The room in the photo that we are standing in is called Record One, Studio B. There are only two studios at Record One, and we booked them out for nearly a year on that project - plus a few other rooms in town. (Studios are often simply called "rooms" in the industry.)
This was Bruce Swedien's room during Dangerous, although Bill Bottrell also worked in Studio B now and then. Teddy Riley set up shop a couple miles away at Larrabee Studios, so there was a fair bit of commuting from studio to studio, which was quite different from the Bad album, which took place almost exclusively at Westlake Studios in Hollywood.
Working with Michael on a daily basis was never short on surprises. There were popcorn fights, hot wing contests and a parade of special VIP guests. (Hot wings you ask? We had a full kitchen at Record One and a few of us enjoyed cooking, so we would see who could make the hottest wings imaginable. Michael loved this diversion and often grabbed a few of the testers and offered his vote.)
The funny thing (well, one of many) about working in a recording studio is that studios, due to their banks of electronic gear, can be very warm...even hot. The coldest day outdoors would have no effect on the need for continuous air conditioning in a studio. So... I usually wore shorts. Yes, the style is dated and dorky at best, but I was buried away in a recording studio, not shopping on Rodeo Drive.
Michael of course loved the warm studios, because he was always cold - year round. He would always wear long sleeves and almost always black corduroy pants. He always looked good, but some days he might have a photo shoot or an interview, so his wardrobe team would go a bit further. (Often Michael Bush would stop by the studio with new outfits for Michael to see and try on, but I don't think Bush was there on this particular day.)
I don't remember exactly why I decided I needed a photo with Michael on this day, but I saw that shirt with the metal bands across the front and I was like, "Come on... that's just way too cool for anyone to actually wear!!" Of course, he pulled it off amazingly well. Again, I don't remember the exact conversation, but I asked if I could grab a quick photo with him in that shirt, and of course he was cool about it. I pushed the chairs out of the way and he stood next to me, and suddenly went on tip-toe. I asked, "What are you doing??" He laughed and he said he wanted to be as tall as me! A quick click of the camera caught the moment.
