The Coronation of the King of Pop - Motown 25

In March 1983, Suzanne dePasse, who was instrumental with the success of the Jackson 5, began work on a T.V. special. One that would celebrate the twenty-fifth anniversary of Motown. It would be called, "Motown 25 -Yesterday,Today,and Forever." DePasse was president of Motown Productions and had become Berry Gordy's right hand woman. It was time to pay tribute to the man who gave so many of the Motown artists their beginnings, though many left the label under strained circumstances.

De Passe had a hard time finding artists who would commit to the project. She wanted to reunite Diana Ross and the Supremes, thirteen years after their split. But Diana Ross, now a R.C.A. recording artist, held deep resentment and anger towards Berry Gordy and Motown . She did not want to participate, therefore the Supremes segment of the show was in trouble. Focus was then placed on reuniting the Jackson 5 including Jermaine.

All of the brothers agreed to the reunion, except Michael.

Michael did not want to appear on television. With music videos, he could control the visual product. The performance could be perfected by multiple takes until HE was satisfied. Performing live in front of a studio audience was, at best, risky.

Also, the idea of performing with his brothers was not all that appealing. He had worked hard to distance himself from them emotionally, and professionally. Though he never made a formal announcement that he left the group, he no longer wanted to be thought of as one of the Jackson 5.

Let's not forget how he felt about Berry Gordy. He still felt that Gordy exploited the group, and the drama with Jermaine, having to choose between the group and Motown.

The refusal of the artists not wanting to pay tribute did not seem to phase Berry Gordy. Even Marvin Gaye, his former brother-in-law, would not attend. "The hell with 'em all," Berry said. "It's going to be a great special anyway."

"Oh yeah," Suzanne dePassse argued. "Without Diana Ross and Michael Jackson, what kind of special do we have? We got DeBarge and High Inergy. You've got to talk to these people into appearing."

So Berry telephoned Diana Ross and said that if she had a speck of gratitude for all that he had done for her, she should appear on the special . She reluctantly agreed, as did Marvin Gaye

One night, while Michael was remixing "Billie Jean" in a Motown recording studio he rented for the session, Berry cornered him. Michael was taken aback.

Berry asked Michael directly why he would not appear on the program. Michael said he did not like performing on television. Berry then started talking about the "old times," and all that he did for him and the brothers. Michael then said that if he was to be exploited by Motown, he was going to get some benefit from it.

"Listen, if I do this thing, I want to have a solo spot," he warned Gordy.

"Hey, man, that's cool," Berry said eagerly. "I want you to have one too."

Gordy though Michael was going to sing one of the Motown solo he had recorded over the years, but Michael shook his head.

I want to do 'Billie Jean,' he said very firmly.

Berry felt that this was out of the question because this is a Motown special, and since Michael was with CBS, "Billie Jean" would be out of place.

Michael told Berry that if he couldn't do "Billie Jean," he would not appear on the show.

"I don't know about 'Billie Jean,' " Berry said. "It doesn't seem right to me."

"Well, then Berry, I'm sorry..."

After a bit of silence and staring at one another, Berry finally relented, "Okay, it's 'Billie Jean' "

One reason why Michael wanted to do 'Billie Jean," was of course to promote the song. But he also wanted to show that there was growth musically from the brothers since they left Motown. Also, he wanted to show Motown that the group had not made a mistake when they left the company.

After rehearsals with his brothers, the show was ready to be taped on March 25,1983. Michael asked someone from his manager's office to find a black fedora for him. He would wear that, a black sequined jacket, and "The Glove." The cotton glove, hand-sewn with twelve hundred rhinestones, became Michael's trademark after Motown 25.

The night before the taping, Michael created the choreography to "Billie Jean" alone in the kitchen of his Encino home. This to me is amazing, because this performance looks like it was something honed to perfection over time, not in just one evening. This is the genius of Michael Jackson. The performance was, perhaps, a seminal moment in entertainment history. The torch was passed from dancers like Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire, to Michael that night.

Oddly, Michael was unhappy with his performance. Because he didn't hold the stand on his toes long enough, for him, he felt," It wasn't such a hot performance."

His brothers, however, took Michael's glory, and turned it into an opportunity for themselves, saying that this can put them back on the road, and make more money for them than ever before.

As Michael left his brothers in their dreams, Michael, while walking down the hallway, was called by a young boy. Michael stopped.

"Man, who ever taught you how to dance like that?"

"Practice, I guess," Michael said.

"You were amazing," the boy told him.

"Thanks, I needed that, " Michael responded.

Now he felt good.

But, it was going to get better. The day after the special aired, Fred Astaire telephoned his long time choreographer, Hermes Pan, and said, "You've got to come over right away. You've got to see something."

When Pan arrived, Astaire put in a videotape of the performance. "Just wait till you see this," The two pros watched Michael in awe.

"Isn't he great?" Astaire said. He was never one to praise other male dancers, but this was an exception.

Pan and Astaire called Michael, and Astaire told him that ' he was a hell of a dancer. A great mover. You really put them on their asses last night, You're an angry dancer, I'm the same way.'

Michael' voice teacher, Seth Riggs said "Michael was eating breakfast when Astaire called, and he got so excited he actually got sick and couldn't finish his meal." Later, Michael, after becoming friends with Astaire, went to his house to teach Astaire and Pan how to do the moonwalk.

Soon after, Gene Kelly, visited Michael, and said, "He knows when to stop and then flash out like a bolt of lightning." Bob Fosse said, "He's clean, neat, fast, with a sensuality that comes through. It's never the steps that are important, It's the style."

Michael joined the brotherhood of great dancers.

Thank you J. Randy Taraborelli "Michael Jackson -The Magic and the Madness" pages 285-295.

From A Distance, He Seems Weird, But He's Really A Nice Guy

Singer Mickey Free, who was once with the group Shalamar, was invited by Diana Ross to dinner to meet Michael Jackson. "So I had dinner with Michael , Diana, and Gene [Simmons, Diana's boyfriend then]. I was freaking out because I always wanted to meet Michael, and he was so nice. So it came time for me to go home. Diana's car had brought me there, and she said, 'Okay, I'll call the driver to come and get you.' Michael very softly said, 'Oh, that's okay, I'll take Mickey home.' "

Diana and Gene were astonished. "Are you sure you want to do this, Michael?" Diana asked, concerned. "I mean, are you sure you can handle it? Driving him home and all?"

"Yeah, I can do it, Diane," Michael said confidently.

Mickey got into Michael's Silver Shadow Rolls-Royce, and the two drove off into the night.

"This was really a big deal for him," Mickey said. "Driving me home and all."

Fifteen minutes later, they arrived at Mickey's apartment, but Michael drove around the block a few times, He finally confessed, "You know what? I can drive this thing, but I don't know how to parallel park it. Can you park this for me?"

"Heck, yeah, I can," Mickey replied.

"I rode around the block ten times trying to find a parking place so people could see me driving Michael Jackson around in this fabulous car," Mickey Free recalled. "Michael was nice. We went up to my apartment, looked at pictures. He stayed about fifteen minutes, and I walked him back to his car. He drove off. Didn't crash into anybody or anything."

Michel began to socialize away from his family. He had met Jane Fonda two years prior and visited her on the set of On Golden Pond in 1980, and stayed with her in a private cabin.

"A lot of people thought that was very strange," said publicist Sarah Holiday. "But Jane just thought that Michael was a fascinating person. She made it clear that if anyone were to ever gossip about her and Michael, that person would be in serious trouble. 'He's too delicate to handle gossip,' she would say. She had been in the business for so long, she said it was nice to talk to someone who seemed unjaded by it all."

"We were all alone there on the water, " Michael said of his night with Jane Fonda, "and we just talked, talked, talked about everything. It was the greatest education for me: she'd learn, and I'd learn, and we'd just play off of each other. We talked about all kinds of things, you name it- politics, philosophy, racism, Vietnam, acting, all kinds of things. It was magic."

Michael was intimidated, at first, by Henry Fonda, but soon the two of them struck up a friendship. The two spent two hours fishing, and talking about theater. "Yes, he's strange," Henry said of Michael. "So what?"

We just sat and talked for a long time," Michael would recall. "He was such a wise man. He gave me a lot of tips about acting, and about stardom. How he handled it, and all."

"Dad was also painfully self-conscious and shy in life. He really only felt comfortable when he was behind the mask of a character. He could liberate himself when he was being someone else. That's a lot like Michael. Michael reminds me of the walking wounded. He's an extremely fragile person. I think that just getting on with life, making contact with people, is hard enough for him, much less having to be worried about whither goes the world."

After Henry Fonda died after a bout from heart disease on August 11,1983, Michael telephoned Jane at her family's home to see if he could come by.

Michael also met Katherine Hepburn on the set of On Golden Pond, but their initial meeting did not go so well. She thought he was odd, and was suspicious of him. She shook his hand and said nice to meet you, and walked away. "She doesn't like me," Michael complained to Jane. "And she's an idol of mine. I hate it when my idols don't like me."

"What is it with him?" Katherine asked someone on the set. "First of all , why is he here? That's what I don't understand. And why does he talk like that, with that whisper? What is he trying to pull?"

"There are a lot of people she doesn't like," Michael said of Hepburn. "She'll tell you right away if she doesn't like you. When I first met her, it was a little shaky because you hear things about her. Jane filled me in. I was kind of scared."

Later that afternoon, Michael sat alone in a corner watching a rehearsal. Katherine Hepburn came from behind him and tapped him on the shoulder.

"You and I are having dinner tonight, young man," she said.

"We are? Michael gasped.

That night, Michael and Katherine had dinner and became great friends. "We call each other on the phone, and she sends me letters. She's just wonderful. I went to her house in New York and she showed me Spencer Tracy's favorite chair and his private things in his closet, his little knickknacks," Michael would recall.

Now that is cool. But can you imagine Michael Jackson and Gene Simmons having dinner, and what would they be discussing? I wish I was there. That just goes to show the interesting people who have encountered Michael in his life.

Thank you J.Randy Taraborrelli, "MICHAEL JACKSON- THE MAGIC AND THE MADNESS"

pages 268-280.

A Lie, Or "Public Relations"?

When Joseph Jackson and his sons moved to Los Angeles, they were awestruck over the sunshine, fun, and most of all palm trees of the city.Plans were made by Berry Gordy to have Diana Ross host a"welcoming " party at her home. Diana showed the boys the telegram sent to people who were invited to attend. She handed it to Michael. It read..
"Please join me in welcoming a brilliant musical group, The Jackson Five, on Monday, August 11, 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. at the Daisy, North Rodeo Drive, Beverly Hills. The Jackson Five, featuring sensational eight-year-old Michael Jackson, will perform live at the party. (signed) Diana Ross."
Michael said,"I think you made a real mistake. I'm not eight years old. I'm ten." Berry explained that they were not lying, but this was a matter of public relations. As far as the media was concerned, Diana Ross was the one who brought him and his brothers to Motown. Diana explained to him, "It's all for your image." Michael recalled, "I figured out at an early age that if someone said something about me that wasn't true, it was a lie. But if someone said something about my image that wasn't true, then it was okay. Because the it wasn't a lie, it was public relations."
In truth, Gladys Knight arranged for some Motown executives, not Gordy, to attend a show featuring The Jackson Five at The Regal in Chicago in 1968. Then later that year in July, Bobby Taylor had the Jackson Five open for his group and HE telephoned Ralph Seltzer, the head of Motown's creative department and legal division. He suggested that the boys audition for Motown.