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"Countdown" Interview with Molly Meldrum

Date assessed by the fact that Meldrum mentions the “new single that’s being released in Australia this week called “Goin’ Places” this week, and already a monster on the American charts” and the single was released on November 5, 1977.

Michael Jackson, “Countdown” interview transcript

Molly Meldrum: This time around I found a little guy, who is a monster on the charts and his name is Michael Jackson. Michael, welcome to Countdown.

Michael Jackson: Thank you.

Meldrum: You have a new single that's being released in Australia this week, called "Goin' Places", it's already a monster on the American Charts. Can you tell us a little about that single?

Jackson: It was recorded in Philadelphia, written by Gumble and Huff, and we really enjoyed doing this, and is a title song to the album, it's called "Goin' Places" and... I think you'll be getting it soon, and it's doing very well here.

Meldrum: Now tell me, what do you think is a success of The Jacksons, yourself and The Jacksons?

Jackson: I'll say probably togheterness or... just enjoying our work a lot, there's a lot of love in all our efforts.

Meldrum: You sprung up a bit since I saw you last...

Jackson: Yeah, everybody has...

Meldrum: Have you taken it over for the last 5 years, I mean...

Jackson: Success?

Meldrum: Yeah. Has affected you much?

Jackson: In a joyful way, in a rejoicing way, cause I love it, you have to like to be in it this long or you go crazy [] so much we've been travelling the world and making records, just having a great time.

Meldrum: [] is becoming a huge hit in the States and no doubt it will be a hit in Australia called "Goin' places", I think the one thing over the past 5 years since I've seen you - Michael Jackson certainly "going places".

Jackson: Yes.

Meldrum: And thanks for being in the Show.

Jackson: Thank you.

Meldrum: [] especially that in Australia when you see yourselfs and the Osmonds - where there two families that are consistant hit-makers and give this incredible feeling, together not only as a group and as performing artists, but as a family themselves, now especially yourselves, The Jacksons, I mean, is that togetherness there, as far as the family is concerned?

Jackson: Yes, it is, it is, lot of togetherness, it's very important.

Meldrum: A lot happened, I mean like five or six years ago you and your brothers and your dad toured Australia and since then I mean like you had multi, multi million dollars,[], and you've been on top of the charts but now you would like to... we can't cover all of that...

Jackson: Now I'm doing a movie called "The Wiz" with Diana Ross, with myself and Richard Pryor and it's going very well.

Meldrum: When you were out in Australia and [we actuallly presented you to a footy] [] you at that stage was set off [] a little because you had lectures to do, you had to get back to your school work and things like that. Do you regrett having to take up your school work?

Jackson: No, I enjoy it, I like to read and learn and all that stuff.

Meldrum: Yeah?

Jackson: Yeah.

Meldrum: I in Australia would've seen you in many of the big shows like the big musicbawards and things like that and... your little sisters been on a few of them...

Jackson: Oh, yes.

Meldrum: She's a funky little sister.

Jackson: She is funky.

Meldrum: She's amazing... but, I mean, the demands on yours being amazing [] as far as you've had to go to an adult world more or less, I mean, did you find that one hard to cope with, Michael?

Jackson: You mean far as our music?

Meldrum: Yeah, and the demand as far as you having to go on all this shows and [] of really compete against the adults as far as hosting things and things like that

Jackson: Oh, no, it's part of a business and it comes at you all the time, it's up to you wether you wanna do or not, we do whatever we can.

Meldrum: It's almost ironical that you are starring in "The Wiz", the film of the Wiz and playing opposite or with a lady that really discovered you, Diana Ross, and... how did you feel when you heard you got the part in "The Wiz", and especially playing with Diana Ross?

Jackson: I was very happy because, well, I love the play so much, I've seen it six times before I've even known I was gonna be in it, and I would talk to Diana on the phone and I say: "You gonna film the Wiz next week, huh?", or next month, she would say "yes", next thing I noticed I was in it, and... they called me ask me did I wanna do it, I said yeah, so they sent the script I came up, met everybody and...

Meldrum: What part do you play in "The Wiz"?

Jackson: Scarecrow.

Meldrum: The Scarecrow?

Jackson: Yeah, I love it too.

Meldrum: And so, have you started filming that yet?

Jackson: Yes, we've been filming about two months and a half, got about for months to go.

Meldrum: I wish you luck with your film.

Jackson: Thank you.

Meldrum: And we hope that you and your family come down to Australia soon.

Jackson: Oh, we love Australia.

Meldrum: Ok, Michael.

Jackson: Thank you.

Molly Meldrum, interviewer, “Sunday Night” Australian news show (2009)

Sunday Night: Molly, what do you remember about that day?

Meldrum: ...We were in New York, and I was there to do a lot of "Countdown" interviews, and Quincy Jones... had played me a couple of tracks of his forthcoming album, right? So, I contacted CBS, Epic at the time, which is now Sony, and said, "I'd like to do this interview with Michael Jackson. I know he's in town doing 'The Wiz', and [unintelligible] said, "Well, I wouldn't bother about that. I wouldn't have it as a priority, because he's not with The Jacksons; it may not work." So, they agreed to do it, and it was very cold--very, very cold in New York, and it was the last interview for the day. It was supposed to be around about 6 o'clock; we were running really quite late, and it was blizzardly cold. And I said to Grant, one of my producers at the time, "He's not going to be there." And we pulled up, and there, huddled in the corner, by himself, no record people, no nothing, was Michael Jackson... The thing that actually surprised me though--I remember this initially--when he finally came out of the corner, and then went into the thing... you'd always thought of little Michael Jackson from The Jackson 5. He was not at the time by now, and he was tall, which sort of threw me, but he still had that wonderful thing, where he giggles and that, and he talks about his sister, and that.

Sydney Morning Herald (June 26, 2009)

Meldrum recalled an interview he did with Jackson at Studio 54 in New York when he was about to launch as a solo artist. The record company representative at the time said not to worry too much about it.

"(He) more or less said to me, well don't worry about that because we don't really think it's going to work."

But they did manage to do the interview.

"We were running late and I said don't worry, he won't be there. We pulled up and there huddled in a corner was Michael Jackson waiting for us. No bouncers, no nothing and he actually came into the studio and helped us set up the lighting and he was just so captivated by the camera the cameraman had. And he just giggled his way right through the interview."

Autobiography, “The Never, Um, Ever Ending Story: Life, Countdown and Everything in Between” (translated Spanish excerpts) (archived)

While Michael Jackson was working on The Wiz, I was in America traveling with Countdown. After much persuasion and perseverance, I was able to arrange an interview with Michael Jackson at Studio 54. It was scheduled at 5pm and it was a cold, wet and windy day in New York. And as usual, we were late for the appointment. Grant Rule and I arrived almost an hour late and said, 'He will probably be gone by now and I do not blame him for that.'

But to my surprise, when we pushed the door of Studio 54, we saw a small figure huddled in the doorway. Michael was there alone, with no security or record label, ice cream cold but very cheerful.

We went inside and started preparing everything for the interview. Michael even helped the kids with the lighting and set the microphones.

The interview lasted about fifteen minutes. He was shy, but I'll never forget the way he laughed when I asked him about his 'funky little sister', Janet. 'Yes it's funky,' he said laughing. We ended our talk by thanking him for his patience and wishing him the best for his film and his new album, on which he planned to work in 1978.