~A man who was completely innocent offered himself up for sacrifice for the good of others, including his enemies, and became the ransom of the world.  It was a perfect act~

Mahatma Gandhi

~To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden, or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived-This is to have succeeded~

Ralph Waldo Emerson

~A truly rich person is the one who is in contact with the energy of love every second of his existence~

Paulo Coelho

~To be creative means to be in love with life.  You can be creative only if you love life enough that you want to enhance its beauty, you want to bring a little more music to it, a little poetry to it, a little more dance to it~

Osho

~Trust in dreams, for in them is hidden the gate to eternity~

The Prophet

I agree with Omraam Mikhael Aivanhov when he declared that the human soul needs immensity…for only in immensity can the soul be happy and feel free to breathe.  With acceptance of free will comes great responsibility, and yes, often great loss.  When we are faced with losing something we love, free will gives purpose to loss, leading us to  different choices.  Our lifeline receives its strength from one who has lived before, danced the planet, showing us that what is now proved was once only imagined.  As our paths circle back to right wrongs that have been done, we continue our instruction.  Michael Jackson believed in the power of imagination:  “An artist’s imagination is his greatest tool.  It can create a mood or feeling that people want to have, as well as transport you to a different place altogether.” MJ  Michael believed that the imagination was capable of producing miracles.  It has no limitations…everything that exists was once imagined.  Holding onto our Angelic Being, we stay aligned with our true selves.

Enter those who wonder: How badly do you have to break it to make it work.  Part of us wants to keep our imagination free of thoughts we do not wish to materialize.  However, we stand firm on this:  When a good man is hurt, all who would be called good must suffer with him…Euripides 

This week has brought with it yet another attempt by the media to keep myth alive in the form of a new book.  Once again, we are called upon to stand for the truth…believing that when words are both true and kind, they can change the world  (Buddha)  The truth is, there is no one else to do it.  We have been chosen by Michael to continue his Legacy.

“The human spirit  is in trouble, but he has whispered his love into many of us and we are the ones who will carry it forward.  We are responsible because we KNOW.  He is the living demonstration of everything beautiful, just, and integral…ALWAYS.”

Siren

We are taking over, we do have the truth…our mission is to see it through.  ANOTHER PART OF MICHAEL…our lifeline is securely tethered, our truths firmly grounded in Michael’s own words, our imaginations free to breathe.  In loving life, Michael left behind creative and imaginative assistance for this critical time in human history, steering us in ways that keep us aligned with our moral compass, believing in magic and miracles with the power to heal…the shimmering of his soulful voice, the comet-like swirl of his dance provide the hope we need to extricate ourselves from a cynical and judgmental crawl, to take flight in dreams of unconditional love.  Those dreams are rooted in Michael Jackson Truths.  To that end…PAYING MICHAEL FORWARD  MEANS TO SET THE RECORD STRAIGHT.  Words matter!

THE ATV MUSIC PUBLISHING CATALOGUE

“Eventually, I would buy the ATV music publishing catalogue, which included many of the great Lennon-McCartney songs.  But, most people don’t know that it was Paul who introduced me to the idea of getting involved in music publishing.  I was staying with Paul and Linda at their house in the country when Paul told me about his own involvement in music publishing.  He handed me a little book with MPL printed on the cover.  He smiled as I opened it, because he knew I was going to find the contents exciting.  It contained a list of all the songs Paul owns and he’d been buying the rights to songs for a long time.  I had never given the idea of buying songs any thought before.  When the ATV music publishing catalogue, which contains many Lennon-McCartney songs, went on sale, I decided to put in a bid.  I consider myself a musician who is incidentally a businessman, and Paul and I had both learned the hard way about business and the importance of publishing and royalties and the dignity of songwriting.  Songwriting should be  treated as the lifeblood of popular music.  The creative process doesn’t involve  time clocks or quota systems, it involves inspiration and the willingness to follow through.”

Michael Jackson  MOONWALK 1988

“The merging of ATV with Sony establishes our commitment to create one of the largest music publishing ventures in the world.  We have been working on this for over a year and now with the two of us together, the sky is our only limit.”

Michael Jackson December 1995

“I want to clarify a silly rumor.  The Beatles catalog is not for sale and will never be for sale.”

Michael Jackson 2001

Michael Jackson was a businessman.  He invested in songwriters, often giving songs to Black artists who had not received anything from record companies for the songs they wrote.  Using investments is common practice for all and was a practice for Michael.  However, Michael’s LIFELINE was his unparalleled talent, his tireless work ethic, his devotion to his artistry, his unequaled imagination, and his commitment to his Fans…and yes, HIS GENIUS!

~The moonwalk is a dance I would love to take credit for, but I can’t because I have to be completely honest here…these Black children in the ghettos are….they have this phenomenal rhythm of anybody on the earth.  I’m not joking.  I get a lot of ideas from watching these Black children.  They have perfect rhythm.  Just riding through Harlem in the 70’s and early 80’s, I would see these kids dancing on the street…sliding backwards, kind of like an illusion dance, I call it.  I took a mental picture of it.  I went  into my room upstairs in Encino and I would just start doing the dance and create and perfect it.  But, it definitely started with the Black culture.  No doubt.  That’s where it comes from.”

Michael Jackson speaking with Reverend Jesse Jackson March 2005

Michael Jackson was truth personified.  He gained his fame and fortune through hard work and unparalleled talent.  He did not reach the level of King of Pop at the expense of others.

“He was a consummate performer who understood exactly how to put on a show and bring a crowd of thousands to their feet.  Technically speaking, Michael is a lighting designer’s dream.  There were no holds barred with him and even if some of his ideas seemed to come from left field, we found ways to do them.  He was the kind of artist that you could reach as far as you wanted for effects, but nothing would upstage him and it would only serve to support what he was doing.  He knew artistically what he wanted.  He was always focused on the actual presentation of the show.  He was involved technically, musically, and with every other aspect of the performance.  He was real.  He was thoroughly involved, but not necessarily at the beginning of something.  He waited until something was established and he would edit, comment, ask for additions…asking for them very quickly.  But, there was always a specific part of the show that was dedicated to his wanting to heal the world in whatever way that he or his music could accomplish.  I found the reaction worldwide was always the same wherever he went.  In many locations, the concert-goers may not speak a word of English, but they knew all the words to all the songs.  You would always hear them singing in unison.  It was phenomenal.  In the television concert footage from the Dangerous Tour in Bucharest, Romania, the absolute immensity of his audience was obvious.  I’ve done tours with such artists as Madonna, where we’ve had 100,000-200,000 people in stadiums.  But, this was the largest crowd I had ever seen.  I don’t know how they personally viewed him, but Michael was definitely a kind of Pied-Piper or Messiah in some of their eyes.  He espoused love for everyone and I guess they really picked up on that.

In 1988, the year prior to the wall coming down in Germany, we played the Reichtag, the old Parliament.  Concerts were performed on the front grounds and you could hit the Berlin Wall with a  rock from the back door of the venue.  We raised extra lights and sound gear so something could be heard and seen on the other side.  We were told that the size of the audience listening on the street on the other side of the wall was 10 times the size of what we saw in front of us…which was a complete sell-out.  That was one of the most memorable moments that I have ever been a part of, and to be a  part of it with a Michael Jackson tour makes it even more so.

On our tour, Michael was definitely an INTERNATIONAL AMBASSADOR OF PEACE.  You cannot underestimate what Michael’s popularity was and still is overseas.  No matter where we went, and we went some places in Eastern Europe that, not too many years before, there were actually tanks in the street.  There  were people becoming quite emotional all over the world.  I am proud to have worked for a guy that you could tell everyday he was a consummate professional.  Michael Jackson worked harder than anyone else on the tour.  People see the over-simplification of his life in the media, but I know that he was a really good boss, and I know he was an incredible performer…just from my personal  experience…and, I saw a couple hundred of his shows…I CAN PROVE IT.

I believe in Warsaw there were like 400,000 people in one place.  You really don’t get a grasp of the enormity of it.  Michael was more than a singer/songwriter…he was a performer…THE IDEAL PERFORMER.  If you have never sat in a stadium of 400,000 screaming fans all waiting to see what he does next, you can’t grasp the magnitude or depth of his life and the millions of people he inspired to be great.”

August 4, 2009

Bryan Matthews, Peter Morse, Jim Watts, Benny Kirkham, Greg Brooks

A GENIUS AT WORK

~I gain strength from God.  I believe in Jehovah, God very much.  And, I gain strength from the fact that I know that I am innocent.  None of the stories are true.  They are totally fabricated.  It’s very sad and it’s very, very painful. I pray a lot and that’s how I deal with it.  I’m a strong person.  I’m a warrior and I know what is inside me.  I’m a fighter, but it’s very painful and at the end of the day, I’m still human, you know?  I’m still a human being so it does hurt very, very, very much~  Michael Jackson

“It was you who put your heart on the line.  It was you who stepped forward to defend someone you love.  It was you on a worldwide basis who supported me as my army, my soldiers of love.  You were always there.  You were always loyal.  I love you forever.”

Michael Jackson 45th Birthday Celebration

We breathe free in the immensity of our chosen path, using imagination to create mental images and concepts that are not actually present in the senses, but instead, limitless in scope and design…encircling the world with our collective dream:  This bond of love, against all odds, here to protect Michael Jackson’s legacy, will be paid forward… forever. 

~inspired by Rumi

~We were born with potential

~We were born with goodness and trust

~We were born with ideals and dreams

~We were born with wings

~We were born not to crawl

~We have wings

~And with Michael, we are learning to fly!

IMAGINATION~CREATIVITY~DREAMS~MIRACLES

MICHAEL’S LIFELINE AND OURS

With all my love and gratitude,

Jude