QUINCY JONES -- Time Out, June 1988
QUINCY JONESRobin Eggar,
Time Out, June 1988
The Jackson and Jones alliance has seen the transformation of a bubble-gum
singer into the greatest musical phenomenon of his era.
He's backed Billie Holliday and Miles Davis. He called Count Basie daddy.
Now Quincy Jones, the production genius behind Michael Jackson, says
Wacko's just a great little guy called Smelly – who likes collecting
bones.
A born diplomat – as he displayed in
Japan and Rome fielding the questions of the British gutter press with
aplomb, humour and dignity – he is a courteous gentleman, with a
mischievous smile, who never quite manages to say anything nasty about
anybody. Even Sinatra – the great entertainer of his era, just as Michael
Jackson is of his.
'Sure, I saw some things go on with Frank,' he says sipping a Perrier,
momentarily distracted by an elegant pair of Oriental legs, 'But what I
loved was that he never picked on anybody little. There was this – shall
we say – working girl in Las Vegas who was being kicked around pretty
good. Frank jumped in, used his weight, put her in a cab and paid the
fare, treated her like a real lady. Joe Louis (the boxer) was in trouble
once and he offered his plane to take him down to the best specialist in
Houston.
'Michael is probably the antithesis of Frank in terms of personality. He
is shy, timid and very gentle. Frank is much more aggressive; he has a
very strong personality, strong likes and dislikes. But where I've seen
Frank really concerned about playing Newport after a Vegas season, Michael
never gets nervous about anything. Not even before the first show of the
tour.'
singing fruitcake
Jackson and Jones first met at Sammy Davis's house. Michael was all of 12
and Quincy admits he considered him 'just a bubblegum singer. I knew he
had a lot of soul, a lot of talent and I could feel something there but I
never felt he had ever really let it go.' In 1977 they renewed their
acquaintance on the set of The Wiz – an ill-conceived all-black remake of
The Wizard of Oz that also starred Diana Ross and Richard Pryor. Quincy
was the musical director.
"Our first contact, where the spark first hit between us (
), was when Michaelwas rehearsing 'The Scarecrow' and kept pulling out little sayings by all
these great prophets. He pulled one out and said "Blaha blah blah,
Socrates." He said it three times and I pulled him over and said: "Michael
it's Socrates." Nobody else would tell him the pronunciation was wrong. We
just looked at each other and this spark came alive.
'I started to see this disciplined, curious mind. He'd come in at five
o'clock to do make-up and they'd start shooting at seven. He knew
everybody's lines, every part. He never complained or anything, I saw this
incredible depth and musicianship in him and when he called me up to ask
if I knew anybody who would produce his album, I said I'd do it'
Michael Jackson is no longer considered an ordinary mortal. Perhaps he
never was one; closeted from a real world of screaming fans by a line of
heavies from the time before he could read. Yet his performances and
general demeanour on this world tour are not the stuff of a singing
fruitcake. His control on stage is phenomenal, an absolute that brooks no
argument, indeed no comparison. The Michael Jackson who Quincy talks about
is only mildly eccentric. But then he would say that, wouldn't he?
'Michael has a very good sense of himself, very centred, connected to who
he is creatively. He knows who he is, like Streisand; Sinatra too.
Obviously he's been in show business since he was five-years-old, so he
doesn't look at things in the same way you and I do. He sees the world
through different eyes. He and Spielberg are the two people I know that
are never violent, the things they come up with are like the glow in ET's
heart.
'Michael has a very curious mind, about a lot of strange things, beautiful
things...Maxwell Parrish, Michaelangelo, Chaplin, Brando, Olivier. He is
an avid student of everything. He has to go and see some children at a
hospital and someone says: "There is this oxygen tent to sustain life."
Knowing Michael, it's fascinating – and he wants to see it. He gets in it,
says, "I could live 150 years in this," and the story gets out. Michael is
not going to be a Howard Hughes figure, lingering on life. That's not him,
he's the most normal person in the world.'
What about Jackson wanting to buy the Elephant Man's bones? Or his
menagerie – Bubbles the chimpanzee was given special quarantine clearance
for Japan, had his own passport issued, flew first class and attended the
odd function in Michael's place?
'For most of these things there is a precedent,' says Quincy, a trifle
wearily. 'The Beatles collected bones, so did Elvis Presley. Michael just
loves animals, so do a lot of people. Bubbles is a hell of a lot of fun –
though I'm not too crazy about his python – the chimp's got better table
manners than most musicians I know. He has a personality just like a
three-year-old kid. If I had one I'd bring him to the studio every day,
it's got to be more healthy than cocaine!'
always isolated
Jones prefers to sidestep the issue of Michael's cosmetic surgery – deep
inside I think he disapproves – with a curt 'the way you look is part of
your professional equipment, each person can do with it what they want.'
He insists that Michael has grown up, but remains baffled by his personal
relationships.
'I could never believe that song with the beat and lyric content of
'Billie Jean' could be conceived by Michael Jackson. He hasn't had a lot
of romantic relationships, if any, but it is very powerful stuff. Michael
has always been isolated, I'd go to his house and there were always 30
girls outside all the time. They even got in the house. One day there was
one lying out by the pool, nobody knew who she was. I think she was the
inspiration for 'Billie Jean'. Michael just said: "It's been like that all
my life".'
Mind you, Quincy is no expert on long-term relationships. He has been
married three times – during our interview he kept careful hold of an
extremely expensive watch he had just bought for his girlfriend – has five
children, aged from 11 to 34, and two grandchildren.
'I think I'm a lucky person,' he says, 'Maybe it's not been so good for
the women I've shared my life with. Many a time they've called the studio
on the phone and I've said I'll be 15 minutes and gone home 15 hours
later. I just have a lot of interest that I can't control. Life is too
short for me to take six months off and relax.
'It's been a really rocky, wild, rocky road. I've had my taste of how high
it can be and how grave it gets. Ten months stranded in Europe, starving
to death, depressed at the point of suicide, making $11 a week in New York
trying to feed my baby and nobody cares how hungry you get. And then the
'We Are The World' session where everyone checked their egos at the door
and we tried to really do something.'
michael and bubbles
Quincy Jones appears not to have a bad word to say about every superstar
he has ever met. He has the reputation of an absolute dictator in the
studio, yet denies he and Jackson have ever fallen out over anything
crucial. They probably didn't because Quincy was in Japan – his fifth time
but his first without having to work – as Jackson's guest. Sitting in the
hotel where upstairs Michael and Bubbles each had their own suites, it
became increasingly apparent that even Quincy Jones, the seasoned veteran
of everything the popular music world could throw at him, was in awe of
Michael Jackson the performer.
'We were in the studio for 12 months and you forget this side of Michael
Jackson. He is so shy, introverted and mild mannered that you don't think
a person like that is capable of taking charge with the power and energy
he has. Every move is like a sculpted work of art.
'In the studio we don't treat him like a star, we call him Smelly, he
wears a funky little shirt. He gets his coach in to warm him up and then
he's ready to hit it. He does his little dances on each take. But this is
different. Awesome.
'Everything on that stage comes from his mind, the lighting, the dance,
everything. He's an amazing little guy. He has this wild uniqueness and
originality that mark him out as one of the best performers I've ever
seen. Maybe the best!'
© Robin Eggar, 1988[/B]cy Jones[/SIZE]
Interview with Jonathan Moffett Micheal's drummer
Valmai: Jonathan, I’d like to ask you a few questions about Michael now. You worked with him for many years after he became a solo artist. What was it like to tour with him? Are there any experiences you are able to share perhaps, that were funny or poignant or that stand out above all the rest?
Jonathan: I have to say that working with Michael was amazing, absolutely amazing! That’s no overuse of the term and the word because he was such a genius; beyond the word genius a lot of times. Michael was a true genius. His gifts and his talents, his dancing and singing just denoted that he was a genius, you know? Everybody all over the world was in love with him. His sound and his moves, his image, his nature, I mean, he was just truly, truly gifted and blessed.
Working with him, and watching and learning from him, from a genius, lifts your abilities up, your vision, your view, your capabilities and possibilities. It was brilliant for me having the opportunity to work with Michael. I learned a tremendous amount from him; working with him on how to do things the right way, on perfection, on the meticulous, on dynamic’s and on being bigger than life. That was one term he always loved to use, “It’s gotta be bigger than life, and to make such an impression on people they will never forget it for the rest of their lives.” So working with Michael was just phenomenal.
To watch him dance at each concert was like me looking for a new planet; a new galaxy and discovering it because every time you think you know all of his moves, as I mentioned earlier, he does something that just dazzles you. And I’m back there; I’m supposed to be working, but I’m back there screaming and shouting, “Go Michael!” I’m like the fan on the other side of stage, but it was so amazing when he did something so totally, totally stunning. Every night I looked forward to that.
And his voice was just so remarkable and emotional and passionate, way beyond most people. There are very few singers who have such great passion and emotion, Stevie being one of them, but there’s a very, very limited amount of artists that can evoke such emotion. That, coupled with the dance, coupled with the imagery and his vision that he brings into concert, it’s just unparalleled. And the greatest of technology in his shows, his vision and creativity as you see in This Is It, how to put together a show and how to make things beyond belief so to speak, Michael had that. I learned a great deal from him and working with him was one of the greatest treasures. It was one of the greatest experiences of my life and career to work with the absolute best in the world. It was just amazing. I learned a lot in putting together a show and performances and theatrics and stuff.
But, one of the special moments can be found on one DVD. I think it’s on You Tube. We were in Germany filming for a live broadcast, and during the middle of the show he’s talking a little bit in the middle of the stage between songs. This little bug comes on stage, a love bug or some kind beetle bug. It’s on the floor and he sees it. He gets so concerned about this little bug and says, “Wait, wait, wait, there’s a bug on stage.” And people started laughing. He said, “Security, Security...Come get the bug.”
So people started cracking up and laughing, but he wouldn’t let the show go on because he was afraid he was going to step on the bug. And people started clapping because he had that kind of concern. Something as simple as that, as caring and emotional as that was a great moment, and a glimpse into his life as to whom he was. He stops a big production, a big machine of a production to protect this little bug so it didn’t get hurt with the dancers all over the stage. So that was a very special moment I think; something as simple as that, but very dynamic that he would have that much concern for the smallest life was very special. That’s one thing that stood out in mind as part of the show. His performance speaks for itself, but outside the performance, it shows the human being that he was.
Valmai: Yes, and I’ve seen that video; I’ve seen it on You Tube.
Jonathan: Yeah, it was a magic moment.
Valmai: Oh, yes, very. Jonathan do you feel that Michael helped you to become a better musician?
Jonathan: Of course, yes, absolutely! Working with and observing from behind, I had the best seat in the house. Observing from behind the greatness and magnitude of the performance, and watching how he delivers dynamics and excitement in his performance, you learn a lot in the process of putting a show together. Like on This Is It, everybody could see how he puts it together, and I’ve been in behind the scenes watching that for thirty years and learning from him. So now I have great confidence when I do my shows.
I’m doing tribute shows for Michael now and people really enjoy it. They feel like it’s a “Michael” show. It’s a one man show; just me, slides and his voice and music from his tour and songs. A lot of comments were that they felt like it was a "Michael show." I didn’t have all the big production. It’s just my giant, giant drum set, and I perform just like we were on tour, as if it was a concert with Michael. That and learning how to put together the right slide at the right time, right moments, and from working with Michael, made that show work. If I had the budget that Michael had, I feel that I could carry on the legacy and the tradition and the class that Michael foresaw because I learned a lot from him; watching how he does it and being around him.
Valmai: Michael was a master at synchronizing his dancers and musicians so that they flowed together in a seamless and perfect harmony. Can you give us a glimpse into his creative genius? Is there a story that you could tell us that we don’t already know?
Jonathan: Well, that question is a testimony and demonstration to how much he knows his music. To direct everybody, to know when something is missing, one single note in a chord, he knows it. He points it out, “Something’s wrong with that chord. What’s wrong with that chord? There’s a note missing.” Then he will actually hum the note; sing it out aloud, “daaaaaaaaa”…“Where’ s that note? That note’s supposed to be there.” I’ve seen him time and time and time again do that. The same thing with the guitar parts. He’ll describe it; he knows that, he knows everything.
When we didn’t have percussions, we’d have the percussion parts in the computer that we would play to, and if a certain rhythm or pattern, (we had so many rhythms and patterns overlapping each other) if a certain element wasn’t there, he felt it. He feels everything, and his emotions tell him there’s something missing. He’ll think about this and he knows exactly what part is not there, what rhythm is not happening that doesn’t make the machine run smoothly. It’s like an engine. If one of the valves is out it stutters, it splutters you know, and he can feel that it’s not running smoothly. Michael knows all his music like that, and when all the valves are timed and running right and firing properly, Michael knows when it’s right because he feels it emotionally. He has the knowledge of how the music was put together. So I think that’s remarkable and it really answers that question. His band is so tight because he knows when something is missing.
We do all the homework and learn it; we’re supposed to learn it and come to rehearsal. That’s what we are getting paid for, and I make sure, that’s why Michael likes me there because he knows I do that with no excuses. He just trusts me totally because I have the same mentality. It’s got to be perfect, it’s got to be right, it’s got to be what the artist wants because that’s what I am getting paid to do. He never checked me once to make it right for him so he can get his best show. I gotta get my best show just so he can get his best show. He’s counting on me, and the whole show is counting on me. How can I let them down? I can’t. That’s my mentality, there’s no way.
So he trusts that everybody will be that way, and that’s why he hires you; the people that are capable of delivering that. If you’re with him on stage or in rehearsals, it’s because he trusts that you’re on the same level for focus and concentration and desire to be your best. Now sometimes some people fall short, you know, get a little lazy or don’t learn anything right or don’t perform it right, that’s when, like in the movie, he got on the keyboard player. He was the Music Director and Michael had to kind of teach him again. So sometimes that happens unfortunately, but for the most part we all get there and we do what we’re supposed to do. Michael refines it. He’s the chef so he’s putting more seasoning in here and there, “Change this and change that. Play that with maybe a little more attitude right here.” He refines it and mixes all the ingredients together. It’s a recipe, and he makes sure it’s a good dish to serve to the public so that they enjoy the meal of music.
Valmai: But I think that was part of his genius. With Michael, he just seemed to know everything about every element of the music. And like you said, he felt it inside. I think that’s what set him apart from a lot of other artists.
Jonathan: Everything is emotion; everything is emotion and feelings. You know, to see things with emotions is just like having a different vision; an emotional vision. I’m that way so that’s why I understand him. I’m exactly that way. I can work with him with ease and it’s easy for me. He and I are cut from the same cloth. He knew it and I know it, so you know, I just thought there was a magic between us. It was something that he felt that’s why he wanted me there. I feel fortunate and blessed to have been able to function on that level and to please somebody like him. I’m all about wanting to please the person and make them want me back, and that second gig and the call backs are more important than the first one. The first one you’re trying to prove to yourself. The second one is proving that you did prove yourself and they want you. So they mean more than the first time you work with somebody.
Valmai: And you were very, very blessed. You really were.
Jonathan: I know, I know. I don’t take it for granted. I will always cherish it and I’m very grateful.
Valmai: Jonathan, people speak of an energy around Michael; a light. Did you ever feel that?
Jonathan: All the time, every time I am around him. That’s why you know you are in the presence of greatness. That’s why you know you’re in the presence of somebody special. Just count the number of fans and people and the multitude that love him around the world. He’s one man loved by... CNN said that over one billion people mourned Michael from all the remote areas of the world, as well as all the known areas. What other human being can draw that much sympathy and that much hurt from their loss. Michael had something special, a radiance, and when you were in his presence the whole room changed.
People would say, "Michael’s coming," and everybody got nervous. As soon as you had the vision of him, even just knowing he was coming, you felt something, like a tingle happening. Just to watch him walk through the door, it’s like all the molecules in the air stop and you can pinch them with your finger; pick them up. It’s like you could see the smallest speck; you could see the molecules in the air when Michael walked in the room. He changed them; the molecular structure of the air. And that’s the equation of what happens when Michael enters, and everybody in the room felt it and knew it. Then their attitudes and personalities would change. They would perk up their attention, but they would always say, “There’s something with him. When he came in I got nervous. I felt something!” And I would hear that over and over again and I would say, “I know, I know. I’ve been feeling it for thirty years.”
And he was just so pleasant; just something with his imagery. Everybody radiates from a different frequency, and Michael had the highest level of energy I think without being from another world. His gift and his humanity of spirit were just so powerful and great and deep. He was a different human being from most of us; from all of us. He did affect everybody that came around him, from leaders of the world to normal folk, from children to people, grandmothers. Every single person that’s been around him said they felt something, that I remember seeing or talking to.
And that’s why people cry. People absolutely cry. I would sit on stage and watch them pass bodies, like back in the medieval days when people died of the plague. You would see them lift bodies, arms dangling and legs, heads swinging, and there was like an ocean of people with their arms up passing bodies to the front, to the gate. There would be a line-up there of emergency vehicles... five, ten of them lined up. There were stretchers and triages back there. One by one, people were passing them forward; sometimes a multitude of bodies moving across the crowd being passed to the rescue people. They would give them smelling salts and try to revive them. Some people were just totally gone, unconscious, you know, like totally no life in them, and that’s just from being in that stadium with Michael. I just got to just sit back there and marvel at it. It was just the most powerful thing to see, and that’s just from that one man in the center of the stage. He made even men pass out; women and men. That’s a power and Michael knew it. He knew he was gifted with something special, a purpose; uniting the world and uniting people.
Valmai: In the movie This Is It, you talk of Michael being a gift of God, sent to teach us to love; how to love and how to be. What did you learn from him that you remember every day now?
Jonathan: That every body’s a human being. Beyond the classification and categories, we are a human race. Michael treated everyone the same no matter what race, religion, and creed. You would see him all over the world on television; with all nations, all people, friends, foe’s, enemies alike, he was always the same. He didn’t stop his love of people or children especially. He would go to one of our worst enemies, the Nation, and he would love the children there and visit them at the hospitals.
And these are some of the kids that might grow up and decide to attack America, or whoever. Michael didn’t see that. He saw the child, the human being, the blessing of life from God. He would give them the gift of money and might even buy a kidney for the same people out of his hard earned money, and he wouldn’t think anything at all about it.
Whatever it cost; buying machinery for the hospitals all over the world, people have benefited from Michael’s gift of life, from the machines that keep these people alive at the hospitals. The kidney for a child, the transplants that Michael paid for out of his own pocket and asking for nothing, most people didn’t know about it until after he passed away or how much he really did. He asked for no publicity. He wasn’t in the newspaper. A foreign newspaper the next day didn’t credit him. That was one of his criteria; nobody knew. He didn’t want it to get publicity because he did it out of his heart.
People say Michael was broke and he was in debt for 300-400 million, but now it’s come out that Michael was one of the greatest, if not the greatest philanthropist that ever lived, and he had given away over 300 something million dollars of his own money he worked for. If he had that 300 something million dollars, I guess he wouldn’t be broke would he? No, I doubt it.
Valmai: No, he wouldn’t.
Jonathan: It’s the same amount as what they say he was in debt for. Out of his kindness and generosity and love for people that he didn’t even know and that didn’t really know him, he gave away to help, and then of course he had money problems?
I’m that way; I was raised that way too. I see the transparency; people might as well have skin I can see through because I see the heart, the spirit. That’s another way Michael and I were related also. We recognize the same things in each other. We both love children. They’re the closest we will ever get to God, especially in a newborn infant. That’s the closest we will get to seeing God and being with God. So Michael was the same way; we related to each other in that way. We knew without even speaking of it. We knew we had like minds that recognized one another without even saying the words.
One of the things I learned is that I’m doing the right thing. I’m living the right way by being open-spirited. Michael proved that it does work, that it can work and it can make a difference. It can bring a multitude of people together because he did it. He proved it unselfishly. So I learned it’s possible because Michael proved it.
Valmai: Do you think Michael used his music as a way to get his message out there?
Jonathan: Of course. It’s evident in his music and songs; a lot of his songs. I mean, he made some shake your booty music too, but a lot of his important music is his message music, and people appreciated it in such a way they didn’t feel like they were being preached too. They wanted to hear it; the music about concern, about love and togetherness. A lot of times people shun away from that music because we feel like we’re being preached too, like we’re at church. We don’t want to hear that. Michael had such a way and such a nature that people wanted to hear it and loved hearing it. It didn’t sound like a sermon or preaching. They were curious and they wanted to become that; they wanted to see that vision he put forth.
He was a prophet in a way you know, in his music; a modern day prophet. Like I said, he was sent by God to enlighten, much like the prophets of old times. A lot of people don’t recognize it because he’s different in that he’s an entertainer, and he was sent in that form of being an entertainer, so a lot of people overlooked the prophecy he was teaching. His teachings of love and concern; you can hear about his concern with "Earth Song," and other songs he preached concern for the planet and people, for humanity, for one another. I think he’s a wonderful human being. I think he’s a lesson for everybody to learn and model after in that light; the light of concern and caring for one another. Sure would be a better world if everybody did.
Valmai: I know, it would, wouldn’t it? That’s why I think it’s so important to continue the legacy that he left for us.
Jonathan: Exactly! I agree.
Valmai: What do you want a generation 100 years from now to know about Michael?
Jonathan: That he was a man of power; of positive power that brought people together in the time that he lived. He brought people from all walks of life, all Nationalities and like I said, friends and foes alike. He was healing in the spirit because he healed a lot of people with his music and with his spirit. Being in his presence when he visited the hospitals, the children would be miraculously healed, I was told. Michael should be remembered for being one of the most positive human and unselfish human beings that ever lived. He just happened to be a singer and dancer too.
Valmai: So Jonathan, what are your plans for the future? Do have any tours coming up? Are you working on anything at present? Any albums?
Jonathan: Yeah, I’m working with the group Cameo, the funk band. Cameo has been around since 1977-’78. I’ve been with them since ’82 off and on. They let me go for someone like Madonna or Michael; they let me go do that. They say they don’t want to stop me from making that big money, but my chair is always there. “When you come back let us know. When you come back you’ll be right back in.” So, since Michael passed I’ve been back with them. I left them to do This Is It with Michael, and then afterwards I needed a little time off you know, because it was too much; I couldn’t work right away. So, when I was ready I called them up and they took me right back in. I’ve been back with them since November of 2009, and still working with them.
I’ve been working with Jermaine Jackson; he wanted to do a tribute show to Michael. I work on my own one-man tribute show, like I mentioned, and I work with promoters now who try to book me around the country and hopefully around the world you know, to continue the legacy and the music. I’m Michael’s drummer so I want to continue playing with Michael, the music, the tracks and talking about him, and let people know the magic he and I had together; the caring he had and to keep sharing his music. It’s not like having him there, but with the images and playing to his voice, playing to his tracks, it’s almost like that. It’s the next best thing, you know, not like playing with a cover band or a look-a-like, I would never do that, and I wouldn’t want to do that. This is like playing with Michael; his image is there, his voice is there and all the fans say they felt Michael in the room. This is as close as I can get to that now, and I love doing it because I always loved playing his songs, his music, and hearing his voice and playing with him. So I’m doing that as well as Cameo.
There’s something huge on the horizon I can’t talk about right now, but it’s forth-coming. I just can’t talk about it right now. It’s gonna be unbelievable and I’ve been talking with some people about it. So that’s happening. I’ve got my own music; I have a lot of music much like Michael’s. Like I said, we are very like-spirited, like-minded. I have message music and I’m working on an album, somewhat like Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On; a message album that’s very commercial, but still songs based on the topic of life and humanity, much like Michael’s songs of that nature. It’s in the works now, and I have songs fully or partially written, and I have lots of other music. I have two hundred songs in the works at one stage or another, so I’m trying to get my music finished and ready for release this or next year.
I’m working on a book; a coffee table book that encompasses my career, my artwork. Like I said, I’m an artist and a designer. I design all my drum sets that people see and like. I design clothes; I design bass guitars and other things. The book’s going to have my poetry; my mindset. My mindset is when I watch TV, CNN or anything, and if something comes up about love, society, humanity; everybody has got their own opinion, but I write mine down and my viewpoints so to speak on all of these issues. Then I sign it and date it and people know that in that specific moment of my lifetime; I even put the time, say between 10:12 and 10:25 when I finish thinking and writing it, I put the time I finish, so people can specifically see where Jonathan Moffett’s mind and heart was at that specific point in his life. I have writing like that which goes all the way back to ’76. I’m compiling and working on a book to release those things, along with my coffee table book.
All the memorabilia; I’ve done 24, 25…gotta count, get the number right…I’ve done 24 or 25 major tours in my 32 years of professionalism, and I kept all the memorabilia, pretty much all 99% of it. I’m going to take photographs of it all and that’s going to be in the coffee table book as well. And DVDs’ of the travel footage I have, the sound checks, family footage of people here in New Orleans, so it’s going to be a great multi-media book. I’ve been working on it a number of years now compiling, and I hope to get that out in the next year or two, and a book of poetry.
I mean a lot of things I am working on; drumming and elements of the drumming world. I have never done a drum video so I’m going to be doing a drum video in the next year or two; instructional video. A drum book, so people can read and learn my patterns. There’s just a great multitude of things I have in the works but I’ve been working with others so much, I haven’t had the quality of time to really finish my own projects.
Valmai: The book sounds incredible. You will have to let me know when it’s published because I really want to own a copy of it. Jonathan, I am so grateful you did this interview; I’m so excited about it and it’s been wonderful talking to you. You have given me such an insight into Michael just hearing you talk; it’s just been wonderful, it really has, and I want to thank you very much.
Jonathan: You’re so welcome, so welcome. It’s great talking about things. I want the world to remember him.
He was a prophet in a way you know, in his music; a modern day prophet. Like I said, he was sent by God to enlighten, much like the prophets of old times. A lot of people don’t recognize it because he’s different in that he’s an entertainer, and he was sent in that form of being an entertainer, so a lot of people overlooked the prophecy he was teaching. His teachings of love and concern; you can hear about his concern with "Earth Song," and other songs he preached concern for the planet and people, for humanity, for one another. I think he’s a wonderful human being. I think he’s a lesson for everybody to learn and model after in that light; the light of concern and caring for one another. Sure would be a better world if everybody did.
Valmai: I know, it would, wouldn’t it? That’s why I think it’s so important to continue the legacy that he left for us.
Jonathan: Exactly! I agree.
Valmai: What do you want a generation 100 years from now to know about Michael?
Jonathan: That he was a man of power; of positive power that brought people together in the time that he lived. He brought people from all walks of life, all Nationalities and like I said, friends and foes alike. He was healing in the spirit because he healed a lot of people with his music and with his spirit. Being in his presence when he visited the hospitals, the children would be miraculously healed, I was told. Michael should be remembered for being one of the most positive human and unselfish human beings that ever lived. He just happened to be a singer and dancer too.
Valmai: So Jonathan, what are your plans for the future? Do have any tours coming up? Are you working on anything at present? Any albums?
Jonathan: Yeah, I’m working with the group Cameo, the funk band. Cameo has been around since 1977-’78. I’ve been with them since ’82 off and on. They let me go for someone like Madonna or Michael; they let me go do that. They say they don’t want to stop me from making that big money, but my chair is always there. “When you come back let us know. When you come back you’ll be right back in.” So, since Michael passed I’ve been back with them. I left them to do This Is It with Michael, and then afterwards I needed a little time off you know, because it was too much; I couldn’t work right away. So, when I was ready I called them up and they took me right back in. I’ve been back with them since November of 2009, and still working with them.
I’ve been working with Jermaine Jackson; he wanted to do a tribute show to Michael. I work on my own one-man tribute show, like I mentioned, and I work with promoters now who try to book me around the country and hopefully around the world you know, to continue the legacy and the music. I’m Michael’s drummer so I want to continue playing with Michael, the music, the tracks and talking about him, and let people know the magic he and I had together; the caring he had and to keep sharing his music. It’s not like having him there, but with the images and playing to his voice, playing to his tracks, it’s almost like that. It’s the next best thing, you know, not like playing with a cover band or a look-a-like, I would never do that, and I wouldn’t want to do that. This is like playing with Michael; his image is there, his voice is there and all the fans say they felt Michael in the room. This is as close as I can get to that now, and I love doing it because I always loved playing his songs, his music, and hearing his voice and playing with him. So I’m doing that as well as Cameo.
There’s something huge on the horizon I can’t talk about right now, but it’s forth-coming. I just can’t talk about it right now. It’s gonna be unbelievable and I’ve been talking with some people about it. So that’s happening. I’ve got my own music; I have a lot of music much like Michael’s. Like I said, we are very like-spirited, like-minded. I have message music and I’m working on an album, somewhat like Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On; a message album that’s very commercial, but still songs based on the topic of life and humanity, much like Michael’s songs of that nature. It’s in the works now, and I have songs fully or partially written, and I have lots of other music. I have two hundred songs in the works at one stage or another, so I’m trying to get my music finished and ready for release this or next year.
I’m working on a book; a coffee table book that encompasses my career, my artwork. Like I said, I’m an artist and a designer. I design all my drum sets that people see and like. I design clothes; I design bass guitars and other things. The book’s going to have my poetry; my mindset. My mindset is when I watch TV, CNN or anything, and if something comes up about love, society, humanity; everybody has got their own opinion, but I write mine down and my viewpoints so to speak on all of these issues. Then I sign it and date it and people know that in that specific moment of my lifetime; I even put the time, say between 10:12 and 10:25 when I finish thinking and writing it, I put the time I finish, so people can specifically see where Jonathan Moffett’s mind and heart was at that specific point in his life. I have writing like that which goes all the way back to ’76. I’m compiling and working on a book to release those things, along with my coffee table book.
All the memorabilia; I’ve done 24, 25…gotta count, get the number right…I’ve done 24 or 25 major tours in my 32 years of professionalism, and I kept all the memorabilia, pretty much all 99% of it. I’m going to take photographs of it all and that’s going to be in the coffee table book as well. And DVDs’ of the travel footage I have, the sound checks, family footage of people here in New Orleans, so it’s going to be a great multi-media book. I’ve been working on it a number of years now compiling, and I hope to get that out in the next year or two, and a book of poetry.
I mean a lot of things I am working on; drumming and elements of the drumming world. I have never done a drum video so I’m going to be doing a drum video in the next year or two; instructional video. A drum book, so people can read and learn my patterns. There’s just a great multitude of things I have in the works but I’ve been working with others so much, I haven’t had the quality of time to really finish my own projects.
Valmai: The book sounds incredible. You will have to let me know when it’s published because I really want to own a copy of it. Jonathan, I am so grateful you did this interview; I’m so excited about it and it’s been wonderful talking to you. You have given me such an insight into Michael just hearing you talk; it’s just been wonderful, it really has, and I want to thank you very much.
Jonathan: You’re so welcome, so welcome. It’s great talking about things. I want the world to remember him.
Oprah's 1993 MJ Pre-Interview Show
am inteles ca aceste video nu se mai gasesc pe yt, asa ca le puteti descarca de aici
Oprah's daytime show on the morning of her live 1993 interview with Michael was devoted to interviewing Michael's friends. Not available on YouTube. In six parts, each 10 minutes or less. I've noted a few highlights and comments.
1) Introduction and Elizabeth Taylor.
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=A9CLYMO7
Elizabeth Taylor. "We're joined at the hip." At Oprah's question, "Why do you think he's so misunderstood," she replies "Because he doesn't try to explain himself."
2) Brooke Shields.â
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=F5KY5I2K
Brooke Shields. "We're closer now than we ever were. We love each other..." "We both did and still do" have "crushes" on each other. When Oprah asks if he's "more like a brother than a boyfriend," she replies "It's hard to say..."
3) Iman.
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=SJOXRYQM
Iman. "I found him hilarious... and a very, VERY good kisser, I must add!" (with a suggestive chuckle). "He could make anybody feel comfortable around him -- so I didn't understand what people were saying..." "What inspires me about Michael are his humanitarian efforts."
4) Gladys Knight, Smoky Robinson, Dick Clark, Suzanne DePasse.
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=L6Y9N663
Dick Clark. "I treat him like one of my own kids. I tease him that he's my fourth child. I love him." He speaks of how he worried about how the constant mobbing forced Michael into seclusion, and first recommended a fat suit as a disguise. (Later the media would discuss his seclusion as an example of his weirdness, omitting why it was necessary).
Gladys Knight, on first seeing him perform, "I thought he was so magnificent." On the Jackson 5 discovery, "Let's clear this up once and for all..." She, with Suzanne DePasse next, explain how they (not Diana Ross, despite Motown's spin) discovered the group. Suzanne: he "blew me away."
Smokey Robinson, commenting on MJ's recent performance at the Superbowl: "He WAS the Superbowl!" "He was always far beyond his years in his talent."
Suzanne discusses the tensions that eventually developed within the group. "Michael got teased more" she said. "There are ways your older brothers can exact revenge that don't necessarily have to do with what happens on onstage." They all agreed that Michael did not have a childhood.
Suzanne said "He's a big gossip, you know. He loves to gossip. I've never known anybody who loves to gossip more than Michael!"
5) Michael's Love for Children.
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=NODOF0QR
Starts with 7-year-old Amy and her parents; she's the child closest to him at his 1993 Superbowl performance of "Heal the World."
In a poignant moment given the extortion attempt about to occur, Amy says she enjoys joining other children and Michael at Neverland playing. "When I go up [to Neverland] I spend most of my time doing it." "Playing." Oprah clarifies. The audience keeps chuckling while Oprah tries to continue. Oprah humorously turns to them and says "She's a child, would y'all, please!" What a lesson in how one's preconceptions govern whether you give someone the benefit of the doubt. Of course, after the first extortion attempt, the media would switch to reporting only on male children seen with Michael.
Ryan White's parents.
6) Michael Jackson: Sex Icon.
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=Z19JC9AF
Oprah: "Grown women admit when they reveal their fantasies about the man who thrills them, Michael Jackson!"
Oprah's daytime show on the morning of her live 1993 interview with Michael was devoted to interviewing Michael's friends. Not available on YouTube. In six parts, each 10 minutes or less. I've noted a few highlights and comments.
1) Introduction and Elizabeth Taylor.
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=A9CLYMO7
Elizabeth Taylor. "We're joined at the hip." At Oprah's question, "Why do you think he's so misunderstood," she replies "Because he doesn't try to explain himself."
2) Brooke Shields.â
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=F5KY5I2K
Brooke Shields. "We're closer now than we ever were. We love each other..." "We both did and still do" have "crushes" on each other. When Oprah asks if he's "more like a brother than a boyfriend," she replies "It's hard to say..."
3) Iman.
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=SJOXRYQM
Iman. "I found him hilarious... and a very, VERY good kisser, I must add!" (with a suggestive chuckle). "He could make anybody feel comfortable around him -- so I didn't understand what people were saying..." "What inspires me about Michael are his humanitarian efforts."
4) Gladys Knight, Smoky Robinson, Dick Clark, Suzanne DePasse.
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=L6Y9N663
Dick Clark. "I treat him like one of my own kids. I tease him that he's my fourth child. I love him." He speaks of how he worried about how the constant mobbing forced Michael into seclusion, and first recommended a fat suit as a disguise. (Later the media would discuss his seclusion as an example of his weirdness, omitting why it was necessary).
Gladys Knight, on first seeing him perform, "I thought he was so magnificent." On the Jackson 5 discovery, "Let's clear this up once and for all..." She, with Suzanne DePasse next, explain how they (not Diana Ross, despite Motown's spin) discovered the group. Suzanne: he "blew me away."
Smokey Robinson, commenting on MJ's recent performance at the Superbowl: "He WAS the Superbowl!" "He was always far beyond his years in his talent."
Suzanne discusses the tensions that eventually developed within the group. "Michael got teased more" she said. "There are ways your older brothers can exact revenge that don't necessarily have to do with what happens on onstage." They all agreed that Michael did not have a childhood.
Suzanne said "He's a big gossip, you know. He loves to gossip. I've never known anybody who loves to gossip more than Michael!"
5) Michael's Love for Children.
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=NODOF0QR
Starts with 7-year-old Amy and her parents; she's the child closest to him at his 1993 Superbowl performance of "Heal the World."
In a poignant moment given the extortion attempt about to occur, Amy says she enjoys joining other children and Michael at Neverland playing. "When I go up [to Neverland] I spend most of my time doing it." "Playing." Oprah clarifies. The audience keeps chuckling while Oprah tries to continue. Oprah humorously turns to them and says "She's a child, would y'all, please!" What a lesson in how one's preconceptions govern whether you give someone the benefit of the doubt. Of course, after the first extortion attempt, the media would switch to reporting only on male children seen with Michael.
Ryan White's parents.
6) Michael Jackson: Sex Icon.
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=Z19JC9AF
Oprah: "Grown women admit when they reveal their fantasies about the man who thrills them, Michael Jackson!"
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