Celebrities on Michael Jackson
David Arquette (actor)
I remember when I first saw the Michael Jackson "Thriller" video. I couldn't believe that a guy would go out and put so much into a video, and the zombies and all that stuff. I believe it had a solo impact on my decision to be involved with the "Scream" movies.
[source: MTV; March 2000]
Dallas Austin (songwriter/producer, worked on 'HIStory')
Working with Michael is a different type of work. You're pressured timewise, but not by creativity or money. So you're left with mad freedom. You'd think he'd be very controlling, but if he likes you enough to work with you, he wants your expertise, not just another Michael Jackson record. "Heal the World" and "Stranger in Moscow" from the HIStory record are, like, the makeup of Michael. I think he's taken on the responsibility to make changes in the world. He's the only real superhero. Think about it.
[source: VIBE magazine; June/July 1995]
Fred Astaire (dancer & actor)
You are a hell of a mover. Man you really put them on their asses last night. You're an angry dancer. I'm the same way. I used to do the same thing with my cane...You're a hell of a mover!
[source: The day after seeing MJ perform at 'Motown 25']
Jennifer Batten (guitarist on several MJ world tours)
He completely changed my life, you know, I was doing the L.A. club scene, just trying to make ends meet and BAM - I'm on a paid vacation around the world having just the time of my life playing in the biggest band in the world. And yeah, I'll always feel an intense gratitude and love for him for that.
[source: Entertainment Tonight; July 16, 1997]
BoyzIIMen (R&B group)
We share his concern for the children who have been innocent victims of war and, who have suffered because of the horrors of war, many of whom are without families, food or homes. We applaud Michael for his sensitivity and efforts.
[source: Universal Records Press Release; July 1999]
Brandy (singer)
Michael Jackson, he is just like; he is the king of it all. Everything that everyone's doing now, he's already done. He's opened a lot of doors for a lot of artists today.
[source: VH1's special "100 Greatest Artists of Rock & Roll"; May 1, 1998]
Naomi Campbell (supermodel/actress, appeared in 'In the Closet' video, 1992)
Michael is very involved and on top of everything he puts his name on. He's shy and sweet, considering all he's accomplished, but he's a prankster. When I was doing the video, we had water pistol fights. He's a perfectionist.
[source: VIBE magazine; June/July 1995]
Rodney Jerkins (music producer)
I was a huge fan of Michael since I was a little kid, I followed his career...everything he's ever done........He is the best, there's no other artist at his level, and I worked with many, he is great to work with because he knows exactly what he wants.
[source: April 1999]
I'm blessed to even be in the position to work with the greatest entertainer of all time. Just to be working with him is a phenomenon itself, you know, a dream come true. [...] You have people that grew up with Mike that wanna hear him do the "Off The Wall" and "Thriller" type stuff and we are gonna do that but at the same time I'm also trying to do things that kids of today, that don't know who Michael is, will understand. That he is the greatest.
Interviewer: So, does Michael come into the studio with a surgical mask on?
Jerkins: No, no. Michael is probably more human than any of us at this party. And that's what a lot of people don't know of. You know, I really know Michael. [...] So it's my responsibility to - we don't want to change that - you know. Not just be a producer in the studio but also be the friend to Michael and say: "Michael, it's cool to come to this party here tonight. It's cool to hang out with me, you know. They are not gonna bother you if you hang out here." [...] I've taken him to places where ... you know parties .. and a lot of people are coming up to him and it gets hectic and I understand why he kind of stays in. But at the same time, you know, he is feeling more comfortable to even step out now. [...] He is a good person. He is not what everybody wants him to be. They want him to be a w***o. You know how it is once you are so successful. They have to find where they can pull you down. He's not like that."
[source: The Doug Banks Show; February 2000]
Elton John (singer, songwriter)
He is a very smart cookie, Michael. He knows what he wants, he knows what he is doing. I have nothing but admiration. Also, he is a very kind person.
[source: VH1's special "100 Greatest Artists of Rock & Roll"; May 1, 1998]
Quincy Jones (music producer)
Introverted, shy and nonassertive. He wasn't at all sure he could make a name for himself on his own. Neither was I.
[source: Life magazine September 1997 special issue - "Life Legends: the Century's Most Unforgettable Faces"]
Michael can go out and perform before 90,000 people, but if I ask him to sing a song for me, I have to sit on the couch with my hands over my eyes and he goes behind the couch. He is amazingly shy. What people forget about him is that for the first time, probably in the history of music, a black artist is embraced on a global level by everyone from eight to 80 years old. People all over the world, especially young people, have a black man as an idol.
[source: VIBE magazine; June/July 1995]
R. Kelly (singer/songwriter/producer, worked on 'HIStory')
[...] I grew up with the music of Michael and I've been inspired a great deal by Michael. To actually have him call me up, call my management, saying he wants me to do a song for him was a great inspiration for me to go forward in my career. And up to the day I met him it was like a big countdown. I think it's normal when you grow up to the music of someone that has been there so long and is so large. To meet this person and knowing that this person depends on me. When an artist calls a producer he makes himself dependent on him to become # 1, to get something that comes out as a track. At this time, Michael Jackson depended on me to make something come true for him.
I remember a funny thing about him. I had ordered Chinese food and had put up all these Walt Disney cups all over the studio because I knew he was a big kid. I knew that. Everyone knew that. And I also got my little dog because I knew he loved animals. I couldn't afford giraffes, but I did have a dog. It broke ice and we talked. And I went to the bathroom and my manager came with me, and I remember that I fell to the floor because I just couldn't believe it. But I got back up and straightened myself out because I realized that I had to be professional. [...] It's always great to work with someone who is wonderful because they bring you forward. Michael was very humble. He also didn't wanna change anything. Some artists want to change songs so that they like them, but I don't go for that. I don't want to destroy the magic. I don't like messing with the magic and what you risk to reach something is what you need to keep it. Michael figured this also.
[source: VIVA; October 1999]
I thought it was funny when I told Michael Jackson I didn't want to fly, and he was giving me reasons why I should. I kept looking him in the eye, and I kept saying "uh-huh, uh-huh" and "oh, I see," knowing all the time that I would not be getting on a plane. Working with Michael was definitely not just another day at the office.
[source: VIBE magazine; June/July 1995]
Question: So it was cool working with Michael?
R. Kelly: I was so nervous, I was afraid I wouldn't be able to finish the project. When he first got to the studio, something weird came over me. Michael was another level, and it was a hell of a level to go to. But passion took over, and it put a shield around me and allowed me to be just a normal guy who felt like he worked with Michael all the time.
Question: Was he really receptive, or was he, like, "No, muhfucka, I've been doing this for 30 years."
R. Kelly: He was never that. That's why he's been here for 30 years. He was more humble than me-got up under my wing. He wanted to know what it was I wanted from him. And if he could give it to me.
Question: How did that feel?
R. Kelly: Everything Mrs. McLin told me was true: I was born for this. I was ready. I didn't know that until I met Michael. My teacher told me when I was 15 that one day I would work with Michael Jackson, that one day I'd produce him, and that Quincy Jones would come to me for songs, and Stevie Wonder. I haven't worked with Stevie yet, but she told me these things would happen, and to see them come to pass is amazing.
[source: VIBE magazine; March 1996
Jonathan King
Michael should have swept the board. But, this year it was the A&M and WEA record companies' turn to win and that's why Sting and Paul Simon got their awards. But you should have seen the look on their faces after Michael stole the show when he sang 'Man In The Mirror'. It was a look of absolute pure sheer horror. They were transfixed ny his real talent and mortified when they compared it to their own stars. It comes down to a choice between the music industry and Michael Jackson - and I'd rather have Jackson any time.
[source: Grammy Awards; March 2, 1988]
Ed Koch (former mayor of New York City)
He really is the supreme theatrical dancer - like Fred Astaire.
[source: NY Post; March 1988]
Sean Lennon (singer - son of John Lennon)
If it wasn't for Michael Jackson, I probably wouldn't make music now. Thriller changed my life completely."
[source: 'US' magazine; October 1998]
Vincent Mantsoe (South African dancer/choreographer)
I have always been inspired by TV. There used to be a ballet on Sundays, and I used to watch the Fame series and, of course, all Michael Jackson's music videos. But most of all, I have always been intrigued by The Dance Theatre of Harlem's Dougla; somehow it really got inside me, my mind.
[source: South Africa's Sunday Times; February 2000]
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