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.

"Michael Jackson - Rock's Thriller" BBC Radio 1 Special

Air date confirmed from Laura Gross interview (archived) (“23 December [1984]”) and BBC Radio 1 listing (archived) (“23 December 1984”)

"Michael Jackson - Rock's Thriller" BBC Radio 1 Special (December 23, 1984), speech transcript

Bruce Fidor (narrator): It was no surprise that "Thriller" was named "Album of the Year" at the Grammys, or that Michael took home eight Grammys, more than anyone ever before him. While the accolades and awards are pouring over him, Michael maintains his childlike joy each new accomplishment, each record broken, each award earned.

Michael Jackson: They'll always excite me, the gold and the platinums. It is important not to take it too serious, and not to reflect too much on the past, and too much on the gold, and too much—it gets you bogged down with your achievements instead of pouring out great work—your past work, and you can get lost in that, really. Yeah. Sometimes, I put all my gold and platinum records out, and I look at 'em, and I try not to take it too serious. There's so much more I have to do, and kinda forget about that.

Fidor: "Beat It", a song that captured the hearts and minds of millions through an innovative video promoting peace on the streets. Michael and his brothers had to learn to get along with the kids on the block right from the start of The Jackson 5.

Michael: We started rehearsing every day after school. I mean, kids would tease us, and say—I mean, we would be in school rehearsing all the time. And there was a big baseball park behind our house, and we'd hear the roaring of the crowd, and the kids eating candy and popcorn; we would be inside rehearsing. That would kinda get us mad. And rocks would come through the window, people teasing us, and—but eventually, we came to rehearsing and sweating and rehearsing, and we went to talent shows. We would win every talent show. I mean, our house was loaded with trophies. Just what I—[tape cuts off]

Fidor: [Talks about Michael's dancing.]

Michael: I think dancing is the most wonderful thing of all time, because people communicated through bodily movement before anything. I mean, art, and moving your body. I mean, dancing is really showing your emotions through bodily movement. And I think it's a wonderful thing to get out on the floor, and just feel free, and do what you want, let it come out. And when I dance, I really feel it, and I just feel free, and I do what I feel. And dancing will never disappear. I mean, it's instinct. It's God. It's escapism. It's getting away from everything and just moving your body, and letting all the tension and pain out, and just having a good time. People love to party, they love to dance. And we need rhythm, beat, the drums to dance. And that's how I feel. It will never die. Everybody dances, everybody [unintelligible], and I think it's a wonderful thing.

Fidor: [Talks about Michael's role in "The Wiz"]

Michael: We filmed "The Wiz" at the [unintelligible] outside in cold, cold, cold [unintelligible]. It was so cold, and some of the things we had to even quit. I enjoyed it to death. Wonderful time doing [unintelligible]. I just went crazy. I learned so much. I enjoyed so much. I met so many wonderful people. An incredible experience, and it was a heavy script, I mean real heavy. Really. A lot of people look at it as being a [unintelligible], but it isn't. The feeling of faith and belief and courage, [unintelligible]. You're dealing with things that make kings of the world. I just enjoyed it so much, it was wonderful.

Fidor: [Talking about Diana Ross and "Muscles"]

Michael: Oh, a six-foot boa constrictor. His name is "Muscles", and I took him to the studio. Diana Ross was just here, we were both peeling his skin off. ‘Cause he peels three times a month. She was a little afraid of him, but then she got relaxed with him.

Fidor: [Talking about the Motown audition]

Michael: We auditioned for Motown in Berry Gordy's mansion in Detroit, big, big, big estate, and an indoor pool. And here we are, singing next to the pool, among all the Motown stars. The Temptations, Diana Ross, The Marvelettes—I mean, people that we admired, and they were all there. And we did our show and they loved it. They applauded, they gave us a standing ovation, and Berry Gordy came over and—Diana Ross came over too—to us at the end of the show, and she kissed each one of us, and she said she loved what she saw, and she wanted to pay special tribute to the group, and she wanted to be a part of what we do.

Fidor: [Talking about people who influenced Michael]

Michael: I would say the person that influenced me the most—well, mainly Motown—my experiences at Motown—but Stevie Wonder, I've learned so much from him by just sitting in on his sessions and talking to him, and listening to—I mean, he's phenomenal. I mean, the way he creates lyrics and the melody. I sometimes—he knows the way I talk, whatever, he hears your voice and he knows you, even if you try to disguise it. He'll create a song by just—I'll come in the door, and he'll say, [begins to sing] "Michael's here, Michael's here", and he'll come up with a song by saying that. And he'll start playing, [begins to sing], "Michael's here, Michael's here" [sings a melody]. And he'll just come up with a melody by doing that. [Laughing] It's incredible. I mean, he's proven what he can do, and I love Stevie. I've learned so much from him.

Fidor: [Talking about Paul McCartney]

Michael: The McCartney thing came about—I went to this party, and I met Linda McCartney, and when I first met them, they said to me, "How are you?". I said, "I'm fine". They said, "You know, we wrote a song for you." I said, "Really?" [laughs] And they said, "It's called 'Girlfriend'." I said, "Really?" And they started singing it. "Girlfriend, I'm gonna tell your boyfriend." So, they start singing it, "Girlfriend, girlfriend". I said, "I really like it." And we switched numbers. They gave me their Scotland number, their England number. So, the next day, I called them in Beverly Hills—they were staying with somebody up there—and we were saying, "Yeah, we gotta get together", and blah, blah, blah.

...Fidor: [Talking about "Off the Wall"]

Michael: "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" was written at home. I came up with the melody, and it's about love, and forces of love, and the power of love. The main theme goes, "Keep on, with the force, don't stop, don't stop 'til you get enough." I was walking around the house, and I start singing, "Lovely is the feeling now". [Laughing] So, I kept singing it, and gradually, it came about. And I went in the studio. And I told Randy where to sit down, what to play on the piano. We did some percussion, and some clapping, and it turned out real funky. And I played it for Quincy Jones, and he loved it.

Fidor: [Talking about "Rock with You"]

Michael: And he came up with this song, which is wonderful. It's one of my favorite songs on the album.

...Fidor: [Talking about movies]

Michael: Something that hasn't been seen before. It's like what "Star Wars" was to the whole picture industry. All of a sudden, there's a whole 'nother nook, a whole ’nother type of movie making, creatures that walk, and space is still on Earth, and it's kind of taking it to a whole 'nother wave to the way it is now.

Fidor: [Talking about E.T.]

Michael: E.T., Spielberg, it is brilliant.

Fidor: [Talking about future movies]

Michael: I really enjoy surprising the public, going in a whole 'nother direction than what they thought. It'll be something futuristic. It'll be very different, that's the only thing I can say [laughs].

Fidor: [Talking about doing what you’re meant to do]

Michael: I feel it's something we were meant to do, like a lot of people were meant to do. I mean, there's no way that you can think Ali or somebody wasn't meant to be a boxer or—see, like that, it's perfect for it, and that they do it. I feel I was meant to do this in the best way I can.

Fidor: [Talking about Motown split]

Michael: It was, like, when a person loses an arm, you gain more power in the other arm. You make it up. And that's exactly what happened with the group. We made up. I mean, we tried to dance better, and sing as well, and play as well. I remember the day that Jermaine left group, we had a concert, the first show he didn't do with us, and we were—well, the audience liked the show. I remember it was in New York, and it was a theatre in the round, and we must've got six standing ovations. We really did. The audience—I think that was one of our best shows, the day that Jermaine wasn't—I'm not saying because he wasn't there, it's just how much more energy we put into the show. You remember?

Fidor: [Talking about Jacksons' career without Jermaine]

Michael: "Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)", Randy was playing the piano one day. His groove, [sings groove], I said, "That's bad, I love it". He said, "Oh, it's nothing. It ain't nothing." I said, "It is something", and so, I just started singing to it. [Singing melody], and it just came about. I don't know where it came from, it just came about. [sings more melody] I mean, the lyrics came when I created the melody. It just comes, I don't know where it comes from. God, I say. Really.

...Fidor: [Talking about fans]

Michael: People don't know what it feels like to get mobbed, it hurts. Because you feel like spaghetti, everybody's pulling from a different direction. One's got your leg, one's got your neck. I mean, it really hurts.

Fidor: [Talking about international fans]

Michael: In certain countries, they like to take your hair off your head—pull your hair off, and put it in their wallet. So, when we go back to these countries, they say, "Look, I got some of your hair from last year", and they show it to you.

J: We went somewhere, and they would pinch you.

Michael: Yeah, in Philippine, everybody pinching your booty and stuff, and all on your back. And the girls attack your bodies in little pinches.

Fidor: [Talking about home life]

Michael: So, there's a lot of performers, I think they sometimes have—they seem like they have two personalities. Once they get on the stage, they become the performer, and once they're off stage, it's really different. They're totally different. A lot of people always walk up to us and say, "God, I don't believe it's the same person that's on stage, you don't even seem like the guy. As soon as you get up there, you're crazy, you do all your steps, and this. Now, you just seem like a regular dude."

...Fidor: [Talking about stage mistakes]

Michael: A lot of people say, "That act is polished". People don't know it, because you know your mistakes, but they don't see it. We've done it so much, so we know what should be, like if a bass lick is out, if a drummer messed up, the audience never knows it. One day, the whole drums collapsed on stage. Everything just rolled and [unintelligible] [laughs].

Fidor: [Talking about maintaining humility]

Michael: It's pretty easy for me, because so many things I block out. I somewhere see myself, like you, or like the people in this room, I'm human just like you are. I'm no better than you are. I may have a certain talent with my art and songwriting and dancing and the drama, and the whole thing—the show business thing, but as far as human, I'm just like you. So, it's no right for me to think I'm better than you, or have an ego, to walk on air, 'cause there are lots of people in my field who are like that, and most of those people, they fall. They really do, because they begin to treat people who helped them badly, and to forget where they came from, and to forget about those who helped them get where they are. And that's real important. That's why I thank all those. I thank everybody.

Fidor: [Talking about breaking barriers]

Michael: No, I don't think in terms of color or race, or when I write a song, "this is for the blacks, and this one's for the white—". I just write, and it comes out, and I'm influenced by what I hear, and it just comes out that way, I guess since I was small to now. It's a total song musically of what I've been raised on, and I don't think it terms of color, 'cause I don't believe in that. I really don't.

Fidor: [Talking about animals]

Michael: I wouldn't say "zoo", but I have several animals. I have a llama, which is a beautiful animal, he's taller than I am, he's from Peru, South America. Yeah, and he was in the circus. His name is Louie. He's really sweet, and he loves people, and he does tricks. I have a Mouflon sheep, he looks just like a ram. Most people thinks he's a ram, but he isn't. He was also in the circus. They were raised together. His name is Mr. Tibbs. And I have two deer, their name is Prince and Princess. They're really sweet.

...Fidor: [Talking about Michael’s personality]

Michael: People in the world should really do what their heart is set on, if they really believe a thing, they should feel it through all the way, and do it. And we're gonna be doing a lot of things for the people in the future from the heart. And thank you through the years. And I mean that, thank you.

Fidor: [Thanks and Credits]

Laura Gross, interviewer, “Talking to a Thriller” article (archived)

Michael Jackson, the reclusive Peter Pan of pop whose album "Thriller" has sold a staggering 40 million copies, is not exactly renowned for talking to the Press. So the American journalist Laura Gross, who has written and devised "Michael Jackson - Rock's Thriller" (23 December 2.15), was understandably delighted with the long and revealing interview the superstar gave her for the program.

"I think he remembered that I had interviewed him and his brothers once before, years ago", Laura tells me from her Los Angeles home, just across the valley from Jackson's own palatial abode. 'You see, the Jacksons were being very high spirited, and as I'd been a teacher before becoming a journalist, I said: "Calm down, boys, this is like being in the Third Grade!"

Miss Gross did not have to resort to schoolma'am tactics in her recent interview with Jackson. "People say he's shy and withdrawn. Well, he was definitely a little shy, but I wouldn't say withdrawn. All the time he was talking to me, he was sketching on a little pad — faces, little pairs of legs, all kind of whimsical. At the end, I asked him if I could have the sketch and he said: "No, but I'll trade you for the button you're wearing." It was just a little fun button with the name of a group on it, so I handed it over and he signed his sketch and gave it to me. I'm told it's probably worth at least $5,000.

Though Jackson, at the age of 26, is undoubtedly the greatest pop phenomenon of the day, there have been recent problems for the steelworker's son. His super-hyped Victory Tour of America ended recently in a welter of legal wrangles while Jackson — a devout Jehovah's Witness — was attacked by black religious leaders as "sissified". He eventually issued a statement denying that he was homosexual.

He's been called "the biggest star in the world", but does this wunderkind with the crimped hair and the high voice have staying power? "People are saying he's greater than Presley or the Beatles, but I think it's too early to make that kind of judgement", says Laura. "He certainly hasn't changed the course of popular music the way they did."