Michael Bush...

samold

Proud Member
Joined
Jul 25, 2011
Messages
70
Points
0
Location
merseyside
This guy was mjs costume designer for may years does anybody know any info on him is there any vids around or anything...

Thanks
 
He created costumes for the Bad, Dangerous and HIStory Tours as well as for a number of videos and short films. He also dressed Michael for the trial and there are multiple articles on Michael's trial attire with quotes from Bush:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/4585001.stm
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2005/05/29/wjacko29.xml

Michael bush is also one of the designers of the patented anti-gravity lean used in the Stage performance of Smooth Criminal (I assume he helped design the shoes for it)

This is a GREAT article about what he has designed for Michael, (especially for the trial). I have pasted important parts of the interview plus some of his previous work :

http://handleonthelaw.com/news_details.aspx?News=947

Splendor in the court
Wednesday, May 25, 2005

Two designers work long hours creating the clothes Michael Jackson wears at his trial.

They are the men behind the Man in the Mirror. For nearly 20 years, L.A.-based costume designers Michael Bush and Dennis Tompkins have quietly designed most of Michael Jackson's personal and concert tour wardrobes, tens of thousands of pieces.

They created the war-torn black shirt and pants he wore in the "Man in the Mirror" video [I think they are referring to Earth Song lol] and the rhinestone-encrusted American flag jacket he wore during a Washington, D.C., concert to support the victims of Sept. 11. And, since February, they have been outfitting Jackson for what could be his most important performance yet — in a Santa Maria courtroom.

Rather than a political statement, the armbands made from gold wire ribbon and sewn onto the right sleeves of Jackson's jackets are meant to act as a visual pull, Bush says.

"Showtime" is a word that the designing duo uses often. "When we get together with Michael, it's showtime," Bush says, with a glint in his eyes. Apparently some of their ideas are too over the top, even for Jackson. "He's pulling back and saying 'No, no, no,' and we're going, 'Yes, yes, yes.' And then I get to Carpinteria in the morning and wonder if it's too much. We are used to making dance clothes," Bush says with a grin.

[Bush started with Michael on Captain Eo]

After "Captain EO" wrapped, the pair began building costumes for Jackson's music videos. "It turned into a weekly job, a daily job and an hourly job. Then there were about five or 10 years when we exclusively touched Michael. We lost all our other clients," Bush says.

The chrome robot outfit Jackson wore during the 1996 HIStory World Tour was a challenge. "We made a cast for the chest that breaks away onstage to reveal his dance clothes underneath," Tompkins said. For the 1992 Dangerous World Tour, they crafted 18-karat gold leg pieces.


Though Jackson's clothes appear extravagant, price is an issue, Bush says. "He's a businessman. A lot of people assume money means nothing to him, but that's not true." Over the years, the designers have used wool, silk, canvas, ripstop nylon, silver, gold, British regalia, police badges, even car parts from the Pomona Swap Meet. They made a jacket with closures crafted from V-8 hood ornaments and another festooned with badges from European race car clubs. "He kept us so busy that every time we touched something, we wondered if we needed it, if it could be turned into something," Bush says.


They have designed costumes for Britney Spears, including the red jumpsuit with a sprayed-on look that she donned in the "Oops I Did It Again" video. ("She had to use a whole can of baby powder to get into it," Tompkins recalls.) They created the leather evening gown that Denzel Washington's wife, Pauletta, wore to the Golden Globes in 2001. They also made a coat out of fish skin for Elizabeth Taylor to wear to her 60th birthday party at Disneyland.

I hope that helps a bit. :D
 
Last edited:
My pleasure. :)

As for video- I am sure there are more out there, but all I can think of is some footage of him on the Dangerous Tour Bucharest (taking off Michael's "Jam" Jacket and arm band) and also on the History Tour- removing the leg thingys and doing general costume changes during the concerts. He's got long, grey hair in a pony tail. :lol:
 
i love reading about michael bush mj. I hope MB (lol) continues 2 make MJs clothes if not he can make mine lol
 
That's right! There's also a video from the HIStory Tour in Cape Town, South Africa, and they show some clips of Bush talking about the costumes!
 
Back
Top