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I TRY TO BE VERY POSITIVE

 

When we listen to your music, your consistent messages are love and peace. What are the things you are concerned about the situation nowadays? 

 

I try to be very positive in my songs when I write them and look at the bright side of things and I’m not totally happy with the situation in the world, but I always try to write songs with a positive message in it to convey hope for people to make things better and not look at the down side all the time or promote something negative or bad. Even though I did an album called BAD but I meant “bad” in a good way (skrattar).

THAT'S ABSOLUTELY THE TRUTH

 
Do you think it would be true to say that you've found friendship and inspiration in children that you haven't been able to find in adults?
 
That's absolutely the truth. I haven't been betrayed or deceived by children. Adults have let me down, adults have let the world down.

I LOVE THEM

  
  

INTERVJU MED CREEM '83

  

 

Sylvie: It must be hard being an angel when you’re acknowledged as one of the sexiest performers around, have girls camping in your backyard and the like.
Michael: I wouldn’t say I was sexy! But I guess that’s fine if that’s what they say. I like that in concert. That’s neat.
Sylvie: You wonder how someone so sweet and shy and childlike gets to be such a demon onstage 
Michael: I just do it really. The sex thing is kind of spontaneous. It really creates itself.
Sylvie: So you don’t practise being sexy in front of the mirror?
Michael: No! Once the music plays, it creates me. The instruments move me, through me, they control me. Sometimes I’m uncontrollable and it just happens - boom, boom, boom! - once it gets inside you.

SEE

 

Ebony: Any Black ladies in your life?

Michael: “Sure, but you wouldn’t take me seriously.”

Ebony: Try me.

Michael: “It’s Diana Ross. I love her.”

Ebony: Do you mean as a “big sister?”

Michael: “No, that’s not what I mean. See, I told you that you wouldn’t take me seriously.”

Ebony: You’re not saying you’d like to marry Diana Ross, are you?

Michael: “Oh yeah, I’m saying that.”

 

Ebony  Magazine 1984 

SINGING

 
“I don’t ever remember NOT singing, so I never dreamed of singing.” Michael Jacksons svar till Andy Warhol, som frågade honom om han någonsin drömde om att bli sångare när han växte upp.

IS IT HARD NOT TO TAKE YOURSELF SERIOUSLY?

 
Is it hard to forget about that, though? The spotlight, the superstardom. I mean, your name is probably up there with Muhammed Ali, or higher. You're known everywhere. As you said, you can't go outside. Everybody knows Michael Jackson. Is it hard not to take yourself seriously?
 
Mmm.. No, it's pretty easy for me, because... uh... so many things I block out. Uh... I see myself like you, or like the people in this room. I'm human, just like you are. I'm no better than you are. I mean, we have a certain talent, with my art and song-writing and dancing and the drama and the whole thing, the show-business-thing. But as far as human, I'm just like you. It's no right for me to think I'm better than you or have an ego to walk on air, because there are lots of people in my field, who are like that, and most of those people, they... they fall. They really do. Because they begin to treat people who helped them badly, and they forget where the came from. It's real important, that's why I thank all those, I thank everybody.

WHO DID YOU ADMIRE GROWING UP?


Who did you admire growing up?
 
“I had those that I admired, like James Brown, a man that today doesn’t get the credit he should get from the music industry. Look what he did to music: all these funky tracks that you hear today, that’s where it came from. Sly Stone, James Brown, these are people that started funky music. They stood between the gospelly soul and the dance music. And that’s funk: Sly, James Brown, and people like that. Wilson Pickett, Otis Redding. And of course in rock and roll there’s Little Richard and Chuck Berry and all those guys. That’s who I would always watch. And Jackie Wilson!” (1977)

WHAT HURTS YOU MOST?

 
What hurts you most?
 
When they lie. The lies. The complete lies, and it hurts. It hurts me because I know that there are children out there who has to hear that crap.

WHO CAME UP WITH THOSE THINGS?

 
The glove, the white socks, the red leather jacket – who came up with those things?
 
The glove was just – I thought one was cooler than two. I love to accent movement. The eye goes to where the white is – you know, the glove. And the feet, if you're dancing, you can put an exclamination point on your movement if it has a bit light on it. So I wore the white socks. And for the design of the jacket, I would sit with the people who made the clothes and tell them where I wanted a button or a buckle or a design. But I don't wear that look anymore. It's sad to get caught up in the past. That's why I don't put awards in my house. No gold records, No Grammys. They are in storage. I don't like to be puffed up with pride, 'cause I'd feel like I don't have anymore things to reach for. And that's not true. (1999)

SHARES SIMILAR FEELINGS

 
Stevie Wonder apparently shares similar feelings, judging by some of his musical messages.
 
That's why I love Stevie Wonder's biggest-selling album called Songs in the Key of Life. He has a song on that album called "Black Man"... I just jumped up screaming when I heard that record because he's showing the world what the Black man has done and what other races have done, and he balanced in beautifully by putting other races in there, what they have done. Then he brings out what the Black man has done. Instead of naming it another thing, he named it "Black man". That's what I love about it. And that's the best way to bring about the truth, through song. And that's what I love about it.

ABLE TO WALK AROUND FREELY?

 
Do you think you will ever be able to walk around freely just as yourself?
 
I do disguieses for different reasons. I like to study people – be like the fly on the wall. Even if it's two old ladies sitting on a bench or some kids on a swing. Because I don't know what it's like to fit in an everyday life situation. One time I was in a record store, completely disguised, and these girls were pulling out my album, talking all about me. I was literally next to them. It was wonderful. I loved it. But if I go out as myself, I can't have fun. People always say, "Why don't we just go to a party?" Soon as I step in, the party's over – for me. It's a party for them, but they are all putting their cards on my face, saying, "Remember me? I met you four years ago..." and I say, "I don't remember." So I can't enjoy the experience. They play all my songs. I didn't come to hear my music. And everybody starts chanting "Dance!". Well, I want to se YOU dance for a change.

ARE YOU A PRAYERFUL PERSON?

 
Are you a prayerful person?
 
Oh yeah, I pray a lot, yeah. I see a beautiful sunset and say "God, it's beautiful, thank you" or a baby's smile or butterfly wings or anything like that, you know.

ACHIEVE

 
 How much do you feel you want to achieve in your life?
 
I'm never satisfied. There are so many different avenues and so many different things that I want to do. I've done a lot, but I don't think it's enough, which is why I don't put up any awards or anything in my house. You won't see any awards in my house, I put them all away in storage. Because if you get caught up in that, you start to feel like, 'Oh, man, I did it.' There's so much more, so many more mountains to climb. (2002)

AT YOUR CONCERTS

 
At your concerts, there are hundreds of people in the audience yelling "Michael, Michael" – what do you feel like?
 
When they are all holding hands and everybody's rocking and all kinds of people are there, all races, it's the most wonderful thing, and politicians can't even do that.

WHAT DO YOU LIKE DOING WITH YOUR FAMILY?

 
What do you like doing with your family?
 
My personal family? My children? We love just sitting together, talking, shooting the breeze. We sit by the lake. I take them for a walk everyday at my house. We sit by the lake and we throw rocks in the water and we just talk.

THE DEEPEST FORM OF LOVE?

 
What do you think is the deepest form of love someone can feel? And have you felt it?
 
Wow, I think that's really a matter of opinion. Have I felt the deepest form of love? I don't know what would be the deepest... An interesting question... (repeterar frågan några gånger). I love my children very, very much, and I always look them in their eyes and tell them that – I think that's the most important thing.

DO YOU ENJOY BEING A FATHER?

 
Do you enjoy being a father?
 
It's my favourite thing. I love it. I love it. I love it.

WHAT INTERESTS YOU MOST ABOUT LIFE?

 
What would you say what interests you most about life?
 
What interests me most about life is learning, finding out new things, exploring different worlds. I'm so interested in the human anatomy right now, the brain and so many different things like that, the bones and everything.

DO YOU ENJOY READING?

 
You are looked upon as a role model. You once appeared in the Chicago Public Library to encourage young people and adults to read, and a book marker souvenir was distributed with a quotation from you. Do you still enjoy reading?
 
I love to read. I wish I could advise more people to read. There's a whole other world in books. If you can't afford to travel, you travel mentally through reading. You can see anything and go any place you want to.
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