave has a show on Youtube and has mentioned that he was a fan of soul music when he was young and he and his sisters would watch Soul Train in the early 1970s. He said he liked the fashion, dancing, & Don Cornelius' deep voice. Dave said he patterned his low vocals on some Van Halen songs from Don and some radio DJs he heard.
 
It's interesting that Steve said Mike asked him about Mötley Crüe. I wonder what Mike would sound like singing Kickstart My Heart or Home Sweet Home.
 
DuranDuran;4183608 said:
It's interesting that Steve said Mike asked him about Mötley Crüe. I wonder what Mike would sound like singing Kickstart My Heart or Home Sweet Home.

I couldn't listen to the podcast because for some reason I can't skip to the right time, but it doesn't surprise/interest me that Michael would ask about a band that was popular at the time (the 80s I assume because that's when Michael worked with Steve Stevens so I imagine that that's the era being discussed in the podcast).


Although I'm sure Michael's opinion of the band's bassist would have went from neutral to very negative had he seen the disgusting social media postings about the allegations the bassist published on or near (I can't remember exactly when he did that dumb shit :lol:) the anniversary of his death.
Here's a link to the disgusting comments which I can't seem to find anywhere else.
http://neon-lights.info/news/nikki-sikss-o-maykle-dzheksone-on-sdoh-i-teper-deti-v-bezopasnosti

It's pretty ironic too considering that being a rocker I'm sure he was no stranger to sleeping around with groupies, and I'm sure that all of those groupies weren't of legal age.

Anywho, don't know much at all about the Motley Crue (never listened to them and never will), so I don't know much about the rest of the band either, but he in particular can go to the deepest hottest depths of hell whilst covered in gasoline.:lol:

Honestly, he seems like a bitter bitch that's mad he and his band weren't/aren't as big and loved world wide as Michael.
Very similar to Gene Simmons.:lol:

Just posting all of this because I saw the band's name pop up and figured I'd let everyone know (that might not already know) just how big an asshole their bassist is (I think his name is Nikki Sixx or something like that).:)
 
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Re: Steve Stevens discusses working with Michael

^^I had trouble skipping to the right place too. It eventually worked after a few tries.
 
Re: Steve Stevens discusses working with Michael

I couldn't listen to the podcast because for some reason I can't skip to the right time.

Do you have a good connection on your smartphone ? If so, you can find Eddie Trunk's podcast on an app called Player FM. Is it available on Spotify ? I have no idea. I got rid of it because there are more podcasts on Player FM.
 
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Re: Steve Stevens discusses working with Michael

Do you have a good connection on your smartphone ? If so, you can find Eddie Trunk's podcast on an app called Player FM. Is it available on Spotify ? I have no idea. I got rid of it because there are more podcast on Player FM.

I'm on a tablet and I have good wifi. :)
 
I jotted up a transcript for those interested :):

Steve Stevens: I was still living in New York, I had been out late the night before, and the phone rings. I thought it was a joke, "It's Quincy Jones". I'm like, "Yeah right" [laughs] and he goes, "No, don't hang up! This is really- I got your number from Ted Templeman."
"Oh, ok"
But the experience was great. There was no entourage, it was very similar to working with Billy Idol, where it's Billy, myself, and our producer Keith Forsey, and an engineer. And same with Michael. Walked into the studio, and it's Michael, Quincy, and his engineer Bruce [Swedien]. And it was very cool, man, it was low-key. They kind of just said this is the kind of melody we want and then, after that, do whatever the hell you want to do. So it wasn't very dissimilar to the way I was used to working.
Eddie Trunk: Did you do the whole [Bad album] or just [Dirty Diana]?
Stevens: No, just that tune.
Trunk: You were in the video for that too, right?
Stevens: I did, yeah, yeah. The coolest thing- [laughs] The funniest thing about the video was I pull up to the shoot, and there's a van outside, and I get out, and I kinda look at it, and it's got all these kids' toys, and jungle gym, and all this stuff set up. I go, "Wow, somebody's kid's got it made, he's got a whole playground out here. And it turns out, it's for Bubbles the chimp." [laughs]
Trunk: I remember the video was, like, white sheets blowing and stuff, right? It was kind of like, silhouettey?
Stevens: Yeah... The guy Joe Pytka, who was the director, had done all the Pepsi adverts and stuff like that. And I realized all the other- the rest of the guys, and the band there, were all kind of stand-ins and I'm looking at 'em going, "Man, they all have wigs on and shit" [laughs]
Trunk: Steve, you know as well as I do that, today, when you get a call- When you would get a call to put a track down for something, or put a solo on something, alot of times you never even get to meet the person you're working with, especially if it's a big artist. The producer just has you send them the file and they cut it in or whatever. So it is kind of cool that you actually worked with the guy, like when you were doing the solo. You worked with him in the studio, right?
Stevens: Yeah... with my first phone call with Quincy, I said, "Now Michael's gonna be there?"
I had exactly that situation. I got called to do a Diana Ross tune, that actually Michael had written [Ed. ("Eaten Alive")] This was in New York, and I walk in, and I- for me, I couldn't even fathom the idea of the artist, who's record you're working on, wouldn't be there. And that's what happened. And it kinda, like, I went, "Wow, this is weird", you know man? I was not into it. So I said, "Michael's gonna be there?" And Quincy said, "Yeah, of course he's gonna be there, it's his record". I said, "Yeah, you'd be surprised" [laughs]
So yeah, he was there right from the beginning, and really had great direction and everything. I think this was a time, I got the impression that Quincy really was like a father figure to him. I mean, the guy couldn't have been more normal, and more inquisitive. I mean, he wanted to know about staging and lighting. He was getting ready to do his first big arena tour, and he wanted it to be like a rock tour, not an R&B tour, so he was asking me about lighting companies, sound companies, and asking me if I knew Mötley Crüe [laughs]
Trunk: He must've known you from Billy Idol, I mean you were all over MTV, so he must've- was he aware of your work, and did he know Billy stuff?
Stevens: Oh yeah. Absolutely. Yeah. I gotta tell you that, in between the takes, we started talking about stuff, and he did the most incredible David Lee Roth impression I've ever seen [laughs]
Trunk: Really?
Stevens: Yeah. It was incredible, he did the whole thing.
Trunk: You mean, singing? Or talking like him?
Stevens: No, no, doing the whole kind of "Look at all the people-" [Ed: https://youtu.be/vkgX6Cu5dbQ?t=42s] You know, he had him down, man. It was- he had obviously been a fan. So, I was like, "This is surreal, Michael Jackson doing a David Lee Roth impression"[laughs]
Trunk: Wow, so he really had an awareness of rock music. He wasn't just in his bubble... he knew Billy Idol, he knew you from Billy Idol's work... it sounds like he definitely had some appreciation for rock.
Stevens: Yeah, well he loved the big spectacle of rock shows, which is something that R&B artists- I guess Michael now is not just considered R&B, but certainly coming from Jackson 5, and then his first solo record "Off the Wall" was- he was looking to bring his thing to a bigger level, and in a live kind of situation. And he knew that rock n' roll was- we were the ones who were really spearheading that... I guess he had already been friends with the guys in Queen and stuff, and seen Queen shows, and so he was looking to do things in a more rock kind of atmosphere, I guess.
 
CodaBroda;4183712 said:
I jotted up a transcript for those interested :):

Steve Stevens: I was still living in New York, I had been out late the night before, and the phone rings. I thought it was a joke, "It's Quincy Jones". I'm like, "Yeah right" [laughs] and he goes, "No, don't hang up! This is really- I got your number from Ted Templeman."
"Oh, ok"
But the experience was great. There was no entourage, it was very similar to working with Billy Idol, where it's Billy, myself, and our producer Keith Forsey, and an engineer. And same with Michael. Walked into the studio, and it's Michael, Quincy, and his engineer Bruce [Swedien]. And it was very cool, man, it was low-key. They kind of just said this is the kind of melody we want and then, after that, do whatever the hell you want to do. So it wasn't very dissimilar to the way I was used to working.
Eddie Trunk: Did you do the whole [Bad album] or just [Dirty Diana]?
Stevens: No, just that tune.
Trunk: You were in the video for that too, right?
Stevens: I did, yeah, yeah. The coolest thing- [laughs] The funniest thing about the video was I pull up to the shoot, and there's a van outside, and I get out, and I kinda look at it, and it's got all these kids' toys, and jungle gym, and all this stuff set up. I go, "Wow, somebody's kid's got it made, he's got a whole playground out here. And it turns out, it's for Bubbles the chimp." [laughs]
Trunk: I remember the video was, like, white sheets blowing and stuff, right? It was kind of like, silhouettey?
Stevens: Yeah... The guy Joe Pytka, who was the director, had done all the Pepsi adverts and stuff like that. And I realized all the other- the rest of the guys, and the band there, were all kind of stand-ins and I'm looking at 'em going, "Man, they all have wigs on and shit" [laughs]
Trunk: Steve, you know as well as I do that, today, when you get a call- When you would get a call to put a track down for something, or put a solo on something, alot of times you never even get to meet the person you're working with, especially if it's a big artist. The producer just has you send them the file and they cut it in or whatever. So it is kind of cool that you actually worked with the guy, like when you were doing the solo. You worked with him in the studio, right?
Stevens: Yeah... with my first phone call with Quincy, I said, "Now Michael's gonna be there?"
I had exactly that situation. I got called to do a Diana Ross tune, that actually Michael had written [Ed. ("Eaten Alive")] This was in New York, and I walk in, and I- for me, I couldn't even fathom the idea of the artist, who's record you're working on, wouldn't be there. And that's what happened. And it kinda, like, I went, "Wow, this is weird", you know man? I was not into it. So I said, "Michael's gonna be there?" And Quincy said, "Yeah, of course he's gonna be there, it's his record". I said, "Yeah, you'd be surprised" [laughs]
So yeah, he was there right from the beginning, and really had great direction and everything. I think this was a time, I got the impression that Quincy really was like a father figure to him. I mean, the guy couldn't have been more normal, and more inquisitive. I mean, he wanted to know about staging and lighting. He was getting ready to do his first big arena tour, and he wanted it to be like a rock tour, not an R&B tour, so he was asking me about lighting companies, sound companies, and asking me if I knew Mötley Crüe [laughs]
Trunk: He must've known you from Billy Idol, I mean you were all over MTV, so he must've- was he aware of your work, and did he know Billy stuff?
Stevens: Oh yeah. Absolutely. Yeah. I gotta tell you that, in between the takes, we started talking about stuff, and he did the most incredible David Lee Roth impression I've ever seen [laughs]
Trunk: Really?
Stevens: Yeah. It was incredible, he did the whole thing.
Trunk: You mean, singing? Or talking like him?
Stevens: No, no, doing the whole kind of "Look at all the people-" [Ed: https://youtu.be/vkgX6Cu5dbQ?t=42s] You know, he had him down, man. It was- he had obviously been a fan. So, I was like, "This is surreal, Michael Jackson doing a David Lee Roth impression"[laughs]
Trunk: Wow, so he really had an awareness of rock music. He wasn't just in his bubble... he knew Billy Idol, he knew you from Billy Idol's work... it sounds like he definitely had some appreciation for rock.
Stevens: Yeah, well he loved the big spectacle of rock shows, which is something that R&B artists- I guess Michael now is not just considered R&B, but certainly coming from Jackson 5, and then his first solo record "Off the Wall" was- he was looking to bring his thing to a bigger level, and in a live kind of situation. And he knew that rock n' roll was- we were the ones who were really spearheading that... I guess he had already been friends with the guys in Queen and stuff, and seen Queen shows, and so he was looking to do things in a more rock kind of atmosphere, I guess.
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Re: Steve Stevens discusses working with Michael

Michael knew EVERYONE and heard EVERY music. :punk:

I guess he really never thought & listened in categories or genres. We know some facts about his library and how eclectic it was / is (I pray that it still exits, stored away safely somewhere). I`m dying to go through all his CDs and recordings he bought during life.
 
Re: Steve Stevens discusses working with Michael

Orianthi discusses working with Michael at 30:29. Richie Sambora (Bon Jovi guitarist) also says something nice. Release date: 3/9/2017. Thanks again Eddie ! :)

You know the drill if it does not work. Itunes, Player FM, CodaBroda, etc. I'm joking Broda, no disrespect. :)

http://podcastone.com/pg/jsp/program/episode.jsp?programID=658&pid=1718491
 
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Re: Steve Stevens discusses working with Michael

Orianthi discusses working with Michael at 30:29. Richie Sambora (Bon Jovi guitarist) also says something nice. Release date: 3/9/2017. Thanks again Eddie ! :)

You know the drill if it does not work. Itunes, Player FM, CodaBroda, etc. I'm joking Broda, no disrespect. :)

http://podcastone.com/pg/jsp/program/episode.jsp?programID=658&pid=1718491
Thanks! They're cute together. I guess Richie is talking about the night they invited Michael to party with them after their show and he sent Bubbles instead? Lol.

I like the fact that she pointed out how funny Michael was.
 
Re: Steve Stevens discusses working with Michael

^ You are welcome. :)

What you wrote made me google the hotel story. What if Bubbles actually asked Michael to party with Bon Jovi because he was a fan ? "I wanna go ! I wanna go !". :)
 
Bumping this thread with a transcript for those interested :):

Eddie Trunks: Do you know why that one clip [of you and Michael jamming out in "This Is It"] was used everywhere like it was [after his passing]?
Orianthi Panagaris: I have no idea, and honestly, it was such a crazy time when that happened, working with Michael, 'cause I was making my record with Interscope and I didn't tell them that I got a call to come in 'cause Michael had watched my YouTube videos. And "You're what we're looking for. Come in, learn 'Beat It', 'Dirty Diana', 'Wanna Be Startin' Something'." Next morning, go and play for him, [hide our soul] and we just started rehearsing. 'Cause I didn't tell anybody, 'cause I couldn't, 'cause we signed these forms. And it was just four months of craziness. And then, so when he passed, it was such a shock, and then that clip started running, and I couldn't turn on the TV without it being on it... It definitely was, kind of a strange moment in my life, and then going out and then putting out my album, and that happening, having that moment to just--for it to sink in, you know? So that was kind of a crazy time. But, honestly, I feel very blessed that I got to spend that time with him, for sure.
Trunks: Did you get to work directly with him alot?... Or was he very hands-on in the things you were looking for?
Orianthi: He was hands-on with everybody.
Trunks: He was?
Orianthi: Yeah, absolutely. With the dancers, and he would spend time with me, my sound, how he wanted it, how he wanted me to walk over to him and be very mobile. So, playing the "Beat It" solo, I couldn't even look at my guitar, I had to follow him 'cause he was like running across the stage and he's like that, "Run over here, run over here". I'm, like, in heels, [and I go "OK"]. So, that was interesting, but the whole thing was such a show, and [maybe] a better showperson. So yeah, I guess he really brought out the best in everybody and that was the great thing about working with him.
Richie Sambora: Such an insane showman. I saw him in Japan for the first time, going back many years now, and he just blew me away.
Eddie Trunks: Did he ever come or connect with Bon Jovi shows back in the day at all?
Sambora: It was the day before [our Tokyo Dome performance]. We were playing two nights in the Tokyo Dome and he played the night before. So Frank Dileo, at that point, was managing me too, who was Michael's manager at the time, and so we get invited to the show, and I go see the show and I was like, "Are you kidding me? To be able to dance like that, and sing like that, and command all those people and then turn on 80,000 people in front of you." I was very moved by his performance. So then I got back to the hotel, we were staying at the same hotel, so Frank said, "Come on up and sit down, and talk to Michael"
Trunks: Oh, so you met with him?
Sambora: Yeah yeah... I asked him if he wanted to come out and jam with us at the Tokyo Dome the next night, the same place that I just saw him at, 'cause we were doing two nights the next night. And that's not this thing. He needs it all [snaps his fingers].
Orianthi: Yeah, he's a perfectionist, for sure. We rehearsed intensely.
Sambora: He said, "That's not my thing. That's not my thing, I just don't do that, you know?" I'm the Jersey guy, I said, "Michael, come out, and have a slice of pizza and a beer. We'll learn anything you want to learn."
Orianthi: No. No, no, no, no, no [laughs]
Sambora: No no, but it was true, and he was very, very sweet. That evening, he said, "I'll think about it". And the next day, I get a call, he said "I can't do that, you know?" But he was very, very sweet about it. But, I mean, as a performer and a showman, my Lord...
Orianthi: His dancing, so precise, and he--the first song we played was "Billie Jean".... Jonathan Moffett goes into that beat, which is perfect, right? And then Michael comes over to me and he just starts dancing in front of me. I'm going, "Is this reality?". It's weird. I'm like, "Ok, this is just a normal day for me". So that was crazy, but yeah, he was wonderful to work with. I mean, seriously. It would have been an incredible show. And he's really funny too. Alot of people don't know that he was actually really funny too. We had a lot of funny moments, like he would get stuck in different things. Especially this huge tarantula that came out at the beginning of Thriller, and it was controlled by him, so he was in the tarantula covered in Swarovski crystals. It was very extravagant. So this thing comes out, and he couldn't get out... So the intro to Thriller goes on for 3 minutes and he's not coming out, and everyone's going, "Maybe he just wants to make it longer", and he's like, "Hi guys, I'm kind of stuck in here. Can someone help me?" That was really funny, I couldn't stop laughing.
 
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