~Never letting fate control my soul~

“The greatest education in the world is watching the masters at work.  Some musicians ~Springsteen and U2~ may feel they got their education from the streets.  I’m a performer at heart, I got mine from the stage.”WHAT MORE CAN I GIVE THREE

“It always surprises me when people assume that something an artist has created is based on a true experience or reflects his or her own lifestyle.  Often, nothing could be farther from the truth.  I know I draw on my experiences at times, but I also hear and read things that trigger an idea for a song.  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.”

MOONWALK~  Michael Jacksonspirtual two

There is within our hearts a powerful need, gut-wrenching in its depths, to tell Michael Jackson’s story, thereby obliterating abusive lies and myth.  Each day we rise, the dream of lifting others with an artistry that is potent with love resonating in our hearts…going forward to make ripples that wash across the entire planet.  ~The truth is incontrovertible.  Malice may attack it, ignorance may deride it, but in the end, there it is! Those words from Winston Churchill move us away from silence.  With education rippling, we surround Michael’s legacy with people who honor and respect him.  We are determined to increase the numbers of those enlightened.magical man four

“I swore never to be silent whenever and wherever human beings endure suffering and humiliation.  We must take sides.  Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim.  Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.”

Elie Wiesel

WE RISE BY LIFTING OTHERS…Robert Ingersoll

Michael’s courage gives foundation to his integrity and inspires us to take our leap…and, although struck by the constant din of the dubious and abusive, we will not magical man threeallow ourselves to be blocked.  Instead, we simply look for another door.  The depth of discovery comes as layer upon layer upon layer of timeless art is peeled away, communicating:  ~Nothing is so strong as gentleness, nothing so gentle as real strength~  S. Francis de Sales  The strength of Michael’s character proves that it is not in his DNA to harm.  ~Rotten hearts are indeed unable to create the wonderful and uplifting music and lyrics benefitting mankind like Michael did.  It’s not in their DNA.  Music is a gift from the heavens and this is where they never enter and cannot get a glimpse…while Michael Jackson’s mind and heart were residing there.  But those who don’t even have a concept of it, will never understand.magical man two

~BLESSED ARE THE PURE IN HEART FOR THEY WILL SEE GOD~

Matthew 5:8

“I read this passage in my hotel room before the Memorial Service.  I thought about Michael.  I thought about how  pure his heart was, and how he was able to bless so many people with that purity.  And yet ridiculed, accused and abused, he still managed to maintain the pureness of heart, so that everyone who crossed paths with him felt his love.  He warmly welcomed all of us on the TII Tour.  His disposition was so genuinely sincere.  That’s what I focused on during HEAL THE WORLD.  Looking into the faces of the children, I remembered Michael’s love for them. A King of Pop as a legend of our time, and as the first and last of his kind, Michael’s  message was even greater…”There are people dying, if you care enough for the living, make a better place for you and for me.”  This message gets right down to the truth.”magical man

Judith Hill

TII Tour Backup Singer

“In addition to the humor of Michael Jackson, he was the embodiment of love.  I’ve never met anyone who loved you more than Michael.  When Michael said ‘I love you!’ you felt that it was true.”

John Bahler Composer, Producer, Arranger  Motown Recordsgolden boy

In being true to who we are, we have discovered the opening of our natural channels.  We no longer grapple with vagueness, allowing fate to control our souls.  Expecting every need to be met, an answer to every problem, an abundance on every level, and growth in spiritually…Michael’s artistry empowers:  ~I am the moonlight, you are the spring, our love’s a sacred thing, you know I always will love you~ we have found our true north.  How we really use our lives determines who we are.  Michael has offered us a wide range of possibility.  His creativity blesses us.  God’s energy flows through Michael and into us, providing oxygen for our souls.  The act of soul is never golden boy fourfinished…holding us as a lover, rocking us as a child.  Wishing we had taken better care of Michael when he was cold and sick, holding onto him with so much strength that even God couldn’t have pulled him away, we are now here to stay.  Our message to Michael…our prayer…is that his life~ shaped and planned, perfect as a circle~ has taught us great truth.  We write our own stories now, making them up as we go along, figuring it out as we go…not an hour in our lives without Michael.  Some days, our anger is a map, showing us the next step.  We try to remember that despair is a sin, that no one is cut off from God.  Using our gifts more creatively, realizing that nothing dies harder than a bad idea, we actively fight on in defending Michael Jackson.  Our faith in him gives us sight.  We move with waves of hope and resistance, sending ripples into the world.  Our meditation with Michael leads us to light and change, a  wisdom strengthened by doing. 

“The meeting of two personalities is like the contact of two chemical substances:  if there is any reaction, both are transformed.”

Carl G. Junggolden boy three

Michael Jackson offers a continuous thread of revelation.  We are devoted to sharing each thread with the world thereby creating a tapestry of people who KNOW.  ~Nobody loves what they do not know, nobody defends what they do not love~  Liz Johnson  Our determination is to educate, knowing that when that happens, love happens…and, the collective grows.

~Take away this never-ending sorrow

~Take this lonely feeling from my soul

~Michael…we gather strength from our love memories~

Thank you, Michael Jackson.

“I wanna take this time to say Thank You to Michael Jackson.golden boy two

Thank you for coming into my life with such beautiful music.

Thank you for bringing me joy and bringing the planet joy.

Thank you for giving me escape.

Thank you for helping me define me and my dreams.  When you’re in the Ghetto, surrounded by crime and violence, you gave me escape.  I escaped from all the drama around me listening to your music.

Thank you for your dreams.

I used to dance and I wanted to dance like you.

I used to draw pictures of you.

Thank you for letting me work with you.magnificent man four

Thank you for reaching out to me and trying to teach me things about the music industry and how cool  people can be, but at the end of the day, loving and appreciating the craft.

And, appreciating the Fans.

Thank you for flying me to Ireland to work with you.

Thank you for coming to the show and talking to me on the telephone and answering phone calls.

And calling me on Father’s Day knowing  that I don’t have a Dad.  Thank you so much.

Thank you for being a friend.  You didn’t have to wanna know me, but you got to know me.

We have all lost a great artist and a light to the world, a true talent.  I will always HAND OF MAGICremember you.  You are the strongest person I have ever met.

You’ve undergone so much scrutiny, so much criticism from either wicked journalists who have nothing better but to criticize.  You have seen the music industry rise and fall.

You were not just the King of Pop, you were the King  of the Industry.

There will never be another artist to impact the world the way you have.

There will never be an artist who sells as many records as you…NEVER.

There will always be MJ copycats.

Thank you so much…you made the world a wonderful place.  You brought us joy…and, we thank you for that.

THANK YOU!”SEX APPEAL NINE

Will. I. Am

We all have a passion to enlighten the world with what we know.

Fate will not control our souls.

~My life has taken me beyond the planets

and the stars

And you’re the only one

that could take me this far

I’ll be forever searching for your loveangel on earth five

Michael Jackson 

We love you, Michael…we are forever.

Jude

 

PATIENCE! INTEGRITY! FAITH! DEVOTION!

SOUNDNESS OF AND ADHERENCE TO MORAL PRINCIPLE AND CHARACTER, VIRTUE, HONESTY, UNDIMINISHED…A STATE OF BEING WHOLEgorgeoussixteen

“ANGER IS AN INTEGRITY PRODUCING RESPONSE TO THE INVASION OF YOUR PERSONAL BOUNDARIES.”

Gabrielle Roth

“No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.”

Eleanor Roosevelt

I always imagined wisdom accompanied age…that with decades lived came that comfort in…”Oh, now I get it!”  Being well-practiced in multitasking, in a career that spanned nearly three and a half decades, I have begun to wonder if that was a good thing.  In a full-speed-ahead approach, patience is often lost.  Now, don’t get me wrong, I have always had a full dose of patience in working with children and parents…but, as for the rest of my life…notdreams three so much.  When asked what he knew for sure, Michael replied, “Oh, boy, I’m still learning.  I mean, life is an education for me.  I can’t say that I know anything for sure.  I really believe that.”  Of course, he was only thirty-four at the time.  But, I think he would have given the same answer no matter what his age, because patience is the companion of wisdom…and, Michael was a very patient man in his magnificent state of being whole, advancing on wisdom.  Michael’s desires were clear, his hearing acute.

“Some people will never learn anything…because they understand everything too soon.”

Alexander Pope

“God was his guide.  He was a Christian and believed in Christ.  His life went through so much that his faith was what restored him and kept him.  Michael was very spiritual and had enormous faith.  He studied all the religions and was open to a lot of different practices, however, ultimately, he was a Christian and believed in Christ fully.  On my second trip to Neverland, Michael Jackson hosted a private lunch.  He asked us all to gorgeous fifteenconnect by holding hands and saying praise.  He said a prayer, the peeping sun’s rays shot through the house, setting in his honor.  His energy was spiritually magnetic, encapsulating each of us with his enigmatic aura, leaving all of us in tears.  He was an incredible light. This was written for me in the books…’I HAVE PROVEN MY PART.  NOW, GOD WILL BE THEIR JUDGE’…(Michael Jackson said about the evil-doers who lied, cheated and betrayed him!”)faneight

Taymoor Marmarchi

Worked on Humanitarian Projects With Michael Jackson

Imaginations take flight when souls are reached.  Michael dared to share his visions handsome fifteenwith a spirituality that reached people.  He believed deeply in the power of music to bring many kinds of solutions.  He adhered to his values…hopeful that the impossible could be possible.  His faith in God followed in the footsteps of Dr. Lauren Artress’ words, “To walk a sacred path is to know and trust that there is guidance to help us live our lives on this planet.”

PATIENCE.  INTEGRITY. FAITH.  Learning to do a thing takes practice…embracing both the successes and the pain with enthusiasm.  For those of us left behind after Michael’s passing, it isn’t enough to just hear and see Michael’s messages, we need to participate  in the learning experiences, remembering that the past gives power to the love fourpresent and future.

“Compassion is the ultimate and most meaningful embodiment of emotional maturity.”

Arthur Jersild

With a child’s heart, Michael Jackson was an old soul, with maturity well beyond his thriller fouryears.  The combination of youth and age captivated us with its sincerity, sculpting a love that lasts beyond his passing.  There is a power in the connection.

“His relationship with his Fans…I’d never seen anything like it with other celebrities.  Never!  No matter how famous with other celebrities, you see the groupies hanging around, but these were not groupies.  Mr. Jackson actually knew a lot of them individually…he remembered what show he first met them at, how many years they’d known each other.  He’d point out fans he had seen in other countries.  Here we were in Las Vegas, and he was going, ‘That one there, I remember him from Germany.’  It was an interesting relationship, he and his Fans.  He loved them as much as they loved him.  From his bedroom window upstairs, he could look directly out to the street where they camped out.  Sometimes, we’d glance up and see him looking out from behind the curtains, just watching them…observing them.  They’d sit and wait.  He’d sit and watch.”chivalry

REMEMBER THE TIME

“Even those Fans who never met Michael often felt a deep connection with him!  He had that capacity to draw you close, to mesmerize you with his love and compassion, but also, with his aura, which he always acknowledged was from God Almighty himself.”

Dee Pffeifer

Life is a learning experience, a roller-coaster ride; sometimes free-falling, allowing things to JUST happen; sometimes giving into the addiction of stress and worry, trying to MAKE things happen.  When the ride encounters dangerous curves, we often respond in anger, desperately holding onto our moral principles.  I sometimes think it is a greater challenge to defend someone we love than it is to defend ourselves.  We who PAY MICHAEL FORWARD regularly experience raw emotions, at times feeling overwhelmed by those who say, “Why work when you can sue Michael Jackson?” (Tom Mesereau)  We often ask ourselves if a break is needed toeyes step back and decide who is actually in charge of our lives, remembering not to give consent to feeling inferior.  Turning to Michael, his guidance always offers the quiet, joyous expectation of good.

September 12, 1986, Michael Jackson’s CAPTAIN EO was premiered at Epcot’s Imagination Pavilion in Disney World, Florida.  The following day, it premiered at Disneyland in Pasadena, California.  February, 2010 saw the film reinstated by popular demand.  To me, the 17-minute multi-sensory experience represents pure Michael Jackson genius.  Why?  Because it tests the strength of understanding artistry.  Taken in quickly, the futuristic story appears simple in its child-like telling.  Those quick to criticize would stop there, dismissing the piece as child’s play.  Of course, right there, they have completely missed the point.  Some would fans sevenconcentrate on the film’s ahead of its time special effects and riveting musical numbers and dance…the first 4D film ever made…the first discreet 5.1 film in continuous playback.  For those who slow down long enough to really study the piece, Michael’s message for mankind becomes visible.adorable twelve

“Captain EO is about transformation and the way music can help to change the world.  George Lucas came up with the name Captain EO.  (EO is Greek for ‘dawn’).  The story is about a young boy who goes on a mission to this miserable planet run by an evil queen.  He is entrusted with the responsibility of bringing the inhabitants light and beauty.  It’s a great celebration of good over evil.”

MOONWALK

Michael Jackson

Although the evil queen is menacing and hideous, Captain EO sees a hidden beauty CAPT EO FOURwhich can be unlocked with his gift to her… music and dance…revealing her loveliness  and compassion for her people.  With its playful quality, the story helps to uncover magic.  That magic leads to understanding and unconditional love that will turn a world away from its own destruction.  Out of pain, fuel.  “The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.”  Nelson Mandela  Captain EO didn’t focus on the EVIL, but, rather, a deep helplessness that needed love.  In motion’s law of capt eo threerhythm, warriors became dancers in a collective spirit.  WE ARE HERE TO CHANGE THE WORLD!

“Man did not weave the web of life.  He is merely a strand on it.  Whatever he does to the web, he does to himself.”

Chief Seattle

With every breath, Michael Jackson entertained great hopes for the planet and its people, for children everywhere.  WE, Michael’s Army of Love, try to do no less.  Inspired by his PATIENCE, INTEGRITY, FAITH  and DEVOTION, slowing our pace in order to grasp ALL levels of understanding, we continue to discover the chosen path.  Although I know nothing for sure…I am certain the passion I have for Michael Jackson has changed my life.  I love you.

Jude

HIS toryMOONWALKER SEVEN

MYstory

YOURstory

OURstory

 

 

 

 

MAESTRO

MAESTRO…a master of any art, especially a great composer or teacher of musicOMG

“PEOPLE ASK ME HOW I MAKE MUSIC.  I TELL THEM I JUST STEP INTO IT.  IT’S LIKE STEPPING INTO A RIVER AND JOINING THE FLOW.  EVERY MOMENT IN THE RIVER HAS ITS SONG.  SO, I STAY IN THE MOMENT AND LISTEN.”

DANCING THE DREAM

Michael Jackson

1992

“As I said before, in those early days ‘The Corporation’ at Motown produced and shaped all our music.  I remember lots of times when I felt the song should be sung one way and the producers felt it should be sung another way.  But, for a long time I was very obedient and wouldn’t say anything about it.  Finally it reached a point where I got fed up with being told exactly how to sing.  This wasYOUNG THREE in 1972 when I was fourteen years old, around the time of the song ‘Lookin’ Through the Windows.’  They wanted me to sing a certain way, and I knew they were wrong.  No matter what age you are, if you have it and you know it, then people should listen to you.  I was furious with our producers and very upset.  So I called Berry Gordy and complained.  I said that they had always told me how to born to entertainsing, and I had agreed all this time, but now they were getting too…mechanical.  So he came into the studio and told them to let me do what I wanted to do.  And after that, I started adding a lot of vocal twists that they really ended up liking.  I’d do a lot of ad-libbing, like twisting words or adding some edge to them.”

MOONWALK

Michael Jackson

1988

Today, I want to step into the river and go with the flow…the river being a study of Michael Jackson… MAESTRO…the flow being language that gives sparkles of definition of genius.  I will touch on sparkles coming from the Master himself.  And, there will be sparks coming from those whose lives were touched by the light.  To be sure, those of you who are Michaelers will delight in familiar waters.  To your surprise, however, you may discover some new territory.  Either way, “IF YOU WANT TO BE CLOSE TO ME, LISTEN TO MY MUSIC.  THE LOVE IS STORED THERE.”  (MJ)  Returning to great artistry reaffirms magical and wondrous elements of living.  THE MORE WE EXPERIENCE MICHAEL JACKSON…THE GREATER THE LOVE.

I asked him why he didn’t learn to read music and he replied:  God had given him this gift and he was afraid that learning too much about the intellectual side of music would mess it up.”  George AtwellMOTOWN 25

“His genius as a musician is that he thinks of sounds in terms of images; his genius as a singer is that he creates melodic lines that evoke body lines; his genius as a producer is that he imagines a song as a concert.”  MJJJustice Projecthttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZUDYxo2Sso

“But I do love achieving goals.  I love not only reaching a mark I’ve set for myself but exceeding it.  Doing more than I thought I could, that’s a great feeling.”  He wanted to innovate sonically.  It took over 800 multitrack tapes to create BAD.  He has precise musical instincts.  He has an entire record in his head and he tries to make people deliver and augment what he hears, but really his job is to extract from musicians and producers and engineers what he hears when he wakes up in the morning.  When he did do vocals, beyond his lead work, it was always a pleasure to listen to this man lay background harmonies.  His voice was truly unique.  Really pure tone, and great intonation.  He heard music in everything.  Michael loved finding new sounds that the human ear had never heard.  Michael wanted everything to sound original.  These were lofty goals, but then, Jackson was never one to aim low.  A HALL OF SOUND.”  Taken from Joseph Vogel  MAN IN THE MUSIC 2011GARDNER STREET SCHOOL

“I LIKE TO TAKE SOUNDS AND PUT THEM UNDER THE MICROSCOPE AND JUST TALK ABOUT HOW WE WANT TO MANIPULATE THE CHARACTER OF IT.”  Even during the trial in 2005, he continued to work on new material.  He said writing new songs was therapeutic, and he was working on new ideas whenever he could.  MAN IN THE MUSIC  Joseph Vogel

“Michael had the ability to sing all the notes in a chord that he wanted.  Jeff would play something and Michael would agree, or not.  They worked out the arrangement and recorded it at the Hit Factory.  Jeff stayed in the live room to record the guitar and Michael sat between me and Bruce at the console with just a mic and sang it straight down.  Michael nailed it.  That’s how that song lived for a long time, just the vocal and the guitar.  For me and maybe for all his fans, that’s all we want to hear.  His voice is so perfect that sometimes you just want to hear it simply with an acoustic guitar.”

(What impressed you most about Michael?)  “A couple of things:  Obviously hisadorable musicality, he can sing or beat box anything.  When he sang a melody it was very clear and you could hear exactly what he wanted.  Of course his work ethic never waned even though he was dealing with some serious personal and business issues.  He was genuine, happy and responsive to people’s input.  He knew what he wanted and had a drive for perfection but never came across as a slave driver.  You don’t find that in a single other individual.  We never saw him angry or bitter or upset.  It was just a process for him to tell a story to his fans.”  Rob Hoffman  HIS tory and Blood on the Dance Floor

“The biggest lesson I learned from working with Michael and all the others was the importance of a team effort:  collaborate to create the best!  To be part of that team is a treasure to me and a privilege.”  Matt ForgerTRIBUTE

MUSIC AND ME

“Tired?  No, you can’t stop moving.  If you stop moving you stop learning, and if you stop learning you stop producing.  If you stop producing, you’re dead.  If you tire out you’re forgotten.  So you don’t get tired.”  Michael Jackson 1976

“He was in the booth and he was singing his butt off.  And after every take he was like, ‘Sorry, sorry.’  And I looked back and I’m like, ‘What is he saying sorry for?’  I look at Akon, and RedOne is in the room, and we are like, ‘It sounds amazing!’  And we already had goose bumps.  And it wasn’t just because it was Michael Jackson, it prodigywas because he was singing his butt off!  He was so well-practiced and so good at singing that even when he thought he wasn’t doing so well, his chops and delivery were way better than anybody we’ve ever dealt with.”  Mark Goodchildijcsly3

“One of the things he always told me was don’t be afraid to be different.  In other words, when you have that desire, the drive, people are going to try to pull you away from that, and pull you closer to the pack to be ‘normal.’  And he was saying it’s O.K. to be that driven: it’s O.K. to be obsessed with what you want to do.  That’s perfectly fine.  Don’t be afraid to not deviate from that.  One of the books that he gave me that helped him communicate with me was JONATHAN LIVINGSTON SEAGUL., which was about that.”  Kobe Bryantbeauty in motion

“A lot of hard work, discipline and love, and learning about the craft and loving it.  Time.  Sacrificing your time, and your scheduling.  Your childhood, giving up your life for the medium.  I think I would re-experience these sacrifices, though.  I think I would.  It is very much worth it.  I have always loved show business and have always enjoyed making people happy through that medium.  I love the celebration of music and dance and art.  I just love it.” Michael Jackson 2008

“LET THE SONG CREATE ITSELF.  LET IT TELL YOU WHERE TO GO.”  Michaelcherry picker Jackson

“He studied me at the time and I could tell he was studying me.  I’d be maybe explaining something to them.  I could tell the way he had his eyes fixated on my mouth, you know, and how he was listening to every word, he was focused.  And even when I turned my back, the other kids might be playing with each other, their instruments, or hitting each other, doing what, and I would turn around and Michael was staring right at me.”  Berry Gordyvictory

“DANCING IS THE MOST WONDERFUL THINGS OF ALL TIME BECAUSE PEOPLE COMMUNICATED THROUGH BODILY MOVEMENT BEFORE ANYTHING…DANCING IS REALLY SHOWING YOUR EMOTIONS THROUGH BODILY MOVEMENT…WHEN I DANCE, I REALLY FEEL IT, I FEEL FREE, AND I DO WHAT I FEEL.  NOTHING LIKE BEING ON STAGE, YOU CAN’T PUT IT INTO WORDS.”  Michael Jackson 1984http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=paMZBerFc1IBAD REHEARSALS

I feel the river surge with language defining a maestro as I strike each character.  Warm tears sparkle over my cheeks.  I feel Michael teaching me how to live my life.  These stories offer layers of understanding as I learn from the Master.  MICHAEL JACKSON…MAESTRO.  Thank you for changing my life.  I love you.

Jude

HIS tory

MYstory

YOURstory

OURstory