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c“Blues & Soul” Magazine Interview

Date range assessed by the fact that Michael mentions speaking with Neil Diamond two Sundays prior about how his movie was going, and Neil responds that “he was going to dance for the first time”, meaning filming hadn’t started yet / was underway. Filming for his 1980 movie “Jazz Singer” was filmed from January 7 - April 28, 1980, confirmed in AFI Catalog.

“Blues & Soul” magazine (May 6 - 19, 1980) (archived)

B&S: Firstly, Michael, would you like to make a comment about your B&S Poll successes?

MJ: I’m very honored and happy to have been chosen in the various categories, and I feel it’s like a reward that people should love what I do. It’s so wonderful that all the work put into it has paid off. It means so much more than money. Acceptance is something I never take for granted and I’m just very happy about it all.

B&S: Obviously, most of the acclaim comes from the “Off the Wall” album and people in the business are already referring to the album as being “Michael Jackson’s Greatest Hits” because of all of the hit singles that have come from the album. Looking back, does it surprise you that the album has done as well as it has done?

MJ: I’ve given that question a lot of thought. When Quincy (Jones) and I first started the project, we sat down and discussed exactly what we wanted and it has all turned out the way we planned. We pre-decided the whole makeup of the album but, if anything, it has done more than we expected. We aimed for triple Platinum and now it’s on its way to five million!

B&S: When do you plan to start work on your next solo album?

Well, we are doing a Jacksons album right now so it’ll probably be a while. Probably, next year. I have always been afraid of overdoing it and that goes for any business. Over exposure can hurt a lot in this business so I just want to take my time and get it right. The next one has to be three times as great as this one--it can’t be just as good because that would be a letdown. So, I’ll just take my time and get it right.

B&S: Don’t you feel that you may lose some of the momentum gained from “Off the Wall”?

MJ: I don’t think so. But you see, there are other deep desires that I have--especially movies. But, because of touring and recording--which I love doing, of course--I’m not able to get as involved in movies as I’d like to be. That bothers me because that’s something that I’d like to be doing. But also, the Jacksons album will be out there a long time.

B&S: When is the Jacksons album due to be completed?

That’s always a hard question because when I enter a project, I always aim for perfection and each project has to be three times as great as the one that went before it. That takes time because I don’t like to follow a trail, I like to make a path. Not to imitate. But you can expect it to be ready for June.

B&S: How can we expect the new album to be different from “Destiny” in concept and style?

MJ: “Destiny” was the beginning of the whole thing and the timing was so right. But there is so much still to come and for this one, we are so much more open and freer. We are all really excited about it.

B&S: For your own next solo album, would you expect to work with Quincy again?

MJ: Sure--that’s a promise! Working with Quincy, I learned so much and I’m very greedy for knowledge. For me, to learn something I’ve always hungered for makes me happy. And working with Quincy was such a great experience. So wonderful, I’ll never forget watching him work because he knows no limitations. He even gave me a nickname--Smelly! He never calls me Michael!

B&S: Will there be a Jacksons tour this year?

MJ: I think so but I’m not sure. We want to.

B&S: Do you enjoy touring.

MJ: Some parts--very much. And I have written a lot of songs on the road. I love being on stage and I enjoy seeing different cities and experiencing cultures, environments, and the local arts and languages. And, of course, I love meeting the fans because that’s why we go on tour--to come face to face with the people who buy the records. You never get the chance to actually see them put the needle on the record so being on tour is the closest you can get and that’s wonderful to know that the people in the audience enjoy your music and have your albums at home.

B&S: We know you are busy on several other projects right now--would you like to give us an outline of them?

MJ: Well, I’ve done a single called “Night Time Lover” on my sister, LaToya, that will be released on Polydor real soon.

B&S: Did you write the song, produce, and arrange?

MJ: Yes, I did.

B&S: Is that your first time producing on your own?

MJ: Well, I co-produced “Don’t Stop” with Quincy and I also arranged that one. And my brother Randy and I co-produced “Shake Your Body”.

B&S: Aren’t you also doing something with Neil Diamond?

MJ: Right. I was on the beach two Sundays ago and Neil Diamond was next door to me and we started talking. I asked him how his movie was going and he started telling me that he was going to dance for the first time. Now I’ve never seen Neil dance but he said how he wanted to surprise everyone that thought he couldn’t dance. He felt that he had rhythm and that if he tried hard enough, he could do it.

He went on to say how he’d enjoyed “The Wiz” and had seen it a couple of times and really enjoyed my performance and he asked if I would help him do the choreography. He even wants us to write a song together. It’s something I’d really like to do and I think it will be great fun.

B&S: Michael, we know you don’t like doing interviews and that you have a valid reason for feeling that way. For the benefit of your fans, would you like to tell us about it?

MJ: This is the honest-to-God truth. What a person says means so much to me. It can change a person’s whole opinion of another person. I’ve seen that happen so many times--Charlie Chaplin, Paul Robertson, Jane Fonda. All of whom are people who spoke out and the world opinion started to change on them. My biggest fear is of being misquoted. One word can be cut into a statement and change the complete meaning and coloring of what was meant.

Lately, people have been twisting everything I’ve been saying and that’s why I shy away from many interviews. I don’t like to be misrepresented to my fans. I accept that I can’t stop rumors--that’s fine! But when it’s something serious and I get wrongly quoted, that’s very wrong!

A lot of geniuses in different endeavors have been hurt this way. Like Charlie Chaplin being called a Communist. Or the way that Paul Robeson was treated. So, if I can’t be quoted properly, I’d rather not be quoted at all. It can be the difference between success and failure. I feel that I am here on earth to do a certain job and that I have only just scratched the surface and I don’t want people to be given the wrong impression of me.

B&S: Michael, going back to the early days of The Jackson 5, what do you remember most from those days?

MJ: The thing that I remember most from those days--and the reason we are here today as entertainers--was rehearsing for seven hours every day. Straight after school, perfecting ourselves and with our father teaching us. Though he had a group, he was never a real showman but he knew exactly what I had to do to become a professional. He taught me exactly how to hold a mike and make gestures to the crowd, for example. And how to handle an audience.

It is incredible how he could have been so right about things and he was the best teacher we could have ever had. I’ll never forget that because that’s what really started the whole thing--our mother and father.

B&S: At the time, did it really make sense to you?

MJ: To tell you the truth, it just came out naturally and I’d just sing and it came out sounding nice to me!

B&S: As a child, did you always want to be a performer?

MJ: I did, yes. When James Brown or Sammy Davis Jr. came on, it was exciting to me--and they are still my idols today.

B&S: Do you ever regret the fact that you started so young and missed having a normal teenage life?

MJ: …no. I think that to start early is the best wa in any field of endeavor, I just thank God for the talent.

B&S: How much help and influence did you get from Diana Ross in those early days?

MJ: Diana was--and still is--like an overseer for the whole group. As well as Berry Gordy--they were the two. You know, Berry has only ever managed two groups in the whole Motown history--the Supremes and the Jackson 5. But when we auditioned for Berry in Detroit, Diana came over when we were finished and she kissed us and said that we were going to go a long, long way and that she wanted to be a part of it--and that’s what she did. In the things we have done together--such as “The Wiz” or the TV specials--she has been for us 100% and making sure that everything was done for us that could be done.

B&S: So, she is someone very special to you?

MJ: Very!

B&S: Just out of interest, which are your favorite old Jackson 5 or solo Motown hits?

MJ: I think that “Never Can Say Goodbye”, “I’ll Be There”, and “Ben” would be the three.

B&S: Did you like the way that Gloria Gaynor did “Never Can Say Goodbye”?

MJ: I did--though she changed the flavoring of the song. A lot of people say that that record was the beginning of disco and she certainly put a lot more rhythm into the song. Ours was more concentrated on the beauty of the melody. I also liked the way Isaac Hayes did the song, too, by the way.

B&S: How do you feel about the recent situation with Motown whereby they now officially own the name, “The Jackson 5”?

MJ: WHen we first lost our original name, we felt lost. You see, we had the name long before we thought of signing with Motown and it was our identity. But, as time has gone on, it seems to matter less and less and today we are identified as the Jacksons just as readily so it hasn’t done any permanent damage. People still think of us as the Jackson 5, anyway.

B&S: And would you like to see Jermaine back in the group?

MJ: Yes, very much! I really would--it would be wonderful.

B&S: Are there times in your life when you wish you could be anonymous and not be Michael Jackson?

MJ: That’s true, there are times when I wish I could just be like everybody else. For example, there are only two places that I can go shopping--New York and London. And sometimes they’ll close down the whole store just so that I can shop there. Diana does it all the time--they’ll close a whole mall down for her!

B&S: I guess that’s necessary for security reasons, though.

MJ: Yes--but there are times when I wish that I weren’t so recognizable and I could just go out and have a good time. Like being able to go to Disneyland and just go on the rides!

B&S: Are there any definite movie plans for you right now?

MJ: My room is loaded with scripts and I just haven’t had the time to look through them. Right now, what I need is a vacation.

B&S: Where would you go?

MJ: Either Miami or Switzerland. I love Miami and I love the nature of Switzerland. It takes your breath away--the mountains and the valleys are so beautiful, it’s like a storybook country and every place is like a postcard picture. I promised myself that I would one day own a house in Switzerland and it’s a promise I’ll keep to myself.

B&S: Do you like the climate and do you miss not having seasons in California?

MJ: I really miss not having seasons, yes.

B&S: Do you have any definite hobbies--I know you like reading.

MJ: There really aren’t words to describe how I feel about reading. I just wish I could spend more time reading because I love it so much. I can get so lost in a book that I forget who and what is around me and where I am.

B&S: Is it a constant search for wisdom or do you also read novels?

Both--but I love reading the truth! Philosophy is my favorite subject, though.

B&S: Will you ever reach a point of self-satisfaction, do you think?

MJ: Oh, no! What’s so great about reading is that there might be something that you feel or want to say and you’ll come across it as a line in a book. You can sometimes read in one line in a book something you’ve spent a lifetime trying to work out.

B&S: Can you foresee a time in your life when you might want to retire from being an entertainer?

MJ: I don’t think so. I would like to constantly progress. As I said, I’d like to get more involved in movies and I’d like to direct and do movie scores, for example. That’s my main aim to look forward to. My greatest experience so far has been doing “The Wiz”--I’ll never forget that! I get lost in it all.

I am really serious and sincere about movies. The thing I love about films is that they capture moments that need never be lost and that we can constantly learn from. There have been so many great entertainers that I was never able to see and who have been lost to the world, consequently. For example, whatever we do on stage is just for the people in the audience at that moment--what about the multitude of people who aren’t there? But if you can capture it on film, it’s there forever. As an example, I have been able to learn so much from watching Charlie Chaplin.

B&S: Would you say that 1979 was your most satisfying year so far?

MJ: I am very proud of the way I have progressed in 1979 in a lot of different areas. But mainly because of the success of the “Destiny”’ album. We were able to show the world that we could do it for ourselves and that meant the beginning of our own destiny. It broke the ice for us as producers, too.

B&S: That’s what made “Destiny” such a good name of the album.

MJ: It is symbolic, you’re right. The song is actually about me and has a deep, deep meaning for us. But it has also provided a direction for the future and we are thinking of calling the next album “Foundation”--though we’re not sure right now of that.

B&S: Do you have a parting message for your many millions of fans out there?

MJ: I’d like to thank them because if it wasn’t for them, I wouldn’t be doing what I’m doing. And I thank them for accepting me and for their support. And that if they don’t hear from me for a while (in interviews), it’s like I explained before, I’m only interested in the truth!