"Home gives you love to complete your life."

Michael Jackson, In His Own Words

The following lines were written by Michael Jackson underside the handcrafted table at Neverland during the early '90's;

Home gives you courage to know yourself.
Home gives you beauty for your eyes to see.
Home gives you love to complete your life.
Home gives you sunsets to warm your heart.
Home gives you friendships to brighten your being.
Home gives you patience to accept the truth.
Home gives you comfort on a difficult day.
Home gives you rainbows beneath the clouds.
Home gives you hugs when your spirits sag.
Home gives you faith so that you can believe.

-  MJ

The Table
Hand Crafted By ‘Eduardo’ ~ From Surrounding Tree Stock of Neverland Ranch ~ August 16, 1990

** pictures source : facebook

Michael Jackson: "a perfect gentleman and consummate professional"

Ocala man recorded Michael Jackson at his best
By Joe Callahan, Staff writer
published at Ocala website on June 27, 2009

OCALA - Mick Jagger didn't hesitate when Michael Jackson told the Rolling Stones singer to warm up his vocal cords before recording their duet "State of Shock" in 1983.

It was a classic recording session a year after "Thriller" had cemented Jackson's reputation as the King of Pop, according to an Ocala resident who worked alongside Jackson for two decades.

"Mick didn't hesitate," said Bruce Swedien, who recorded and mixed many Jackson albums, including "Off the Wall" and "Thriller" - considered among the best all time.

"By then, everyone knew how good Michael was," he continued. "If Michael Jackson says warm up, you warm up - even if you are Mick Jagger."

...

The sound engineer even shares songwriting credit with Jackson on the song "Jam," a No. 3 hit on the R&B charts in 1992.

Swedien said he normally records a singer about a dozen times before getting enough to mix together a perfect vocal track for an album.

With Jackson, it only took two to four takes. And one of those takes would be perfect on its own. But hours of preparation preceded recording.

They would change lyrics, tempo and pitch, working for days and hours on getting the song just right before finalizing the track. Swedien said Thriller was recorded and completed in six months.

He credits music producer Quincy Jones for creating the sound of Michael Jackson.

"'Off the Wall' and 'Thriller' showed Quincy's kaleidoscopic approach," said Swedien, who described Jones as a musical genius.

However, it was Jackson's talent and drive for perfection that kept the singer practicing all night before a recording.

That's why a typical recording session started late.

"We were up at the crack of noon," Swedien said, adding that Jackson never started singing until after he warmed up his voice thoroughly for a typical 10-hour day.

Swedien called Jackson a perfect gentleman and "consummate professional" throughout all the meetings.

"He never drank coffee," Swedien remembered. "He never drank alcohol. He was a fussy eater. I guess he was what you would call a health nut."

While some may remember Michael Jackson for his well-publicized idiosyncrasies, Swedien will remember him as one of the best prepared artists he ever worked with.

And Swedien should know. He's recorded many of the greats, including Jagger, McCartney, Muddy Waters, Barbara Streisand and Lena Horne.

"He never came in half-stepping," Swedien said. "Michael was always prepared. I never recorded Michael when he had the lyrics in front of him."

Swedien said that Jackson's dedication to his craft was unique. During album recordings, which would sometimes last more than six months, Jackson rarely rested.

"He would work on the lyrics all of the time," said Swedien, whose book "In the Studio with Michael Jackson" is expected to be released in September.

Swedien said his respect for Jackson makes him reluctant to talk about a financial dispute he had with the star. In 2007, Swedien claimed Jackson owed him $500,000 in royalties.

"I love Michael Jackson," Swedien said when asked about the controversy. "He made me a ton of money."

Bruse Swedien at his Ocala studio, by a display of five gold singles
 and the platinum album "Thriller."

source: http://www.ocala.com/article/20090627/ARTICLES/906271008?p=1&tc=pg

MJ HIStory: Caring For Kids Award Ceremony

In April 1994, Michael Jackson is presented with the "Caring For Kids" celebrity award by 'Body Sculpt', a charity teaching physical education to youngsters to keep them from drugs, at the second "Children's Choice Award" ceremony in New York. An estimated 75,000 people aged between 8 and 18 years old voting for him. 'Body Sculpt' votes Jackson as their favourite role model. The 'Caring For Kids' award honours celebrities devoting time to the youth  at the City Center in New York City.

pictures source: http://photos-michael-jackson.elusiveshadow.com/categories.php?cat_id=215

"I love to read..."

Michael Jackson, In His Own Words

 

"I love to read.  I wish I could advise more people to read. 

There’s a whole other world in books.  

If you can’t afford to travel,  you travel mentally through reading. 

You can see anything and go any place you want to in reading."   

~ Michael Jackson, 1984

The reader

Southern Bound: The reader, a quieter side of Michael Jackson 
Posted by John Sledge, Books Page Editor 

Categories: Books 

Michael Jackson: "I watch cartoons. I love cartoons. I play video games. Sometimes I read." 
Paul Theroux:     "You mean you read books?" 
Michael Jackson: "Yeah. I love to read short stories and everything." 
Paul Theroux:     "Any in particular?" 
Michael Jackson: "Somerset Maugham ... Whitman. Hemingway. Twain." 

Who'd a thunk it? Michael Jackson a serious reader? Paul Theroux's recollection of an old conversation published in a recent London Telegraph indicates, and a June 27 story in the L.A. Times confirms, that the King of Pop was apparently just that. Jackson certainly isn't the only popular musician known to have a literary bent -- Keith Richards is famously bookish, and in her 10,000 Maniacs days, Natalie Merchant flung paperback copies of Jack Kerouac's "On the Road" into the audience -- but he is surely the most surprising.

Michael Jackson, The Reader

Or perhaps not. That Jackson was complex and troubled is common knowledge. And though California hosts legions of self-help gurus and clinics and pills of all sorts, great literature has wrestled with the conundrums of the human condition for centuries. Wherever else he may have turned for answers, it is now evident that Michael Jackson found solace in literature.

In the L.A. Times story, numerous southern California booksellers reported that Jackson was a regular customer, and a good one, often leaving with four or five volumes. Sometimes a store would get a request to close early so he could browse without being confronted by fans. He always arrived with beefy bodyguards and sometimes perused the shelves in outsized sunglasses or behind a surgical mask or under a black umbrella. He rarely spoke, but when he did, he was quiet and polite. One clerk recalled that Jackson loved poetry and another that he favored Emerson. "I think you would find a great deal of the transcendental, all-accepting philosophy in his lyrics," one of them told the Times.

Jackson liked to discuss what he had read, though the circle of trusted confidants who could keep up with him was likely small. "We talked about psychology, Freud and Jung, Hawthorne, Sociology, black history and sociology dealing with race issues," one of Jackson's attorneys, Bob Sanger, told the L.A. Weekly. Noting that Jackson was well-versed in the classic works of all those subjects, Sanger concluded, "Go down the street and try and find five people who can talk about Freud and Jung."

Theroux was surprised at how substantive his exchange with Jackson turned out to be. After being vetted for an interview by Elizabeth Taylor ("He'll talk to you if I ask him to"), Theroux was awakened by a telephone call during the wee hours from the King of Pop himself ("the voice was breathy, unbroken, boyish"). After some discussion about Jackson's close friendship with Taylor, which Theroux likens to the relationship between Wendy and Peter Pan, the talk ranged over issues of fame and family before moving to the theme of lost childhood.

Theroux quoted a line from the Irish poet George William Russell: "In the lost boyhood of Judas/ Christ was betrayed." Jackson's response was a soft "wow" and then a series of rapid-fire questions about what this meant, and what exactly was known about Judas, his childhood and his life. "I told him," Theroux explained, "that Judas had red hair, that he was the treasurer of the Apostles, that he might have been Sicarii -- a member of a radical Jewish group, that he might not have died by hanging himself but somehow exploded, all his guts flying." This was followed by another 20 minutes of "Biblical apocrypha with Michael Jackson on the lost childhood of Judas" before the star uttered another soft "wow."

So, in his quiet moments Jackson was reading long and deep, seeking inspiration and insight. Then why did those vapid tours of Neverland Ranch (both before and after his death), which highlighted the carnival rides and the zoo animals and the fountains and the floral clock and the palatial mansion and the theater, never show or even mention Jackson's personal library? According to Sanger in the L.A. Weekly, it consists of ten thousand volumes. There, I would humbly suggest, might lie more than a few answers to the many puzzles of Michael Jackson. 

(John Sledge edits the Press-Register's Books page. He may be reached at the Press-Register, P.O. Box 2488, Mobile, AL 36652.) 

source: http://blog.al.com/entertainment-press-register/2009/08/southern_bound_the_reader_a_qu.html

another related article: http://www.bookpatrol.net/2009/07/michael-jackson-extremely-well-read-had.html

HIStory: Magazine Covers

Michael Jackson, at JET Magazine (United States), April 26, 1993

I love you so completely...

"I dream of you at night

 you whisper in my ear 

I wait for you in silence 

 yet still you won't appear

 I still can feel you with me 

 Even though you're far above

 I love you so completely 

You are my only love.” 

 2-14-91

MJ

Michael Jackson, In His Own Words

The beautiful poem above was written by Michael Jackson at the back of this painting at Neverland on February 14,1991.

A Bit of HIStory for today

Michael Jackson: A Night At The Apollo
Apollo Theater, New York on 24 April 2002

Michael Jackson performing at "A Night At The Apollo", a Democratic National Committee fundraiser at New York City's landmark Apollo Theater in the Harlem section of Manhattan April 24, 2002. The star studded event, which was attended by former President Bill Clinton, was held to kick off the the DNC's nationwide voter registration initiative.

source and for more pictures: 

http://kingofpopjackson.tripod.com/galapr24.htm

"My Child... Yours Is Indeed A Job Well Done!"

Michael Jackson - The Spiritual Teacher

By Dr. Monica Burns-Capers, Ph.D

Michael Jackson's stage presence was undoubtedly incomparable. He performed with an energy and a divine ambiance that was clearly not of this world. No one else in our lifetime, will ever come close to the magnanimous and influential powerhouse that was... Michael Jackson. But I now ponder, were we just too enamored with the performer and his image, to realize the profoundness of the spiritual and life lessons he was teaching us all along - contained in the lyrics of his songs?

Michael Jackson's passion, purpose and message was for peace, harmony, and equality in the world. He longed for simple experiences that we, today, continue to take for granted. He wanted normality. He wanted to be accepted as he was. Most importantly, he wanted to experience a childhood. Was his behavior as a "childlike man" a bit strange for some? Yes... Maybe. However, if you have never experienced NOT having a childhood, you have no grounds for judgment. According to the Bible Scriptures - Luke 18: 16-17 states "I tell you the truth, anyone who doesn't receive the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it."

He said in an interview once, "If you really want to know about me, listen to the lyrics in my song - Have You Seen My Childhood." The lyrics are as follow: "Have You Seen My Childhood? I'm searching for the world that I come from. Cause I've been looking around, in the lost and found of my heart. No one understands me, They view it as such strange eccentricities... Cause I keep kidding around. Like a child, but pardon me...People say I'm not okay, Cause I love such elementary things...It's been my fate to compensate, for the Childhood I've never known... Before you judge me, try hard to love me."

Michael Jackson suffered greatly internally. The only place he felt free was on stage. When he performed he was "being" and in alignment with his divine purpose. He knew he wasn't being judged by his fans... we loved and still love him. He utilized his God-given talents and abilities with every fiber and cell in his body. He poured his heart and soul into each performance, with fans at every corner and stretch of the world receiving him. Michael Jackson sincerely loved us. He suffered even more at the condemnation and crude perceptions of those who have no conscience. Those individuals who use such cowardly covers stating: "I'm Just A Reporter Reporting The News," or "I Just Want To Sell My Tabloids." These vicious people sought fame and fortune, out of their own envious ways, destroying those to whom the stories are written about. They are so blinded by having the "exclusive story" that they are not stopping to even think about the detrimental effects of their actions. Over the years, they devastatingly touched the soul of one of God's Angels. This, along with his personal issues, had kept Michael Jackson in constant emotional pain, mental pain and lifelong turmoil for most of his life.

Lyrics from his song "Tabloid Junkie" can best describe how he felt: "Speculate to break the one you hate. Circulate the lie you confiscate. Assassinate and mutilate. As the hounding media in hysteria, Who's the next for you to resurrect...It's slander. With the words you use. You're a parasite in black and white. Do anything for news. And you don't go and buy it. To read it sanctifies it."

Michael Jackson did not allow the public scrutiny to keep him from entertaining his fans. He remained persistent in his message and mission of bringing love unto the world, with such lyrics from his song "Another Part of Me" - "We're sending out, A major love, And this is our message to you. The planets are lining up, We're bringing brighter days. They're all in line, Waiting for you. Can't you see.....You're just Another Part of Me."

We are all a part of each other. When you tear one down, we all suffer. Including those who are responsible for the act itself; they just don't know it yet. When one is in turmoil, we all are. When one is crying out for help, we need to answer. Michael Jackson cried and cried and cried. Not with tears streaming down his face; but rather with all the ways he changed the look of his appearance. The way we truly feel on the inside, will definitely reflect those same feelings on the outside. I think that because his childhood was so tumultuous, he maybe set out to take away any signs of how he looked. As this would be a permanent constant reminder. The public also contributed with negative reports of his prominent "African American" features and so on and so forth. What he didn't understand, I believe, was that his fans never complained. We loved Michael Jackson just as he was. I think he expected that changing his appearance on the outside, would also create new emotional and mental feelings for him on the inside. If you haven't learned anything from the Spiritual Teachings of the Divine Spirit that was and is Michael Jackson... let's remember this Scripture from Matthew 7:2 - "Others will treat you as you treat them. Whatever measure you use in judging others, it will be used to measure how you are judged."

Michael Jackson has served his purpose, has carried out his mission, and has delivered his message. He has entered the gates of heaven where he's entertaining God and his fellow Angels. Now he can finally rest in the comfort and peace of his true father's arms, as he now knows and feels acceptance. He can now be that "child" without judgment. And most of all... he has heard those approving words from his true father in heaven... "My Child... Yours Is Indeed A Job Well Done!"

In Conclusion... Lyrics To Michael Jackson's Song: "Gone Too Soon."

Like A Comet, Blazing Cross The Evening Sky...Gone Too Soon.
Like A Rainbow, Fading In The Twinkling of an Eye......Gone Too Soon.
Shiny and Sparkly, and Splendidly Bright.
Here One Day.....Gone One Night.

Like A Castle, Built Upon A Sandy Beach......Gone Too Soon.
Like A Perfect Flower, That Is Beyond Your Reach...Gone Too Soon.

Born To Amuse, To Inspire, To Delight
Here One Day... Gone One Night.

Like A Sunset,  Dying With The Rising of The Moon
Gone Too Soon.
Gone Too Soon.

Dr. Monica Burns-Capers, Ph.D Is An Expert Author, Life Coach, Organizational Management & Behavior Consultant, and President-CEO of Monica Mi'Chelle Communications: A Professional Writing and Management Consulting Company.http://drmonicaburnscapers.mfbiz.com --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- article source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dr._Monica_Burns-Capers,_Ph.D.

HIStory: Magazine Covers

Michael Jackson at Class Magazine [United States],  April 1994

picture source: http://www.whosdatedwho.com/tpx_2863091/class-magazine-united-states-april-1994/

I love the planet...

Michael Jackson, In His Own Words

“I respect the secrets and magic of nature, that’s why it makes me so angry when I see these things that are happening,  that every second, a forest the size of a football field is torn down in the Amazon. That kind of stuff really bothers me. 

That’s why I write these kinds of songs [Earth Song], you know... to give some sense of awareness and awakening and hope to people. I love the planet. I love trees. I have this thing for trees and the colours and changing of leaves... I love it! I respect those kinds of things.

I really feel that nature is trying so hard to compensate for man’s mismanagement of the planet. The planet is sick, like a fever. And if we don’t fix it now,  it’s at the point of no return. This is our last chance to fix this problem that we have, or it’s like a runaway train and the time has come, this is it. People are always saying, ‘Oh, they’ll take care of it, the government or they will...’ They? They who? It starts with us! It’s us or it will never be done.”

- Michael Jackson, 2009 "This Is It” documentary 

Another beautiful, heart touching story...

Here's this article excerpt I found from AmericanMemorabilia website;

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Michael Jackson’s impact on music will never cease. 

From the time he five years old, Jackson was a chart topper. When he went solo, Jackson became a global icon. 

Through all of his success, he never forgot the little people. Jackson made it a point to help numerous charities and donate millions. The Make-A-Wish Foundation was one of the beneficiaries of Jackson’s time and service. 

That is how The King of Pop met young David Sonnet.

At the tender age of 8 years old, Sonnet’s life forever changed when he suffered a brain aneurysm. While he was unable to write or talk, he could function through a communication device which helped him convey his thoughts through a specialized computer. 

Sonnet was granted his wish when he was invited to Neverland Ranch in November of 1992. One of only four kids to go to Neverland Ranch with Make-A-Wish (which was sponsored by Sony), Sonnet met his hero Nov. 25, 1992. 

Sonnet was given a “Beat It” jacket from a local charity in West Palm Beach Florida auction in 1988, which he wore for his special encounter. This jacket may have been worn by Jackson during the “Beat-It” video but there is no documentation. The zip-up was donated for a charity for raising money for a girl in the West Palm Beach area who needed facial reconstruction surgery. Because the family knew that Sonnet was a huge Michael Jackson fan, they gave it to him. 

The jacket shows wear and was only worn once by Sonnet when he met MJ. Jackson came down from the second story of his Neverland home and made a bee-line for Sonnet who was on the first floor saddled in a wheelchair.  Once he saw the jacket, he explained to the excited youngster “I see you have my jacket on.” Because Sonnet was unable to talk or walk, although he did try getting out of his chair, the two shared an “I Love You” in sign language.  Jackson was visibly emotional during the encounter. 

Sonnet gave Jackson a stuffed lion and picture of himself. Jackson told Sonnet that he would keep the photo of him in his room. 

The story doesn't end there though. 

Sonnet wrote to Jackson on various occasions as a show of support.  Jackson would write back and include photos and other personal mementos. 

The hat (pictured below and featured in an auction) was gifted from Jackson to Sonnet and has a mailing address from Neverland Ranch.

Sonnet sent a thank you card to Jackson and a wedding card when he married Lisa Marie Presley. Both times Jackson responded with a signed letter and salutation. 

According to Debbie Sonnet, David’s mother, Jackson’s music did help pull him out of a coma. His recovery room was decorated with numerous Jackson photos and his music was played at all times.
Sonnet passed away July 26, 2004. 

article and pictures source: http://www.americanmemorabilia.com/Auction_Item.asp?Auction_ID=50531

HIStory: MJ looking all HIP HOP …

At the 1995 Vibe Magazine

I'd say "H" is for Hot, Super HOT HOT HOT!!!

HIStory: Magazine Covers

Michael Jackson, at Jet Magazine (USA), April 19, 1982

HIStory: Magazine Covers

Michael Jackson at Derniere Heure Magazine [France],  19 April 1997

picture source: http://www.whosdatedwho.com/tpx_2863115/derniere-heure-magazine-france-19-april-1997/

"3 minutes with Michael Jackson"

December 1983 at Disney World - Michael Jackson and Stephanie Mazzuca:

"I was 10. At Disney with my parents and uncle waiting in line for the Dumbo ride when all of a sudden a huge crowd surrounded us. A lady in a big white hat asked me if I wanted to cut the line. I, of course, said yes. Within seconds I was in the elephant waiting to "take off" when all of a sudden Michael Jackson appeared. It was a dream come true. One that was so overwhelming I still remember so clearly today my struggle to find words to speak. A lot of "uh hu's" and head nodding. Michael asked me my name, how old I was, where I lived, etc, etc.. Told me he loved Disney. I asked him questions about his video's and I think Madonna. That 3 minutes seemed like an eternity, but at the same time flew by. One of MJ's assistant took this photo and mailed to me with a Thank You Card. I cherish my pictures and memories from my "3 minutes with Michael Jackson". It was, and still is, my best trip to Disney World ever."

source: http://twitpic.com/1fk4ef