Michael Jackson broke many records in his lifetime and served as one of the only Entertainers to pioneer the latest technological innovations to promote his art.
On August 17, 1995, Michael Jackson did it again with something unfamiliar with today’s tech-at-your-fingertips audience – simulchat, the first time people could talk all together on internet… and for the lucky ones, they did it with Michael Jackson!
Michael Jackson can add ‘King of Chat’ to his already extensive list of titles and accolades. One of the aims was not only to use the world’s biggest figure to debut the incredible advances in technology, but to connect Jackson, who was in the throws of promoting his HIStory album, with a wider audience. And wider it was with the chat welcoming 25,000 participants worldwide with the event being called the first ”simulchat” (hosted by on-line services America On line, CompuServe, and Prodigy; and accessible on the Internet). At the same time, MTV played a full run down of MJ short films, occasionally splitting the screen to show transcripts from the conversation.
During the chat which last just over an hour, Michael answered questions about his music, art, personal life, marriage to Lisa Marie Presley and his highly publicised relationship with the media. Each service had two typists who would type out Michael’s answers and send them back to the eagerly awaiting chat participants. ”The only rules were that there were no rules,” says Barry Johnson, head of New Technologies for Epic Records Group, Michael Jackson’s label. ”There was no rehearsing, no prepping.”
Although the on-line services knew that Michael Jackson would draw, they weren’t prepared for the size of the crowd. ”It’s like they expected to go out for a swim and got hit by a tidal wave,” says Jonathan Carey, managing director of Prospero Systems Research, which provided the software for Sony’s Net chat. Tech problems tripped up AOL, whose on-line and MTV feeds started 10 minutes later than the others’, killing any notion of a simultaneous event. Plagued by typos, transcripts were worded differently on each of the services, and AOL’s session carried only 24 questions, while Prodigy had 39 and CompuServe, 37.
While some on-line users were disappointed by the chat’s brevity, the services aren’t complaining: Subscribers spent $3 to $5 each to be part of the event. ”It wasn’t completely seamless, but we’ve learned a lot,” says AOL chat producer Amy Arnold. ”The experience for the members isn’t the same. They would like to be with the celebrity the whole time themselves.” If there’s a next one, says Arnold, it would be only with someone as well-known as the King of Pop. And maybe next time it won’t be such a royal pain.
Here below the video of Michael Jackson answering the questions live on the world wide web:
And here the full transcript:
Simulchat – August 17, 1995
Speaker: Michael’s here…we’re just about ready to go!
MsMittens: Someone who couldn’t access the chat, asked me to ask you how you are doing, and why are you doing this simulchat tonight?
Michael: I’m fine, doing alright. 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!
Brandon: I have been a longtime 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 the fact that you have such a wonderful wife supporting you, or are there other reasons that you stay so damned great?!
Michael: Despite what the press says about celebrities and myself in general I move ahead, I don’t pay attention to that tabloid junk. I have my dreams I’m a visionary. I feel as if I have a suit of armor around me, like a rhinocerous skin. Thank you for asking.
Bruce Ross: How has your marriage to Lisa Marie changed your life?
Michael: I think I find it more fun to appreciate what family really means. The fact that even though there were ten of us Jacksons…we were always doing things at different times, and I’m 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.
Sam: A story in the UK press claims a quickie divorce on the way. Is it true?
Michael: Never believe 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.
SiBiS: In Oprah’s interview you said that you wanted to raise a family one day. Do you plan to do so?
Michael: Yes. That’s my dream for a long time. My own children, I want to adopt them. Not only my own, but children from all over the world. I think we should be less territorial about it.
Kurt: How did you like working with your sister Janet on the “Scream” video and your beautiful wife Lisa Marie on “You Are Not Alone”? P.S: Best of luck to you two, don’t listen to all the B.S going around!
Michael: That’s a great question. The press creates all of these negative stories so people will buy their magazines or read their columns. You mustn’t read everything you read. Most of it is not true, most of it’s 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’s like a reunion. I’m closest to Janet of all the family members. We were very emotional on the set. We laughed, we cried, we had a lot of fun. Everyday she’d come to me sad because of something in the press. I told her she’d just have to become resiliant. 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 hard time too!
Daniel: If you could meet someone, dead or alive, and talk with them for an hour, who would it be and why?
Michael: It would probably be Michaelangelo because he was a phenomenal artist. I think I understand what he was trying to say, even though he was criticized. He was a true artist. He even disected cadavers, which was illigal at the time, because he wanted to get everything anatomically correct. I would have loved to sit and talk with him.
Al & Meg: We want to know what was it that inspired you to become involved in helping as many children as you do. I think what you do is just wonderful. You are what these children need to keep them going when times are so tough.
Michael: 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. We do it because we truly love them and we care.
Farfly: I was wondering if we’ll see you in any old style videos and movies like “Thriller” and “Moonwalker”?
Michael: I love that, that’s what I’d love to get back to doing. It’s not just a video, with images and graphics, it’s a short story, with a beginning, middle and end. But it take sometimes 6 or 7 months to do those. But it’s my dream to do that. I’d like to make this announcement: My nephews are here and they want to sit in and listen!
From Alaska: You seem to be interested in many cultures. Have you ever studied the North. I live in Inupiat eskimo village at the top of Alaska. Life is different here. If you ever visit here, the people might inspire you. Do you ever travel for inspiration?
Michael: Yes I do travel for inspriation. I would love to come to Alaska some day. I’ve flown over it! I do love to travel. Maybe if you extended invitation, I’d be able to come!
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: Probably the simple, little things that kids do…like having a friend over, or going to the park, of trick-or-treeting, or Christmas, or a birthday. When we were little, we didn’t have any of those things – we heard about them but never did them. Most kids take it for granted. I haven’t celebrated my birthday yet, but I think maybe I will!
Applehead: It’s one of Applehead’s friends, guess which one…hint Family Matters…What is your favorite song on the HIStory album? Tell Lisa Marie and Janet I said hi!
Michael: I know exactly who that is! (laughter in room) My favorite song is, gee it’s hard…probably “Childhood”, “Earth Song” and “Stranger In Moscow”. But nice to hear from you Brighton, I hope I get to see you soon. Tell all my other realtives I said hello.
Mr. Potter: Do you ever wish you could play small rooms with intimate audiences instead of maga productions?
Michael: 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, and it’s intimate. It’s close-up. It will allow me to do a lot of things I’ve never done before.
Gary: I would like to know what is the favorite song you have recorded and do you still have your pet monkey named Bubbles who was shown in your video game.
Michael: If I had to pick one song, that’s very difficult. Probably “Ben”, “Got To Be There”, one of the oldies. Bubbles is still alive and still my pet chimp. He’s bigger, like to eat a lot…lots of pizza, ice cream…he loves snacks!
MJJ: What else do you want to accomplish in your life?
Michael: I love movies. My dream is to make films, not only to act in them, to direct them as well. And I love animation.
Brett: If you could be any superhero…like Batman, Superman…whom would you choose to be and why?
Michael: I like Batman a lot. If I could choose one, I like Morph from the X-Men. 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 he’s exciting.
Darkan: Are you ever going to tour America?
Michael: I’m not exactly sure. We kind of play it by ear, kind of spontaneous. It would be nice, but I’m not sure.
Jim: I want to know if you wish you could walk into public places and not be recognized?
Michael: I have every diguise I can think of. My dream is to just go anyplace…like Morph…to transform, so nobody would know who I am. I would love to do that. It’s my dream.
Ally W: Hi Michael. You have an amazing voice. Whose music has helped influence your music most?
Michael: Thank you for the compliment. To be honest, I would say my first love and appreciation for music was classical. In kindergarden, Tchaikovsky, the great writting of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein, and others. I love showtunes.
Brian: Is your new album doing as well as expected? Go MJ!!!
Michael: 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!
Jocelyn: When will the 3T album be in the store?
Michael: The 3T are expected around this Christmas. They’re going to be very successful.
Marlie14: In your interview with Diane Sawyer you mentioned moving out of the country. Is this your future plans?
Michael: Yes it is.
Rros: Where is the most favorite place in the world you have travelled to and where would you most like to travel to?
Michael: My most favorite place that I’ve travelled 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.
Blondie101: What inspired you to write the song “Beat It”?
Michael: 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 those people would do. The way I was raised I would turn the other cheek without creating a war or being a coward either.
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: Gee – thank you very much! I love you. Thank you.
Curveball: Will there be a next album?
Michael: I am not sure. This might be the last album I ever do. I will always create music but I’m not sure if I’ll create another album.
Midway Gal: How did you get into music?
Michael: I don’t think I can answer that without sounding philosophical. We never had music or dance lessons. We were a family that sang all the time. We watched TV. We would entertain ourselves…we would take the furniture out of the living room and dance. I think you’re pretty much born with a gift and you’re compelled to create. That is what I have always felt. I remember when I was really 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.
Even Beevu: Do you come up with the ideas for all your videos?
Michael: 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. A simple guy goes out on a date and confesses to her that he’s different. I wanted to transform into different things. It was fun. I had so much fun making that. “Beat It” is another concept I came up with. Confrontaion – 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. I think it came across.
Pelon: What has been your proudest musical achievement?
Michael: One of them – it is a really difficult question to answer because I am not a woman, but writing a song is like concieving 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 secreatry 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.
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: The process is creating a 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 taped according to how you sample it in the computer again and again. This is the foundation for the entire track – everything plays off this. It’s the rhythm, like a beatbox rhythm. Every song I’ve written since I was very little I’ve done that way. I still do it that way.
Smufetty: I love you and have enjoyed your music since I could hear and see. Just one question: How can you keep going when the media makes everything so hard?
Michael: Thank you for your compliment. 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 to just 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 bad press. If it happened to them, it can happen to me.
Tristene: Who is your best friend?
Michael: Pretty much the same as I’ve said. The children of the world, for their innocence, thier 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.
MJJ: It is rumored (and I know you hate that word) that you are doing another book. Do you plan on another book, if so, what will it contain?
Michael: I wrote a book called Dancing the Dream. It was more autobiographical than Moonwalk, which I did with Mrs. Onassis. It wasn’t full of gossip and scandal and all that 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, and 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 feel, you can check out HIStory. It’s a musical book.
Gemseeker: When and how did you learn to moonwalk? I think it’s sooo cool!
Michael: Thank you soooo much! I’ve always loved illusion dancing when you can pretty much create a step or illusion with the body. There’s a new step that looks like you defy gravity that I’ve been working on for a long 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.
Jamie Ballengee: Mr. Jackson, what advice would you give to 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: 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.
VanishR29: How do you feel about technology like the internet and it’s effect on society?
Michael: 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’s wonderful.
MJJ: How involved are you with the other groups of the MJJ label?
Michael: 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 it’s going to be a big success. I do believe that.
Michael: I want to say hi to Bill Bellamy in LA – he’s a great guy. Thank you! Goodnight everybody. Talk to you soon. Bye!
SOURCE: EW / Orlando Sentinel / The Baltimore Sun
Wow,but how can it speak on chat with Michael Jackson?!😕:-D 😛
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