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On the evening of August 17th, Michael Jackson joined together with
the Internet, Compuserve, America
Online, Prodigy and his fans from around the world in a simulchat.
MTV televised the simulchat as well.
The following is a transcript of that historical event. Over 16,000
people attened the chat on America
Online alone, not to mention the others on Prodigy, Compuserve, and
the Internet.
The event took place in the boardroom of The Museum Of Television &
Radio in midtown Manhattan.
Michael was seated at the long boardroom table surrounded by representatives
from all of the online
services - who were seated in front of their laptops dialed-in to their
respective services. Questions
were selected on a 'round-robin' basis from each of the services, Michael
woud answer the questions,
and a (high-speed!) typist would enter his answers onto the service.
Michael thoroughly enjoyed the event - as did all of the participants in the room!
Here is a transcript of the event - which was compiled by Sony from
all of the services' transcripts to
provide as accurate a document as possible (Michael sometimes talks
quite fast - which made typing a
challenge!). Enjoy!
Compuserve Question from ORLANDO, FL: [76711,475] Janice Maki Brandon:
I have been a long time fan and I just want
to know how, after all the bad press, you can keep
going and doing the best job that any rock
star can do? Is it the fact you have such a wonderful
wife supporting you, or are there other reasons
you stay so damn great?
Michael Jackson:
Despite of what the press says about celebrities
and myself in general, I move ahead. I don't pay
attention to that tabloid junk - it's garbage.
I have my dreams I am a visionary and I am very
resilient. I feel as if I have a suit of armor
around me, like a rhinoceros skin. I am here to do what
I am supposed to do. Thank you for asking
the first question.
Compuserve Question from MANCHESTER, NH: [102331,3335] Brett Mallard:
If you could be any super hero... like Batman,
Superman, et al.. whom would you choose to be and
why?
Michael Jackson:
I like Batman a lot... If I could choose one,
it would be Morph, from the X-Men. He can become
anything ... He constantly transforms himself.
I think he can even teleport, which is interesting and
exciting to me. He's not as popular as the
others, but that makes him exciting.
Prodigy Question from Darkan:
Are you ever going to tour America?
Michael Jackson:
I'm not exactly sure, we kind of play it by
ear, kind of spontaneous. It would be nice, but I'm not
sure.
Internet Question from Brian:
Is your new album doing as well as expected?
Go MJ!!
Michael Jackson:
Yes, I am overly excited about how well the
album is doing. It is the fastest selling album in my
career. Despite what the press is saying.
Unprecedented 7 million worldwide sold in the first week!
Prodigy Question from Spin Cycle:
Michael, thanks for coming. What is your favorite
song on your newest CD?
Michael Jackson:
Probably Earth Song, Stranger in Moscow, Little
Susie. I love songs with heart.
AOL Question from Jocelyn:
When will the 3T album be in the store?
Michael Jackson:
The 3-T are expected around this Christmas.
They're going to be very successful.
Prodigy Question from Bruce Ross:
How has your marriage to Lisa Marie changed
your life?
Michael Jackson:
I think I find it more fun to appreciate what
family really means. the fact that even though there
were 10 of us Jacksons and we were always
doing things at different times and I am really learning
the real meaning of love. Giving 100% of yourself
all the time. Putting up with one another. So far
it has been pretty joyous.
Compuserve Question from KANSAS CITY, MO: [102563,674] Jim Shea:
Do you ever wish you could walk into a public
place and not be mobbed by your fans?
Michael Jackson:
I have every disguise you can think of...
that is why I wish I could be Morph so I could change
places and just enjoy life. I would love to
do that.
Prodigy Question from Ally W:
Hi Michael. You have an amazing voice. Whose
music has helped influence your music most?
Michael Jackson:
Thank you for the compliment. That is very
nice. To be honest, my first love and appreciation for
music was classical, in kindergarten. I used
to listen to Tchaikovsky every day. The great writing
of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein,
and many others. I love the showtunes.
AOL Question from Marlie14:
In your interview with Diane Sawyer, you mentioned
moving out of the country. Is this in your
future plans?
Michael Jackson:
Yes it is.
Prodigy Question from Rros:
Where is the most favorite place in the world
that you have traveled to and where would you most
like to travel to?
Michael Jackson:
My most favorite place that I've traveled
to probably would have to be between South America
and Africa. Because I love the people, and
I love the culture. The plight of the children is very
interesting and I would love to continue to
travel...to see more things and to help more people.
Compuserve Question from ENCINITAS, CA: [102002,547] Gary M. Richards:
MICHAEL WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE SONG THAT YOU
HAVE RECORDED? AND DO YOU
STILL HAVE THE PET MONKEY NAMED BUBBLES, WHO
WAS SHOWN IN YOUR GENESIS
VIDEO GAME, MOONWALKER?
Michael Jackson:
If I had to pick one song... that's very difficult.
Probably Ben, Got to Be There, Heal The World,
one of the oldies. Bubbles is still alive
and still my pet chimp. He's bigger, likes to eat a lot...lots of
pizza, ice cream...He loves snacks! [Michael
laughs]
Internet Question from MJJ:
You have accomplished so much in life. What
else would you like to accomplish in life?
Michael Jackson:
I love movies my dream is to make films, not
only act and sing but to produce them as well. And I
love animation.
Prodigy Question from SiBiS:
In Oprah's interview, you said that you wanted
to raise a family one day..Do you plan to do so??
Michael Jackson:
Yes, that's my dream for a long time. My own
children, I want to adopt them. Not only my own, but
children all over the world. I think we should
be less territorial about it.
Compuserve Question from LOMBARD, IL: [75152,1114] Kurt A. Lentsch
How did you like working with your sister
Janet on the "Scream" Video and also working with your
beautiful bride, Lisa Marie. PS Best of luck
to you two, don't listen to all the BS going around!
Michael Jackson:
That is a great question! The press creates
all of these negative stories so that people will buy
their magazines or read their columns and
you must not believe everything you read or see on
television. Most of it is false and it is
tabloid garbage and I want everyone to be aware of what
the tabloid media is like. I have had so much
fun working with my sister and working on the set
everyday. I haven't seen her in quite some
time and she is busy and I am as well and it is like a
reunion. Because of all the family members
I am closest to Janet and we became very emotional on
the set. We gave each other presents but every
day on the set sometimes she would come to me sad
because of some crazy story that some tabloid
said. I told her that she would have to become
resilient because it is there and I want the
public to know. And Yes I had fun with Lisa Marie on
the set. She wanted to perform in the video.
I had a lot of fun with Lisa Marie on the set. But when
the director said "Action," she became very
shy. I was giving her a little bit of a hard time, too!
Prodigy Question from Gemseeker:
When did you learn to Moonwalk? I think it's
so cool.
Michael Jackson:
Thank you sooo much. I've always loved illusion
dancing, where you can create an illusion with the
body. There's a new step working on called
Skywalk. I've been working on it.
Prodigy Question from blondie101:
What inspired you to write the song "Beat
It"?
Michael Jackson:
Quincy Jones, for the album THRILLER, asked
me to write a song with a rock edge to it. I said
yes, I can do that. So the very same day,
I went to the recording studio, and I literally just
started to sing that song. It literally came
that fast. Every song is different. The gestation process
for BEAT IT was so fast, it was amazing. I
thought about what I'd do in that situation... A
confrontation with a gang... I wouldn't do
what these people would do. The way I was raised I
would turn the other cheek without creating
a war or being a coward either.
Compuserve Question from VANCOUVER, WA: [76730,1036] Brandon:
I come from a large family is it hard for
you to see the animosity between your sister LaToya and
yourself. you seem to be above all the petty
gossip that others love to spread. I just want to give
you two thumbs up on your maturity.
Michael Jackson:
Gee - thank you very much! I love you. Thank
you.
Prodigy Question from Curveball:
Will there be a next album?
Michael Jackson:
I am not sure. This might be my last album
I ever do. I will always create music but am not sure if
I'll create another album.
Prodigy Question from Midway Gal:
How did you get into music?
Michael Jackson:
I don't think I can answer that without sounding
philosophical. We never had music or dance
lessons in our house, ever. We were a family
that sang all the time. We watched television. We
would entertain ourselves... We would take
all the furniture out of the living room and dance. I
think you're pretty much born with a gift
and you are compelled to create. That is what I have
always felt. I remember making up songs when
I was really little. I remember when I was little
there was rain outside and we would make up
songs. Janet and I would have a songwriting game
while we washed the dishes...while we were
cleaning. I think most kids don't do that these days. It
was our destiny.
AOL Question from EvenBeevu:
Do you come up with the ideas for all of your
videos?
Michael Jackson:
A lot of them I do come up with. A lot of
the concepts do originate with me. After singing Thriller
I knew that I wanted to do a short film. Asimple
guy goes out on a date and confesses to her that
he's different. I wanted totransform into
different things. It was fun. I had so much fun making
that. Beat It is another concept that I came
up with. Confrontation -two gangs - West Side Story.
I wanted real gang members. I wanted to see
real truisms...in the walk, in the character in the
clothes. and I thinkit came across.
Prodigy Question from Pelon:
What has been your proudest musical achievement?
Michael Jackson:
One of them it is really a difficult question
to answer because I am not a women but writing a song
is like conceiving a child... I love all the
songs . We are the World is one of the most favorite things
that I've done. I am proud of that... it has
reached a lot of people, it has touched a lot of people.
My Secretary called when I was in the car
and said pull over. And it was like a prayer when all of
the radio stations played it. I had tears.
Compuserve Question from MELBOURNE, FL: [74671,465] Firefly
Michael, I was wondering if/when we will see
more of the old-style video's and mini-movies like
"Thriller" and "Moonwalker?"
Michael Jackson:
I love that. That's what I want to get back
to doing. Well those types of short films are my
favorite because it is not just a video in
the sense of videos and images and graphics...it's a short
story. But to do those takes us up to 4, 5,
6, 7 months sometimes and that has become a problem.
We are going back to that. That is my dream.
I'd like to make this announcement: My nephews are in here and want to sit in and listen!
[nephews are entering the room]
Compuserve Question from SEATTLE, WA: [76550,2570] Natalie Ringland:
You seem to be interested in many cultures.
Have you ever studied the North? I live in an Inupiat
Eskimo village at the top of Alaska. Life
is different here. If you ever visit, the land and people
here might inspire you. Do you travel for
inspiration? -- Natalie
Michael Jackson:
Yes I do travel for inspiration and I would
love to come to Alaska someday. I have flown over
Alaska and I do love to travel. Maybe with
your extended invitation I might be able to come!
Prodigy Question from Frogbelly:
In your song "Childhood" you sing about how
you've never really known the joys of youth. What is
the one thing you missed the most?
Michael Jackson:
Probably the simple little things that kids
do like having a friend over or going to the park or even
trick-or-treat or Christmas or birthday and
when we were little we didn't have any of those things.
We had to hear about them. Some of the kids
who take them for granted. I haven't celebrated my
birthday yet. Maybe someday I will.
Prodigy Question from Diva:
Michael, I love HIStory and think it's the
best yet. When are you going to release the videos as a
complete set?
Michael Jackson:
Thank you for the compliment. I worked very
hard. This Christmas I think we are going to have a
complete up to date of the shorts on one volume.
AOL Question from Applehead:
It's one of Apple head's friends, guess which
one...hint Family Matters...what is your favorite song
on HIStory? Tell Lisa Marie and Janet I said
hi!
Michael Jackson:
I know exactly who that is! [laughter in the
room] My favorite song is probably "Childhood" "Earth
Song". But nice to hear from you Brighton,
hope I get to see you soon. Tell all my other relatives I
said hello.
Prodigy Question from Mr Potter:
Do you ever wish you could play small rooms
with intimate audiences instead of mega-productions?
Michael Jackson:
Yes. I think that is the mark of a true performer,
to be able to reach any audience around the
world, any size. If you can directly relate
to a small group, magic starts to happen. I started out
playing those kinds of concerts. This Christmas,
I'm doing an HBO special (Dec 10), and it is
intimate. It's close-up. It will allow me
to do a lot of things I've never done before.
Compuserve Question from EXTERNAL NETWORK: [100526,154] Sam Clarke:
Story in UK press this morning claims quickie
divorce on the cards? Is it true?
Michael Jackson:
Never believe the tabloid garbage. Don't waste
your time, don't waste your money. No, it's not
true. If you hear it from my lips, then you
can believe it. But no, it's not true.
Internet Question From MJJ:
What is your process from going from creating
a rhythm on your human voice-box to the album
version, such as in songs 'Who Is It' and
'Tabloid Junkie'?
Michael Jackson:
The process is creating a vocal rhythm to
a click track - which is a sound, a timed beat. And you're
doing these mouth sounds to that beat. These
sounds can be looped according to how you sample it
in the computer again and again. This is your
foundation for the entire track - everything plays off
this. It's the rhythm, like the beatbox rhythm.
Every song I've written since I was very little I've
done that way. I still do it that way.
AOL Question from Smufetty:
I love you and have enjoyed your music since
icould hear and see..just one question: how can you
keep going when the media makes everything
so hard?
Michael Jackson:
Thank you for your compliment, I appreciate
it.I believe in my work, like I said, I have great
confidence in my dreams. When I have a great
idea I have an iron will, Even though the media
creates such negative stories they do it just
to sell more papers. If you look throughout history,
and I'm not trying to put my name with the
names of the past it's been pretty much the same.
Ghandi, Christ and I'm not saying I'm Christ,
I don't want to hear the press saying that. Some of
the worst attentions had to do with ignorance
on the part of the people because of the press. If it
happened to them, it can happen to me.
AOL Question from DanielStein:
If you could meet someone dead or alive and
talk with them for an hour who would it be and why.
P.S. Rock on with your bad self!
Michael Jackson:
It would probably be Michelangelo because
I think he is a phenomenal artist and I love art I think
I understand what he was trying to say and
do even though he got criticized. He was a true artist
to the point of true artistry. I would love
to just sit down and have a talk.
Prodigy Question from Tristene:
Who is your best friend?
Michael Jackson:
Pretty much the same as I've said...the children
of the world...for their innocence, their simplicity,
and their love. It's the same kind of innocence
that I find in animals. They just want you for your
love, and I love that.
Compuserve Question from BOUNDBROOK, NJ: [76235,646] AL & MEG
WHAT WAS IT THAT INSPIRED YOU TO BECOME INVOLVED
IN HELPING AS MANY
CHILDREN AS YOU DO? I THINK WHAT YOU DO FOR
CHILDREN IS JUST WONDERFUL.
YOU ARE WHAT THESE CHILDREN NEED TO KEEP THEM
GOING WHEN TIMES ARE SO
TOUGH.
Michael Jackson:
I truly care about children, and about the
future for our children. I'm a little frightened about
what the future is going to bring. I truly,
truly love them and care about them. I will always help
them. When I go on tour, I visit hospitals,
terminally ill children. At my ranch at Neverland, we
have many terminally ill children as our guests.
We do this every few weeks. You do it because you
truly love them and you care.
Internet Question From MJJ:
It is rumored (I know you hate that word)
that you are doing another book... Do you plan another
book, if so, what will it contain?
Michael Jackson:
I wrote a book called DANCING THE DREAM. It
was more autobiographical than Moonwalker,
which I did with Mrs. Onassis. It wasn't full
of gossip and scandal and all the trash that people
write so I don't think people paid much attention
to it, but it came from my heart. It was essays,
thoughts, things that I've thought about while
on tour. I'm not planning to write another book
anytime soon. If you want to know how I to
feel, you can check out HIStory. It's a musical book.
Prodigy Question from Gemseeker:
When & How did you learn to moonwalk?
I think it's sooooo cool! :>
Michael Jackson:
Thank you soooo much! I've always loved illusion
dancing when you can pretty much create a step or
an illusion with the body. THere's a new step
that looks like you defy gravity that I've been
working on for along time. One of my favorite
movers is Marcel Marceau. But a lot of the steps
that I do come from my heart. A lot of the
steps come from the black community. From tap dancing,
to the cake walk, to the Charleston. All these
dances come from the black community to go all over
the world.
Compuserve Question from COMPUSERVE REROUTED: [70004,3543] Jamie Ballengee:
Mr. Jackson, What advice would you give someone
who is in a similar position with the bad things
from the press? My little sister Andrea Ballengee
lost her Miss VA crown. :-(
Michael Jackson:
You don't pay attention to it. You become
strong, you move ahead. The best advice I can give is to
believe in yourself, know there's a tomorrow,
walk tall...don't pay attention to the garbage...it's
complete ignorance.
Internet Question From MsMittens:
Oh... before I forget... someone from the
internet who couldn't access this site asked me to ask you
how you are doing and why you are doing the
simulchat tonight?
Michael Jackson:
I'm fine, doing all right. [laughs] I'm doing
this simulchat because I love my fans, and I want to
talk with you! I think this is incredible
technology, just amazing, and I think we're pioneering here!
Can I say hello to a couple of my friends?
Hello, Lisa Marie...Hello, Paul McCartney...Hello, Mrs.
Disney... Hello to my friends in Gary, Indiana...I
can't think of a good joke to say... I want to say I
love all of you, all of my fans around the
world I love you dearly and don't listen to all the garbage
that you hear.
AOL Question from VanishR29:
How do you feel about technology like the
internet and it's effect on society?
Michael Jackson:
I think it is wonderful. It is a wonderful
way to correspond it's growing and this is the tip of the
iceberg. In the next year we will see some
amazing growths in technology and I hope that I'm
around to see it. I pray that we continue
to serve the world in a positive way not a negative way
and not hurt anyone because it is wonderful.
Internet Question From MJJ:
How involved are you with the other groups
on the MJJ label?
Michael Jackson:
I'm very much involved, not to the point of
always being there, but listening to tapes, collaborating
on the telephone, picking artists recommending
ideas. The new 3T album which I just heard I think
is going to be a big success. I do believe
that.
I want to say hi to Bill Bellamy in LA - he's a great guy.
Thank you! Good night everybody. Talk to you soon. Bye!
[Claps in the room. Michael shakes everyone's hand, thanking them, and leaves.]
