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"Moonwalker" Release

Kellie Parker, actress, “CineVegas Podcast” (August 29, 2009) (date confirmation) (date confirmation archived) (archived shownotes) (archived audio)

Kellie Parker: “It’s hard… (losing composure, pauses) I’ll always feel that way. I’ll always be waiting for him.”

Steve Friess: “As I understand it, you remained in contact with Michael up until very recently.”

Parker: “Yeah. I remained very close with Michael for about ten years. Then after that I continued to stay in touch with him but not as regularly, every couple of years and then I did actually see him a couple of weeks before he passed away.”

Friess: “What was the occasion?”

Parker: “I was working on a show he came to see, sort of randomly…”

Parker: “I do know that in his life he would struggle with being so well known, that was sort of a constant struggle throughout his life. But I do have to say, I spent a lot of time with Michael alone on set, he and I had a lot of scenes together and he taught me so much. He was so dedicated. We would go through – before we even shot, he and I would spend sometimes like half an hour together just improving, ’cause he was so committed to it.

Friess: “How was the audition process for something like this, how did that go?”

Parker: “You know it’s funny, I auditioned for it, then didn’t hear anything for six months and thought somebody else must have gotten it. Well, originally it was called Chicago Nights. And they weren’t quite sure what exactly it was going to be.

And I actually found out a couple of years later, I was doing a press thing with Michael, and they’d asked how he’d chosen each of us. Apparently what got me the job was, they got me in to do a screen test and after the screen test they’d left the cameras rolling.

And I was such a tomboy, that was me – I had braids in my hair, I was raggedy, ripped up jeans. I was just tough! I wanted to be a guy. And Brandon did the screen test with me and we had a ball or something and he was playing with it and I went up to him and was like, ‘You’re doing it wrong! God!’ But they’d left it rolling. So that’s what Michael saw and he was like, ‘Oh my god, I have to have her.’”

Michael was magic, pure and simple. He was a man who believed in the goodness of mankind and embodied pure unconditional love for the world. I am so sad on so many levels. For the loss of an innovative genius and who was music and dance personified, for the loss of a man who loved the whole world and touched so many lives, but mostly, for me personally, the loss of a friend that I loved so dearly.

Most people don’t know about how close I was to Michael for many years following ‘Moonwalker/Smooth Criminal’ because I was never one to exploit that, even to this day I rarely talk about it, for that was a friendship that I honored and respected as private. I feel compelled at this time though, to speak of my amazing friend, as a witness to his life, and the gentleness of his soul.

He taught me so much, both as an actor and as a person, he continually inspired me to reach beyond my boundaries. He and I spent a great deal of time, one on one, while filming ‘Moonwalker.’

I remember that he told me once to never rush an emotion, that everything in life has a rhythm, and that it is the pauses and silences that speak the truth. He understood this better than anyone, he had a way of quietly inspiring everyone around him to be better than ever thought they could be. He helped so many, and inspired us all.

Michael believed in Magic, he believed that we could change the world, and he had such unconditional love that when you were around him, you couldn’t help but believe it too. He is intertwined in all of who I am, I became a dancer because of him, I became an artist because he inspired me to dream, and a writer because he taught me the power of moving people through words and actions. I love you my friend, and I know you are in a better place, we were blessed to have you for as long as we did.”

Ladysmith Black Mambazo, choral group who sang “The Moon is Walking” in “Moonwalker” end credits, “Okayplayer” (June 29, 2018) (archived)

Who Is Ladysmith Black Mambazo?

If you aren’t hip to Ladysmith Black Mambazo, you may have heard their work with Paul Simon on Graceland or on one of their 50 studio recordings. Hailing from South African, Ladysmith Black Mambazo is an acapella group of male vocalists founded in the early 1960s by Joseph Shabalala. The story goes that Joseph had a string of dreams of songs of Isicathamiya (traditional Zulu) harmonies that were so vivid he took action and started the group. The group’s name breaks down as follows:

Ladysmith: Refers to the city Joseph grew up as a farm boy in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

Black: Refers to the oxen and them being the strongest of the animals on the farm.

Mambazo: Is Zulu for an ax which also represents the strength of the voices of the vocalists.

Since it’s beginning, Ladysmith has changed formation a few times, mostly due to old age and sometimes death. Something that has not changed is the relationship of the group. The members still consist of Joseph’s cousins and since the 1990’s, a few of his sons. Although Joseph no longer tours, his sons do in his place. There are also two of the older members still touring, one of which I got to talk to about working with Michael Jackson on the epic piece that is Moonwalker. His name is Albert Mazibuko and he and his brother Milton are the two eldest members of the group still performing.

Meeting Michael Jackson

Turns out that the members of Ladysmith and Michael interacted for less than 24 hours. Michael Jackson’s management reached out to their management when they were in Los Angeles and invited them to the studio. From there they met and performed and agreed to participate in the project Moonwalker.

Albert recalled the session and what led up to them building out the song:

“Because we were around Los Angeles our tour manager told us that Michael Jackson’s manager called and Michael Jackson wants to meet Ladysmith Black Mambazo. I said ‘Really? Is this for real?’. He said yes and I remember that morning we were so excited waking up cooked breakfast, and then we went there to the studio to go record. When we got there he was already there. So he was sitting down with his family.”

“Then as soon as he saw us he stood up, he met us half way and he was wearing his gloves, so he took them off and then he put the gloves in his pocket and shook hands with us and gave Joseph, the leader of the group a hug. Michael Jackson is a person that doesn’t register in our hearts that he is a real person. He said ‘I am so glad that you made time to come here. I’m a big fan. I brought some of my family here. My mother and my sister and one of my brothers. I would like to do something with you’.”

The Collaboration On Moonwalker

After this meeting, Joseph and the rest of Ladysmith went back to their hotel. Joseph got to writing and created choreography from moves within their repertoire. Later that evening they attended the rehearsal and taping of Moonwalker and presented what they created to Michael. The song was titled “Lindelani” which means “get ready”. He loved it.

Albert spoke on the moment where Ladysmith shared the song and dance with Michael.

“Joseph said we want to sing you a song. We thought you might like this song and then he sang ‘Hello My Baby.’ And so we sang the whole song and did the dancing and everything. After that, he was smiling, looking down, and said, ‘So I hope you will be available tonight for rehearsal because I am doing a shoot for my project called Moonwalker’.”

Presenting “Linedelani (Get Ready)” As “The Moon Is Walking”

Although written for Moonwalker, “Lindelani” would appear on their album Journey of Dreams released March 1988. The song expresses hope and joy and the magic of being in the moment. This is such a needed message then and now. A message of hope and faith and encouragement, which Albert explained at length when he spoke with us about the creation of this song.

“‘Lindelani’ means wait for those blessings that are coming from above. Yes, and then you say they are coming above like the rain, like raindrops. Why Joseph wrote those lyrics were because he was seeing what was happening to us. To have that kind of blessing to be able to meet with Michael Jackson and work with him.

So he said, when we talked about it, he said, ‘You know sometimes you can sit and you don’t know when your luck is gonna come, but just wait because everything is coming from above. So now is the time that our blessings are coming. So this is the time now’.

The song was about that. And then also when [Michael] talked about the moon he said the moon is above so everything is coming [from] above. Everything is coming to us. The song was written around the situation was happening at that time. The blessing I think is the only way that I can fit to describe what was happening.”

The “Moon Is Walking” Choreography

From the song to the choreography, everything was made to highlight this moment, meeting and working with Michael Jackson. Joseph used movements from Ladysmith’s then-current choreography and incorporated steps from Michael and his dancers to add a certain amount of presence and to capture the feel of the experience.

“Something that amazed us was the kind of dancing they were doing,” Albert told us. “The crew that they had was so tight with the dancing and so clean. Something they did which is still amazing was when they were standing and leaning forward. I thought maybe it was something attached or some kind of invisible rope or something but no it was nothing. They just did that thing really and we just said, ‘Wow, amazing.’ And then after that, he said ‘I’m going to do the song.’”

“‘When I sing the song you can just join in and do what you want to do,’” Michael told the group. “Joseph had written something after they spoke a little bit. So Joseph has a piece that he had been writing. When we do the dancing there were little infuses in the dances we did for him during the day so it was making it easier for us to relate it to one another. We had rehearsed it [on our own] maybe three times and even in the rehearsal we shortened it.”

“The Moon Is Walking” & Its Impact On Apartheid

Nothing has been written about this moment in time when Ladysmith Black Mambazo’s song reached the Motherland, but it is quite powerful. I always knew Michael Jackson was a researcher, like myself. He is one of my biggest influences outside of my parents in terms of feeding my thirst for knowledge. To see the light of Ladysmith Black Mambazo and know the impact it would have on his film and during the time of Apartheid speaks to the depths of his thought process.

“You know we felt like there were some people who were behind our struggle all the time,” Albert confessed to Okayplayer over the phone. “So it was making us stronger. Even though sometimes we would get concerned when we would go back home because we didn’t know what the apartheid regime would think about us. But fortunately, I think we were lucky because the songs that we sang were very careful that we didn’t put something [in the song] that they could use against us. We thought a lot about that and when we met Michael Jackson we said this will strengthen the struggle at home. It shows that there are people out there that care about our well being at home.”

Ladysmith Black Mambazo Still Keeps The Moon Dancing

Although Ladysmith Black Mambazo met with Michael Jackson that day in 1987, they never met again. This was their first and last collaboration. “Just one day and then we never met him again. Just one moment in time. That morning and then that night and then everything was done,” Albert told us. At the time of writing this, Ladysmith was on tour after winning a Grammy for their latest release Shaka Zulu Revisited: 30th Anniversary Celebration. I highly doubt they will be slowing down anytime soon as this is a strong tradition that has Joseph Shabalala rooted in his family. Who knows what’s to come next in terms of their future collaborations. Maybe Bruno Mars or even Erykah Badu? Whoever it is and however it happens, Ladysmith Black Mambazo has a place in history that cannot be shaken and even the King of Pop had to acknowledge that.

Bruce Boughton, “Maximum Jackson: HIStory Continues” (November 2012), from Chris Cadman’s “Michael Jackson the Maestro”

In an interview with Daniel Gamboa Villalobos of historycontinues.com in November 2012 Broughton said he was contacted by the director first about the film. Michael was touring with the Bad tour in Japan at the time and it was from their he got in touch with Broughton.

“We talked briefly and very generally about the movie. I told him that I liked the film, was looking forward to working on it, and gave him some idea of my intentions. We decided to speak later, after I had actually worked on some ideas and had written some music. He called a week or so later (by this time I think he was in Australia) and I played him what I had done on the piano over the phone. He understood very quickly what I was doing. He made some suggestions in certain places for what I had written and clarified some of his ideas to me about the film. Overall, however, he liked what I had done and was very supportive of what he had heard. All of his ideas of course I incorporated as well as I could into the music. They were all good and valid.”

Brandon Quintin Adams, “Badder” child impersonator/dancer, personal website (June 2009) (archived)

A Note for the Greatest Talent That Ever Existed Michael Jackson the King of Pop!

The loss of another great one has come upon us this week. My heart is very sadness with the lost of a friend, there is no word that can express the grief and pain that I'm feeling in my heart right now. Michael was a very influential and big part of my life since the very start of my life. When I began my career as a MJ child impersonator, I would had never image that i will be very blessed, fortunate, lucky and honor to not only meet him personally but to also act and work with him in the same stage and movie set. Michael was my inspiration and a mentor as growing up.

I feel very blessed for being able to be part of MJ life, history and being in the presence of music royalty & icon. Those memories for ever I will be Cherish and treasure. I will forever thank you MJ for giving me those memories and opportunity.

I also want to take the opportunity to send my condolences to all of my Michael's family, friends and fan all over the world. I know this is a very sad moment in all of our heart. I will keep my friend MJ in my prayer and will look forward for one day to reunite with him in another and better place.

Michael thank you for giving me those priceless memories and allowing me to be part of your history and life!! He took my childhood and a big part of my heart to heaven with him. I will miss you!

Your Friend and Best Child Impersonator..

Joe Pesci, actor for Frankie "Mr. Big" LiDeo, “Daily Mail” (June 27, 2009) (archived)

[His success] was amazing, so well deserved. He was excited about getting back to the stage.

Chris Cadman, author, “Michael Jackson the Maestro”

Billed as ‘A Movie Like No Other’.

Cost Michael an estimated $ 27 million to make, and premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in France on 18th May 1988.

Numerous disagreements in the States led to Frank Dileo’s decision not to release the film to cinemas – a decision it has been claimed cost Michael many millions of dollars in lost box office receipts. Instead, in January 1989, MOONWALKER was immediately released on home video.

Filming for Smooth Criminal began in early 1987, the working title being Chicago Nights (a clapper board of this title is seen in a picture of Michael with Sean Lennon and Kelly Parker).

Brandon Adams was just starting out when he got the part of Zeke. He had appeared in Bryan Michael Stoller’s spoof ‘The Shadow Of Michael.’

Initial meetings for the idea of MOONWALKER were held in Michael’s bedroom at the Encino home in 1985. At that meeting were Cocoon director Ron Howard and Back To The Future’s Kevin Pike. Howard later declined the offer to direct, claiming he was too tired and needed a rest.

Michael was pitching his idea of turning into a transformer and also invited Robert Zemeckis, who had also worked on Back To The Future. Unfortunately Zemeckis declined to work on the film also. Eventually it would be Academy Award winner for Superman The Movie Colin Chivers, who would help Michael achieve his vision. Chivers in turn also brought in David Newman (Superman writer) to write the storyline for MOONWALKER.

Michael held meetings with choreographers Jeffrey Daniel and Vincent Patterson for the video short. Patterson came up with the idea of dancing with gangsters, in an eventual outfit that would be a tribute to his hero Fred Astaire in Band Wagon.

In a note Michael wrote he asked for them to study all the greats, study Bob Fosse dances and watch films like, All That Jazz, Flashdance and Band Wagon.

...Famous visitors on the set of MOONWALKER included: Robert De Niro, Steven Spielberg, Gregory Peck, Elizabeth Taylor, Yoko Ono, Jimmy Stewart, Bruce Willis and Fred Astaire’s choreographer Hermes Pan, which was said to have delighted Michael.

An early cut of MOONWALKER was sent to director James Cameron, a friend of Michael’s to view, who liked what he saw.

Jerry Kramer had several ideas that could have taken MOONWALKER to a far higher level than it attained. Lorne Michael’s and Phil Hartman from Saturday Night Live were approached to write a script for MOONWALKER with the plot being centered on Michael’s board members chasing him to prevent him going on holiday. Michael did love the idea, but felt time was against completing the film and asked Kramer to wrap it up tied in with Colin Chilvers ideas.

MOONWALKER opened with clips of Michael performing ‘Man In The Mirror’ live, followed by a ‘retrospective’ that included songs from both the Motown and Epic eras, ending with ‘Bad.’

‘Bad’ turned into ‘Badder’ with nine year old Brandon Adams playing Michael and lip-synching Bad, as he leads a bunch of kids through an entertaining re-make of the ‘Bad’ promo. Among the ‘Badder’ dancers was Michael’s nephew, Jermaine Jackson, Jr.

Next up ‘Speed Demon,’ the first of two highly innovative short films, to promote songs from Michael’s album BAD. Mixing claymation with real life footage, ‘Speed Demon’ saw Michael fleeing eager fans and paparazzi alike, and included an amusing shot of Michael hiding behind a Statue Of Liberty that comes alive just long enough to comment,

‘Land of the free, home of the weird!’

...More than half an hour into MOONWALKER, after the amusing and innovative ‘Leave Me Alone’ promo, the film segment ‘Smooth Criminal’ finally starts.

Three children, Brandon Adams (as Zeke), 11 year old Kellie Parker (Katie) and 13 year old Sean Lennon (son of John and Yoko, as Sean), plus Skipper the Old English Sheepdog, co-star as Michael is pitted against the evil drugs baron Mr Big, played by Joe Pesci.

Colin Chilvers, who picked up an Oscar for Best Special Effects for his work on the Superman films, directed the whole of ‘Smooth Criminal.’ Michael’s man-to-robot, flesh-to-metal, transformation has to be seen to be believed, and it is easy to believe claims that the ‘Smooth Criminal’ segment alone contains 200 + special effects shots – more than in the whole of a full length movie like Close Encounters Of The Third Kind.

After Zeke, Katie and Sean have been saved and Mr Big destroyed, Michael’s manager Frank DiLeo makes a brief cameo appearance, to re-unite Michael and the children with Skipper. An excellent live performance of the Beatles’ ‘Come Together’ – a song Michael had originally recorded with BAD in mind – is a fitting climax to what truly is ‘A Movie Like No Other’.

The ‘Come Together’ segment was shot in Los Angeles. The crowd was supplied by a local extra talent agency, while a radio station bussed in further extras for the shoot with last minute broadcast ad.

Working on the score was Bruce Broughton who had composed music for TV shows like Dallas, Buck Rodgers and Tiny Toons Adventures, as well as being nominated for an Oscar for the best music in a film for Silverado.

...Michael and Broughton got the score done at Twentieth Century Fox Studios with a large orchestra, in a day off from the tour. Broughton worked with the orchestra and paid regular visits to the recording booth to see what Michael was happy with and what changes he wanted to make. According to Broughton Michael was a delight to work with. For the day Broughton’s two daughters visited the studio that day, they were both huge fans. He signed their photos and spent time talking with them.

In the UK, as in most other countries, MOONWALKER was first released to cinemas, opening on 26th December 1988.

In Japan in December 1988 MOONWALKER was released on video before anywhere else in the world.

By the time it was released in the rest of the world figures showed it had sold close on half million copies by April, 1989.

MOONWALKER – The Storybook and a Sega/ Genesis computer game testify to Moonwalker’s popularity, and industry recognition came in the form of two Grammy nominations.

MOONWALKER itself lost out in the category Best Video, Long Form – to Janet Jackson’s Rhythm Nation 1814! But, deservedly, the Grammy for Best Video, Short Form went to Michael for ‘Leave Me Alone.’

...Rockin’ Robin was originally included in the retrospective medley but was pulled out by Michael when he heard it.