THE RIDDLER
Like any truly inspiring teacher who wants to impact his students, Michael's methods in molding our creative process were inconspicuous. One of his most ingenious moves was to pose cryptic questions, sending us on a wild goose chase to solve riddles. We could tell he thought it was humorous to puzzle us. And, in a sense, this mind-bending game was one of the best ways we learned from Michael. Only we didn't know it at the time.
Late one evening, I answered the phone.
"There is something that every person in the world can recognize. What is it?"
Click.
Oh, great. What the hell is he talking about?
About twenty-four hours from the minute the first call came in, our phone rang again.
"Well, what did you come up with?" Michael asked.
"Umm, Mickey Mouse?" I responded. Is that the right answer?
"Bush, that's a great answer, but we don't own that."
"Oh."
"Think hard. There's something every person in the world can identify with. What is it?"
Click.
As if Dennis and I could have an appetite after receiving calls from The Riddler at ungodly hours of the night, we did wind up going out to dinner that week. I don't know why it came so fast, but the instant I looked down at my place setting, there they were: fork, knife, spoon. Certainly every person in the world has seen these. And that's what I told Michael when I called him that night.
"Great, Bush. Now put them on a coat for me."
Click.
My immediate question to Dennis was, How? I had learned already there was no reason to ask Michael Jackson why. He didn't know why. There was no why. It was that genius way of thought that you just couldn't explain, so it was better to accept it than fight it.
[...]
When Michael moved in the Dinner Jacket, he was captivated by the clanking metal utensils, because the silverware caught the light and sounded like keys dangling on a keychain. Visually and audibly, the jacket provided an entertainment factor. It offered a special effect all its own. That Michael could manipulate the effect himself made the jacket even more fun.
~ MICHAEL BUSH (missa inte att se besticken på jackan på bilden ovan!)