Singer/songwriter Lionel Richie at premier of Michael Jackson's This Is It in Japan.
(AP/photo by Shizuo Kambahyashi)
For Part 1 of this special 4-part series by Aberjhani please click here . Part 3 begins now:
Upon completing a jaw-dropping work-out to “Billie Jean” that stuns fellow dancers as they look on, Michael Jackson states with noted dissatisfaction, “At least we got a feel of it.” His co-stars applaud loudly because they know they have just witnessed something too marvelous to believe. Yet they also knew when signing on how high the bar of expectations would be set and are thrilled to hear Jackson dismiss his nearly flawless performance so casually.
Something similar occurs following his duet with vocalist Judith Hill on the song “I Just Can’t Stop Loving You.” To the delight of dancers, musicians, and crew members watching from offstage, the singers give in to the heat of the passionate musical moment, their voices roaring erotic tension and romantic desperation. As the song concludes, Jackson motions for Hill to turn and face their audience. Then he quips, “You shouldn’t let me sing like that, I’ve got to save my voice for the performance.”
His point is taken and ignored at the same time as the audience of colleagues applauds. Clearly, the director in Jackson wants to keep his exertions at a certain restrained level while the performance artist in him is chomping at the bits to liberate himself from the stagnation of years spent away from the concert stage at home with his children.
A Spotlight on Excellence and A Fan of Humor
Speaking to reporters shortly after the performer’s death the brilliant music producer Quincy Jones noted, “Michael was the most professional person I ever worked with in my life ––ever, in every way. In fact, we used to set up a stand when he sang. He'd do his dances and just have a spotlight on the stand ––a pin spot on the stand. And he'd do his dances and do his twists and everything else while he was singing. He was absolutely amazing.”
Legendary music producer Quincy Jones (left) and the Honorable
Ewart Brown, Premier of Bermuda. (PRNews Foto by Chris Burville)
Fortunately, he was also a fan of humor and This Is It contains healthy doses of it to balance the strenuous labor, such as when Jackson and musical director Michael Bearden playfully debate adding “a little more booty” to the tempo for the song “The Way You Make Me Feel.” And whether intentional or not, humor is also present when a woman choreographer coaches a group of male dancers on the proper way to grab their crotches for a particular routine. What her instructions do not include, and what most have never heard, is how this especially infamous gesture by Jackson likely evolved out of a comedy skit by the late genius Richard Pryor.
In the routine, Pryor answered the question of why African-American men in the last century tended sometimes to hold their crotches by asserting that they were, “Checking to make sure it [genitalia] was still there.” This was a stinging satirical reference to the late nineteenth and early twentieth century Jim Crow practice of castration during racial lynching.
One Peak Achievement to Another
A major part of Jackson’s strategy throughout his career as an adult seems to have been not only to work so hard that he would achieve recognition as the best in his field, but to set standards so high that any performances he considered below par were perceived or experienced by others as superb. Therefore, even in a state of being described as “tarnished” or “fallen” the only thing he could do was continue to shine by virtue of artistic excellence.
Movie audience in Paris prepares to watch Michael Jackson's This Is it.
(AP Photo by Christopher Enaa)
The perseverance, repetition of routines, employment of technological innovation, and commanding team leadership he exhibits are components of a work ethic distilled from a life spent in studios and on the road, making and living some of the best music the world has ever hummed. Such an ethic provides priceless lessons in the kind of self-discipline that any creative artist must accomplish in order to sustain a career moving forward from one peak achievement to another.
by Aberjhani
NEXT: Work and Soul in Michael Jackson’s This Is It Special Series Part 4 by Aberjhani, the National African American Art Examiner and author/co-author of eight books including ELEMENTAL, The Power of Illuminated Love and Encyclopedia of the Harlem Renaissance.
- The Work and Soul of Michael Jackson's This Is It Part 1: The Human Nature of the Dance
- The Work and Soul of Michael Jackson's This is It Part 2: The Miracle of Children
- Work and Soul in Michael Jackson's This Is It Part 4 The Existential Spirit
- A Moonwalking Giant Lies Down to Rest
- Michael Jackson's This Is it on IMDB
- Michael Jackson's This Is It Movie Website
- Michael Jackson Legacies of a Monwalking Philanthropist
- Michael Jackson and Philanthropy at Jackson Aciton
- To Walk a Lifetime in Michael Jackson's Moccasins
- The World Lets Go While Holding on to Michael Jackson
- A Visit with Janet Jackson
Comments
actualy that should say "Thank You"
Thanks for including me in your email subscriptions. Are you aware of the remarks Quincy Jones made regarding Michael's "bleached" skin and the color of his kids? Q said he was disgusted because obviously Michael wanted to be white. I heard it out of his own mouth. Also, did you read a few days ago that some firm made a hologram of Michael "before he disfigured his nose," and that they envisioned letting Michael "live on" with this hologram, possibly even doing short films with this manipulated image? I saw that you really liked the "Back in the Day piece in GQ. I thought it deteriorated once the writer began quoting Halperin. To me, his wording suggests that the gossip about Michael's sex life, spouted by a "source" gossip, was no different from any of the other slanderous statement made by so many people after MJ's death. As far as "frozen adolescent" is concerned, that is in the eye of the beholder. Michael admired Jesus and wanted to model his life as much after him as he could,
including the practice of staying open to love no matter how much others betrayed him, remaining pure and childlike, etc. To me, it seems like a conscious choice. Just because the rest of us are so jaded that we are uncomfortable with unconditionally offered love does not make MJ wrong in this. Thanks for your time.
You are welcome Julie and Gina.
It wasn't so much that I really liked the "Back in the Day" piece in GQ as I respected the writer's efforts and individual perspective. Most commercial magazines are going to present some measure of slant that caters to the sensationalism of the media moment and yes, the writer did go there. My own journalistic instincts are informed and motivated by different concerns and I write, so to speak, to the beat of a different drummer.
Quincy Jones loved Michael Jackson and for me that is the definitive statement regarding their friendship.
Being the titan of entertainment that he was and still is, there are always going to be those who cash in on exaggerations regarding Jackson, and who overlook the higher aspects of his personality simply because they are not prepared to comprehend them. I don't mean to sound condescending when I make that statement but I know what I have seen.
You should find Part 4 of this series very interesting Gina.
Ab
Aha! I'm looking forward to part 4. By the way, the Aphrodite Jones book is well-written, fair, and clarifying. I do believe, as the GQ piece said, that Michael Jackson made himself into a work of art. I don't even care how he got there. MJ was a man who was handed many lemons and proceeded to keep on making the best lemonade he knew how.
I've read and enjoyed parts 1, 2 and now 3 of your 'Work and Soul in Michael Jackson' articles, and look forward to part 4. I've also read and enjoyed some of your other MJ articles/series. In fact, I just pulled up a search of all of your articles and plan to read them as time permits. God bless you and keep up the great work.
--MiMi
New Orleans, LoUiSiAna
I attended an afternoon showing of THIS IS IT and thought I was to be the only one in the theater until 3 others crept in during the previews. While I had originally thought it would be terrific fun to attend a packed showing of exuberant fans cheering, dancing and singing along, I was ultimately grateful for the more intimate venue. I was mesmerized from the moment Michael appeared on the screen. I couldn’t take my eyes off of him. My feet were moving the whole time but I had to hold back my urge to head bopping… I didn’t want to do anything to interrupt what my eyes were seeing. It was BAD. It was DANGEROUS. And I LOVED IT. He will always be the King. I cry for him still.
I have so much to say to you all: Aberjhani, Gina, Scarlett, I can't do justice to it in this space. But the sum total of what I've read in these articles, Aberjhani, and your responses, Gina & Scarlett, constitutes the most intelligent and uplifting discourse I've come across in months on MJ & This Is It. Thank you all! While I agree with your critique of Sullivan's GQ piece, Gina, I cut him some slack because of the courage he showed in other ways--especially the view that Jackson was not mutilated. I like to think Sullivan regrets the "sources say" crap he included. Scarlett: I went to the midnight show first; it was surreal (I'm a little too old to stay up that late). I went again to a matinee with about the same number of people you had; you could have been describing me--right down to the mesmerized bopping. Aberjhani: as a journalist myself, I've been ashamed of our profession on this topic (as on so many others); you give me hope.
Thank you for your very kind comments Fleurdimini, Scarlett, and Tammy. I think a lot of mainstream journalists have opted to compromise their sense of professional integrity out of anxiety over the precarious state of the newspapers and the competitive state of electronic media. Even Katie Couric said part of the reason she was so tough with Palin in their interview was because "I had to save my job." Whatever exactly that meant.
This specific format allows me greater flexibility and to follow my instincts, which some have argued can be more literary than journalistic, and explore topics in ways that I might not be able to if I were writing for a mainstream publication.
Your hopefulness Tammy inspires me to keep stretching and reaching to get better.
Aberjhani
Tammy... Thank you for your kind words. Please read Aphrodite Jones' book. It is terrific, and eye opening. As for the GQ article, I gave it a bit of slack because of its enlightening reference to Michael's grandfathers (including great, and great-great) being named PRINCE. I sat stunned in front of the revelation. Really? Michael Jackson's grandfathers were named Prince? In all of the years of skewering the man for his "oddities" and for the "bizarre" names of his children not one journalist mentioned his maternal heritage of men named Prince? How could this be? What a disservice to this beautiful, talented man. We should all be ashamed. I listen to his music every day.
One last thing... I believe that Michael's face was quite beautiful all of his life. I accept him for who he was in every decade. I would love to have been his friend, if only for one brief afternoon...
Michael's face never changed because the spirit inside it remained steadfast. When I look at his features from small boy to man of many experiences, it is that shining spirit I see. I see it also in the faces of his children, especially his daughter Paris. During the memorial service, I saw that Prince had vitiligo on his hand. Today, there was a brief news article mentioning that he has the condition, which, the commentator said, would indicate that he is MJ's natural son. Considering all the hoopla about who his "real" father might be, you'd think this would be a newsworthy item, but it didn't get more than a short paragraph. According to Quincy, MJ not only wanted white children, but his skin problem and the "bubble" on his lung were a figment of his imagination. But the autopsy report states both these conditions were real. (Continued)
(continued from previous page) Once, during the trial, MJ came to court late, wearing PJ bottoms instead of pants. He said he'd injured his back and was in great pain. They thought he was faking. The autopsy report also said he had arthritis of the lower spine, which would indicate a previous injury. Why did people find it so easy to believe he was lying? How patiently he explained himself over and over again! And have any of you looked at the long list of charitable contributions? The man was a hero in every sense of the word.
I take that back. I see the news about Prince has gone all around the world, and has been translated into many languages.
Sooner or later Gina, truth tends to win out. Thanks for sharing the updates about Prince. Michael himself talked about his grandfathers having the name Prince to reporters for EBONY magazine and another publication some years back when he was "accused" of naming his son after the singer Prince, so many people found out at that time.
But you're right, there is still a very strong tendency to maximize the sensational in regard to Jackson and to minimize the more ennobling facets of his life and ongoing story.
Aberjhani
I hear what you're saying about journalists worried about keeping their jobs, Aberjhani, but I'm frustrated that those who distort/violate the truth are not brought to account in any meaningful way. If they were, perhaps the ones who kept their jobs would be the ones with integrity. Ultimately, though, we are all of us responsible for revealing the truth, and the internet can be a powerful tool to that end. I hope contributions like this Examiner forum ripple out in waves. "News" can hit the net like a disease, or it can be nourishing. I'm determined to take every opportunity to shed light on media distortions and lies when I encounter them. I appreciate the level of thought and fairness in everyone's comments here; perhaps our combined efforts will make a difference. I have to believe other people of the world will recognize a balanced account when they see one. "In a world filled with distrust, we must still dare to believe."-Michael Jackson
P.S.
Gina: Quincy must regret what he said; I hope the comments came out of ignorance rather than malice. Bottom line: his opinion, misguided and unfounded as it was, was still an opinion. What deeply disturbs me is when a media source presents something like that as fact.
Scarlett: I'm with you on the Prince thing. I've not read that information anywhere else since Jackson's death. The omission seems willful; to convey the idea that he was an egomaniac or some other weirdness.
Scarlett & Gina: If a person doesn't see beauty when they look at Jackson, I think some form of blindness is at work--or a projection of one's own ugliness. I wrote that Sullivan showed courage by noting Jackson's beauty because there wasn't another mainstream media report at the time that didn't flatly state something about his "bizarre" appearance, as if it were a fact.
I totally respect what you are saying Tammy about the need to safeguard journalistic principles and practices. I think accountability is going to become one of the major issues of the profession over the next decade because too many journalists clearly have gone from exercising “freedom of speech” and “the right to know” to abusing public trust and communication systems in the pursuit of their own 15 minutes of fame or some distorted “angle” that lets them attach the word “exclusive” to a story.
The problem, I state cautiously and with love, seems to be that a lot of media organizations themselves not only sanction such conduct but to a degree encourage it because they believe it’s what their readers, viewers, and listeners want. At some point, the public has to define & declare its stand on such issues because inevitably they go beyond the profession to society’s choice & ability to empower or dis-empower such practices through its support of them on various levels.
Aberjhani
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