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"Music Comes First" Article Interview

Date range assessed by the fact that it is mentioned in the article that “The Jacksons” album had been released (November 5, 1976), and the second season had not yet aired (“will have their own television series”); the second season aired in January 1977.

Michael St. John, "Music Comes First" (archived)

...Even though each of The Jacksons claims to be his own person, the one Jackson who stands above the family clan is still Michael. He is outspoken about his music, the family, love, sex, and, of course, his future with or without the rest of his brothers and sisters.

"My music is one of the most important things in my life", Michael says. "It's like I have a firecracker that's lit inside me, and when it explodes I feel as if I could go wild.

"Sometimes I forget where I'm at. The only thing in my mind is that rhythm--the syncopated beat. And everything flows right through my veins.

"When I'm sad or feel a little down, I just go off by myself and hum a song or try to write something, and in no time I'm not uptight anymore."

Michael contends that people shouldn't put labels on music like soul, progressive, or jazz. "Music is something that shouldn't be restricted to identification tags. It's the only universal language we have. And it affects each person differently.

"I guess I'm so uptight about labels because for years they have tried to put us in one small group. But we've managed to escape at various times to prove we can do practically anything."

Michael noted that all The Jacksons are involved in deciding what songs they should learn for the act and record, "Many people thought that Motown decided what we should do. But that's only part true", he claims. "They made suggestions, and if the songs didn't hut us quite right, we'd send them back. As long as we were with them, it was always a compromise. That was the only way we could have it. And it gave us quite a few hits."

Michael, the real spokesman for the family group, confided that they switched from Motown to their new company because they needed a change. "All of us have been very grateful for having been with Motown all these years, but the contract we had was more to the advantage of the record company than ours. Sure, we made lots of money. There's no complaint in that way. But we're full-grown as a musical body, and there are so many things we're anxious to try on our own. As for Motown, we shall always love the people there."

Now that the Jackson family will have their own television series, they see themselves doing things other than just dancing and singing.

"Believe it or not, we're interested in doing motion pictures. Janet is bound to be a knockout actress one day. I think we all have a lot of ham in us. All you have to do is point a camera in our direction, and you'll get a whole show.

"That's why we're excited about the series, because we'll be able to do all sorts of things. If we bomb out one week, we'll have a chance to make up for it the following one.

"When we did our summer series, the studio mailroom was flooded with letters from all over the country, And they were not all letters from teenagers. We got thousands of letters from adults--that's when we realized that we had finally arrived. And this is one of the reasons why the network was convinced that a full term series might work."

There's no question about the loyalty the Jacksons have for each other, but when it comes down to their respective lives, that's a horse of a different color.

"We all do our own thing", Michael laughs. "Sometimes it's the wrong thing, but we do it anyhow. We have our own friends. And I'm into drawing, piloting miniature airplanes, and I have a menagerie of pets at home."

As for the girls in Michael's life, there are many. Michael says he enjoys flirting with the idea of a heavy romance.

"You know, when you're on the road, you get a chance to meet a lot of girls. I'm only scared of them when they're in a group watching our act. Sometimes I think we'll never get off the stage in one piece. They do some strange things, like taking off their underwear or whatever you call them on stage. I've heard of this happening to other entertainers but until it happened to us, it was hard to believe.

"When we were in Chicago, three girls tried to storm our hotel room. And they meant business, man. Now I have grave doubts as to who the weaker sex really is.

"Of course, I believe in love. It's beautiful when it's right. My love life is like my music. I don't record a song unless I really dig it; the same goes for girls I see."

As far as anyone knows, Michael doesn't have a serious relationship going on with any one pretty girl. He is, as he says, playing the field.

"Let's face it, I'm too darn young to be thinking about marriage and kids. I'm still just a kid myself. Being nineteen very soon doesn't mean that I'm ready to settle down.

"There's a whole world out there I still want to see. There are people of other countries I'd like to get to know better. Traveling in itself has been an education. You learn so much by seeing a place, eating their food, hearing their folklore, and trying out their dances. I'm working on languages in my spare time, too. I think knowing the language of a country opens the door to their hearts. And that's what I want to do."

An important thing Michael and his brothers have learned through all their professional years as performers is discipline. And Michael believes that this has been a contributing factor in their rise to stardom.

"It has taken a lot of hard work--dedication to do what we've done so far. When other kids were out in the streets playing ball, we were at home working on a dance routine or working on a new lyric.

"Sometimes I wish I had a little of that street life, but when I look at things realistically, I'm very happy that things turned out the way they have. It would have been so easy for us to turn to drugs because teenagers everywhere are on the stuff. If not the drug scene, it's alcohol. And they do it because there's nothing else for them. They've lost the capacity to dream and hope about tomorrow. You ask where are their parents? That's a good question. Usually, they're out working two or three jobs, the father and the mother. There's no family life, just people thrown together by fate.

"We've been lucky in this respect. Our folks have always been there when we needed them. We have always worked as a unit. If one got into trouble, the whole family shared the responsibility.

"It's love. That's what it boils down to. But this kind of thing is nurtured through the years. You just don't pop up and say, 'We're a family, therefore we must love each other.' No, it doesn't work that way. And it doesn't work that way musically, either.

"Even though we were brothers, it took a long time before we were able to actually sing together. We had to learn to blend together, listen to the other and eventually instinctively know what the other might do musically in order for a song to work.

"And it wasn't easy! There were moments when anger was the order of the day. But we understood it; when you're working to perfect something, frustration is bound to rise. And we went through all the natural growing pains. We've learned to challenge ourselves. The more we do, the more we want to learn to do.

"We want our music to stand for something. Bringing happiness to people is what the Jackson family is all about.

"People have asked if we plan to always perform as a unit, and it's a very good question. As for myself, I plan to do many things on my own. And I think the other members of the family feel the same way. It depends on what the opportunity is. But when there's a chance for us all to get together to jam, I'm all for it."

What kind of image would Michael like for himself?

"As I said before, I don't like all that label or image crap. But if people want to think of me as anything at all, I'd like for them to see me simply as a professional."