Note: If viewing Michael Jackson Ultimate Archive on archive.org (Wayback Machine), please view the latest snapshot of this page for the most up-to-date information and media.

"Top of the Pops"

Date confirmed in “Popscene” (archived) (“8-2-79”)

"Superpop" magazine (February 24, 1979)

"When we got home from school", Michael recalled, relaxing in his dressing room between rehearsals for an appearance on "Top of the Pops. "We would rehearse. Every day. Most kids would be outside playing, and there was a big baseball park behind our house. Some of them would shout at us, they'd even start throwing things at the window. It was hard.

"But...", he smiled, "our parents made sure we kept it going, always getting better and better."

Like all the Jackson brothers, Michael's first love is music. He writes, he sings, he even helped on the studio production of "Destiny". And he's very critical. "Well, I think that album marks a great start." He said cautiously. Even better things to come?

Before leaving for this tour, Michael was also halfway through recording his own solo album, helped by Quincy ("Stuff Like That") Jones and a bunch of top-flight session musicians. Of all the brothers, he's often the most moody and reserved, perhaps due to the special pressures of being lead singer. The choice of songs for his own album seems to be a reflection of exactly that part of his character.

"I've always loved easy, ballad-type songs", Michael explained, "songs like 'Ben' and 'I'll Be There'. Of course, there will be a couple of Funky numbers as well, but that's the kind of thing I want to keep doing."

Several of the songs he's co-written with Louis Johnson of the Brothers Johnson. In addition, there's also a specially-written tune from Stevie Wonder called 'I Can't Help It', while it's a custom-built Paul McCartney creation, 'Girlfriend' that gives the forthcoming LP its title!

All in all, that sounds like quite a prize... "I can't wait to finish it either!", Michael agreed.

However, we won't have to wait so long--probably only till April--to see Michael Jackson in his first movie role... as a Scarecrow! It's in "The Wiz", an all-black, funny, funky, and futuristic remake of "The Wizard of Oz" which--if you still need reminding--is the one that always turns up on TV at Christmas.

..."I'd seen the film lots of times", explained Michael, "and always fell in love with the Scarecrow. I think most do, just because you feel sorry for him. I really studied that character. So, it was amazing that I was asked to do the part. Diana has always dreamed that she would be Dorothy one day... it's more than coincidence."

It took Michael three hours, every day, at the Astoria Studios in New York, to get made up (he's kept the wig as a souvenir) and even though he was the newcomer among a case of cinema veterans, he loved every moment of it.

"It was a real challenge", he enthused, "a complete new world... the things I learned! At the end of the day, they'd say, 'Ok, curtain, time to go home. I'd be so sad, I wanted to be there all night and work to death."

There's one scene where the wicked Evelline has the Scarecrow sawn in half. Naturally enough it's a dummy body on the table, and Michael himself was in reality kneeling underneath with just his face showing. Plus, since he was only paper and straw, there was no harm done.

"Even so", he admitted, "it was jolly scary to see that saw go through me, just a few inches away. And then my nephew and nieces, Tito's children, were taken to see the film, that's when they all started crying. 'Uncle Michael's been cut in half!'"

However, I can assure everyone that Uncle Michael is currently very much in one piece. In fact, he was in ecstasies over some other dummy bodies he'd just been inspecting--the wax figures at Madame Tassaud's in London.

"Terrific! I love costumes, statues, anything artistic or unusual. I just wish my house was full of stuff like that!"

What Mrs. Jackson would say to waxworks quietly melting over the living-room carpet, I don't care to think. But I assume she's had to put up with quite a lot already, thanks to her son's very pronounced taste in exotic pets.

There were, for example, raccoons which did in fact eat up most of Michael's bedroom; and a llama called Lola who fortunately was more decorous and lived out in the garden. There were rats which Michael used to store in the pockets of his tuxedo jacket and whip out at untimely moments during Grammy Awards ceremonies. And there were the  peacocks.

Go into your record shop and take a look at the back sleeve of "Destiny" (if you don't already own a copy). You'll see at once that peacocks mean a lot to The Jacksons.

"However", he concluded, "about five in the morning, they'd get up to the tops of the trees and start calling. Ca-aww, ca-aww, you could hear them a mile off. Eventually, unfortunately, I had to get rid of the peacocks. The neighbors were demanding some sleep!"

Poor peacocks. But I guess that's Destiny.

“These Boys Got Destiny” article (1979), from Chris Cadman’s Michael Jackson the Maestro” (article summary/quotes)

This interview was conducted at the end of the British tour in 1979, during a day that seen a hectic run of interviews done by the Jacksons. Michael had been ill during this period, but carried on regardless to support his brothers.

The brothers spent more time making sure the records and their shows were exactly how they wanted them to be. This was a far cry from their time spent at Motown when they were told what to do.

Although they had written most of Destiny, there was one song called ‘Blame It On The Boogie’ they hadn’t, which caused confusion: Marlon said:

“People have thought because he’s called Mick Jackson he must be one of us, but he’s no relation.”

Michael spoke about his first feature film he had recently done called ‘The Wiz’.

“Do you know it took me three hours every day just to get made up! I even had a special wig made and I’ve been allowed to keep it.”

Michael also found filming scenes not in order to be puzzling:

“Because the scenes aren’t filmed in the correct order it can be a little confusing, but it comes out right – I think!”

The experience gave Michael a thirst for watching more and more films. His favourites during this period were ‘Midnight Express,’ and musicals ‘Oliver’ and ‘The Sound Of Music.’ Watching Oliver inspired him to record one of the songs.

Mick Jackson, co-writer of “Blame it on the Boogie”, “Discoguy” interview (Summer 2003)

Discoguy: Have you ever met the "other" Michael Jackson?

Mick Jackson...At Top of the Pops TV show in London, England he asked me to sell him my jumpsuit I was wearing for the show and I declined. He said, “Name your price”, and I still turned him down! The thing is with my big perm I KNEW I looked hot and wasn't prepared to let him in on the act. Haha! MJ was performing 'Destiny' with his brothers that day.