7.31.2011

Keep the Faith


Suffer from low self-esteem?
Don't believe in yourself?
Have lots of doubts in life?
BUT you still wanna succeed in life?
Still have dreams to reach?

Hey, KEEP your FAITH!
Here's what Michael taught us:

"You can't do your best when you're doubting yourself.
If you don't believe in yourself, who will?
Just doing as well as you did last time is not good enough.
I think of it as the "Try to get what you can" mentality."
~ Michael Jackson ~ [Moonwalk]



Dream: Greatest Actor, Singer, Dancer of all time and Entertainer, The Best.
Confidence
Faith
Persistence
Belief
Study the great of your field and become Greater.
Know the secrets of your endeavor "The Method"
Mind Target: Control and Influence the subconscious
Best in your field
Be Scientist know. The Great's Method
Try out and then perfect it.
Move Mountains

True Training: A never ending persistence to equal or exceed the performance in your minds eye

(In Photos: Michael Jackson wrote this in the early 80's in his home in Encino California. This really defines how Michael wanted to become the greatest by not only working so hard but also conditioning his mind. First thing that comes to my mind after seeing this is I want to share this amazing writing to everyone especially to young MJ Lovers out there that like Michael, every dream is possible as long as you are willing to put your heart and soul into it. Passionate Michael became THE GREATEST because of he is willing to work so hard (no short cut), to sacrifice and also condition his mind. He fights for his dream. No wonder, everyone looks up to Michael and wanted to be like him. Michael will continue to inspire... It's up to us now how we will fight for our dream like Mike. Or it can never be done :) FIGHT FOR YOUR DREAM #MJFAM! )

---
If you wanna be like Michael, on @MJJPhotos has said it all :)

REMEMBER this:
"I believe we are powerful, but we don't use our minds to full capacity.
Your mind is powerful enough to help you attain whatever you want."
~ Michael Jackson ~ [Moonwalk]

Life is not easy, it never has and never will.
Problem is part of our life, and it will always be. In fact, I've learned that those who do not have problem are INDEED is having problem.
and how we deal and overcome the problem shall enrich our life-skills.
So, don't worry, problem exists to be solved anyway. :)

- do not copy or steal this artwork - respect the copyrights of ownership -

"No matter what, the most powerful thing in the world is
the human mind and prayer, and belief in your self and confidence and perseverance.
No matter how many times you do it, you do it again until it's right.
And always believe in your self.
And not matter who's around you that's being negative or thrusting negative energy at you, totally block it off.
Because whatever you believe, you become.
~ Michael Jackson, 2001 ~

I believe, Michael's fans, MJFam want to be mike-like,
and as Michael's ambassador, we should practice his words in our daily life.
If something or even someone bothers you, in every precedents of life, ask yourself, 'what would Michael do and/or say?'

"Even if you're sweeping floors or painting ceilings,
do it better than anybody in the world, no matter what it is that you do.
Be the best at it,
and have a respect for others, and be proud of yourself..
and to honor; be honorable,"
~ Michael Jackson, 2001 ~


I'm not always have confident on myself either, I have low self-esteem and many doubts, but yes, I still have many goals to reach.. and reading these words has made encouraged me to step forward realizing my dreams.

"If you enter this world knowing you are loved
and you leave this world knowing the same,
then everything that happens in between can he dealt with.
A professor may degrade you, but you will not feel degraded,
a boss may crush you, but you will not be crushed,
a corporate gladiator might vanquish you, but you will still triumph.
How could any of them truly prevail in pulling you down?
For you know that you are an object worthy of love.
The rest is just packaging."
~ Michael Jackson, 2001 ~

Here's my favorite quote of Michael that had triggered me moving out my comfort zone to reach my dreams and goals:

"And no matter what, no star is too far to reach and you never give up."
~ Michael Jackson, 2005 ~

Have a good day, everyone,
and remember: KEEP THE FAITH


Mm-hmm
If you call out loud
Will it get inside?
Through the heart of your surrender
To your alibis

And you can
Say the words
Like you understand
But the power's in believing
So give yourself a chance

Cuz you can
Climb the highest mountain
Swim the deepest sea-ee

All you need is the will to want it
And a Little self-esteem

So keep the faith
Don't let nobody turn you round
You got to know when it's good to go
To get your dreams up off the ground

So keep the faith, baby yeah
Because it's just a matter of time
Before your confidence will win out

Believe in yourself no matter what it's gonna take
You can be a winner but you gotta keep the faith
Gon' keep it brother
You got

And when you think of trust
Does it lead you home?
To a place that you only dream of
When you're all alone

And you can go by feel
'Stead of circumstance
But the power's in believing
So give yourself a chance

I know that you can
Sail across the water
Float across the sky-i
Any road that you take will get you there
If you only try

So keep the faith
Ow
Don't let nobody take you down brother
Just keep your eyes on the prize
Feet flat on the ground

So keep the faith
Baby yeah
Because it's just a matter of time
Before your confidence will win out

I told my brother how to do the thing right
Lift up your head and show the world you got pride
Go for what you want
Don't let them get in your way
You can be a winner but you gotta
Keep the faith
Gon' keep it brother
You got

I know that keepin the faith
Means never givin up on love
But the power that love has
Has to make it right
Makes it
Makes it right

So keep the faith
Don't let nobody turn you round brother
You got to know when it's good to go
Get your dreams up off of the ground

So keep the faith, baby yeah
Because it's just a matter of time
Before your confidence will win out

Better stand up and act like you wanna do it right
Don't play the fool for the rest of your life
Work on it brother and you'll make it someday
Go for what you want and don't forget the faith

Look at yourself and what your doin right now
Stand back a minute just to check yourself out
Straighten up your life and how your livin each day
Get yourself together cuz you gotta keep the faith

Don't let nobody take you down brother
Just keep your eyes on the prize
Your feet flat on the ground

So keep the faith, baby yeah
Because it's just a matter of time
Before your confidence will win out

Lift up your mind before your mind gets blown
Some things in life you're best just leave them alone
Go for what you want
Don't let it get in your way
You can make it happen but you gotta keep the faith Gon' keep it brother
You got to keep the faith
Yeah keep the faith
Gon' keep it sista
You got to keep the faith

I told my brother how to do the thing right
Lift up your head and show the world you got pride
Go for what you want
Don't let them get in your way
You can be a winner if you keep the faith

Straighten out yourself and get your mind on track
Dust off your butt and get your self-respect back
You've know me long enough to know that I don't play
Take it like you want it but you got to keep the faith
Gon'

7.12.2011

Vibe, March 2002

VIBE Magazine, 2002

After more than 30 years of creating music, Michael Jackson remains an enigma. Regina Jones sits down with the mysterious legend to discuss hip hop, life as a single parent, and the unexpected joys of an all-out water-balloon fight.

I first met Michael Jackson some 33 years ago when Diana Ross introduced the Jackson 5-then a brand-new Motown act-to 350 music and media folk at the Daisy Club in Beverly Hills. My husband, Ken, and I were then publishing Soul, one of the first national black-entertainment newsmagazines.

Ten-year-old Michael already knew how to charm a crowd. Acknowledging Diana's support, he said, "After singing for four years and not becoming a star, I thought I would never be discovered-that is, until Miss Ross came along to save my career."

Just four months later, the Jackson 5's first single, "I Want You Back," soared to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 charts, followed two months later by "ABC." Thousands of letters from across the country poured into our mailbox. Responding to the Jackson's first tour, one reader wrote: "Those youngsters performed in a manner that could be harmful to one's health. The heart can only stand so much soul, and their performance was definitely an overdose."

Over the next decade, Soul kept up with the Jackson family as a guest at parties, weddings, and concerts. We were also regular visitors to the family home, where Michael-soft-spoken, polite, curious, and quiet-was usually off by himself, drawing or playing with his snakes and other pets, while his older brothers, cousins, and visitors played basketball. But when Soul stopped publishing in 1980, I lost touch with the family.

And then Michael became a pop-culture superstar, changing the face of music, dance, fashion, and music video with hit after hit. He was idolized and chased by fans and media wherever he went. He took an art form, refined and packaged it, and became an international icon. The American Music Awards recently named him the Artist of the Century. When it comes to the King of Pop, the world is insatiable.

You can tell a lot about someone by the people who work for him. Arriving at Michael's 2,700-acre Neverland Valley Ranch in Los Olivos, Calif., north of Santa Barbara, I'm greeted by some of the 70-odd members of Michael's exceedingly friendly staff, which helps the self-proclaimed King of Pop maintain the complex and welcomes busloads of visitors a year, mostly kids who suffer terminal illnesses.

Dressed in black slacks, white socks, black loafers, and a soft yellow shirt, Michael greets me with a warm hello and a big hug. He then excuses himself to see about his son, Prince, 5, and daughter, Paris, 3, who have just returned from a long walk and are excitedly chattering to their dad about their day. The governess, who closely resembles Michael's mother, Katherine, suggests I have a brief look around the ranch before dark. So I take off in a battery-powered golf cart, while Michael spends time with his babies.

I discover an amusement park, playground, train station, arcade, zoo, swimming pool, Jacuzzi, bumper-car tent, and various areas where animals roam free. I spot a llama, a parrot, a cheetah, a pony, and several deer.

Michael is ready to talk when I return 45 minutes later. I've brought along a bound volume of Soul, and he looks at the old photos and laughs at himself, his brothers, and a picture of Diana Ross. "Do you remember interviewing me when I was little?" he asks, reminding me of the time Soul talked to him through his "interpreter," Janet. "It wasn't a game, it was real," he says. "I felt afraid. I felt that if my sister was there, the person would go easier on me."

Often very animated, Michael goes from a whisper to raucous laughter in a split second. The only matter that he refuses to address is his plastic surgery. "That's a stupid question," he says. "That's one reason that I didn't do interviews for years."

At a time when stars routinely boast about their Bentleys and bling-bling, Michael is singularly modest. He brushes off a question about his financial health-there have been recent reports of trouble-saying only, "I'm taken care of fine." Michael makes money when he sleeps. He owns half of Sony/ATV Music Publishing, which includes most of the Beatles catalog as well as songs by Jimi Hendrix, Bob Dylan, Miles Davis, Babyface, and Elvis.

At 43, Michael is indisputably back. Invincible, his first album in four years, was No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart. His two sold-out tribute shows at Madison Square Garden last September (just before the terrorist attacks) were later aired as a CBS special watched by more than 25.7 million viewers, making it that network's highest-rated music special of all time.

As we resume the conversation that began so many years ago, I discover that, in spite of all the flash and tumult of Michael's time in the spotlight, he's remarkably unchanged-still caring, inquisitive, and sensitive.

---

VIBE: How is it to be competing for sales with the likes of 'N Sync and Britney Spears, children who were basically born at the height of your fame?

MJ: It's a rarity. I had No. 1 records in 1969 and '70, and still entered the charts in 2001 at No. 1. I don't think any other artist has that range. It's a great honor. I'm happy; I don't know what else to say. I'm glad people accept what I do.

VIBE: What are your thoughts on the current state of R&B?

MJ: I don't categorize music. Music is music. They changed the word R&B to rock 'n' roll. It has always been, from Fats Domino to Little Richard to Chuck Berry. How can we discriminate? It is what it is-great music, you know.

VIBE: Are you feeling hip hop?

MJ: I like a lot of it, a lot of it. I like the music. I don't like the dancing that much. It looks like they're doing aerobics.

VIBE: How did you decide to feature Biggie Smalls on "Unbreakable," off Invincible?

MJ: It wasn't my idea, actually. It was Rodney Jerkins, one of the writer/ producers working on the album. It was my idea to put a rap part on the song, and he said, "I know just the perfect one-Biggie." He put it in, and it worked perfectly.

VIBE: Why did you choose Jay-Z for the remix of the first single," You Rock My World"?

MJ: He's hip, the new thing, and he's with the kids today. They like his work. He's tapped into the nerve of popular culture. It just made good sense.

VIBE: What was it like for you to appear at New York's Hot 97 Summer Jam concert as Jay-Z's guest?

MJ: I just showed up and gave him a hug. There was a tumultuous explosion of applause and stomping, a lovely, lovely welcome, and I was happy about that. It was a great feeling-the love, the love.


VIBE: Does it bother you to see people emulate you, such as Usher, Sisqo, Ginuwine, and even Destiny's Child?

MJ: I don't mind it at all. These are artists who grew up with my music. When you grow up listening to somebody you admire, you tend to become them. You want to look like them, to dress like them. When I was little, I was James Brown, I was Sammy Davis Jr., so I understand it. It's a compliment.

VIBE: Did you know that you were creating timeless classics when you were recording Thriller and Off The Wall?

MJ: Yes, not to be arrogant, but yes. Because I know great material when I hear it, and melodically and sonically and musically, it's so moving. They keep the promise.

VIBE: Do you feel there's greater acceptance of black artists these days?

MJ: I think people have always admired black music since the beginning of time, if you want to go back to Negro spirituals. Today, the market is just accepting the fact that that's the sound. From Britney to 'N Sync, they're all doing the R&B thing. Even Barry Gibb of the Bee Gees, he always tells me [imitating a British accent], "Man, we do R&B." I say, Barry, I don't categorize it, but it's great music. I understand where he's coming from. I love great music-it has no color, it has no boundaries.

VIBE: You seem to be enjoying life as a single parent.

MJ: I never had so much fun in all my life. That's the truth. Because I'm this big kid, and now I get to see the world through the eyes of the really young ones. I learn more from them than they learn from me. I'm constantly trying things and testing things on them to see what works and what doesn't. Children are always the best judges to monitor something. If you can get the kids, you've got it. That's why Harry Potter is so successful-it's a family-oriented movie. You can't go wrong there. We want a wide demographic, and that's why I try not to say things in my lyrics that offend parents. I don't want to be like that. We weren't raised to be like that. Mother and Joseph [Michael's father] wouldn't say stuff like that.

VIBE: What do Prince and Paris listen to?

MJ: They listen to all of my music, and they love classical, which plays all around the ranch. They like any good dance music.

VIBE: How would you feel about your children becoming pop icons, based upon your experience?

MJ: I don't know how they would handle that. It would be tough. I really don't know. It's hard, since most children of celebrities end up becoming self-destructive because they can't live up to the talent of the parent. People always used to say to Fred Astaire Jr., "Can you dance?" And he couldn't. He didn't have any rhythm, but his father was this genius dancer. It doesn't mean that it has to be passed on. I always tell my children, You don't have to sing, you don't have to dance. Be who you want to be, as long as you're not hurting anybody. That's the main thing.

VIBE: Which artists-past and present-inspire you?

MJ: Stevie Wonder is a musical prophet. All of the early Motown. All the Beatles. I'm crazy about Sammy Davis Jr., Charlie Chaplin, Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly, Bill "Bojangles" Robinson-the real entertainers, the real thing, not just gimmicks, showstoppers. When James Brown was with the Famous Flames, it was unbelievable. There are so many wonderful singers-Whitney Houston, Barbra Streisand, Johnny Mathis. Real stylists. You hear one line, and you know who it is. Nat "King" Cole, great stuff. Marvin Gaye, Sam Cooke-they are all ridiculous.

VIBE: How involved were you in selecting the artists to perform in your 30th anniversary special?

MJ: I wasn't involved at all.

VIBE: How were you able to let go of something so big and so special?

MJ: Trust.

VIBE: What was your experience on September 11?

MJ: I was in New York [after performing at Madison Square Garden] on September 7 and 11, and I got a call from friends in Saudi Arabia that America was being attacked. I turned on the news and saw the Twin Towers coming down, and I said, Oh my God. I screamed down the hotel hallway to all our people, Everybody get out, let's leave now! Marlon Brando was on one end; our security was on the other end. We were all up there, but Elizabeth Taylor was at another hotel. We all got out of there as quickly as we could. We jumped in the car, but there were these girls who had been at the show the night before, and they were banging on the windows, running down the street screaming. Fans are so loyal. We hid in New Jersey. It was unbelievable; was scared to death.

VIBE: On another tip altogether, what do you do for recreation?

MJ: I like water-balloon fights. We have a water-balloon fort here, and we have a red team and a blue team. We have slings and cannons, and you are drenched by the time the game is over. There's a timer, and whoever gets the most points is the winner. If I'm going to do some kind of sport, I have to laugh. I don't do anything like basketball or golf. Basketball is very competitive, and so is tennis; they make you angry. I'm not into that. It should be therapeutic. I also like to go to amusement parks, hang with animals, things like that.

VIBE: Do you have a fantasy of something that you'd like to see in your lifetime?

MJ: I would like to see an international children's holiday to honor our children, because the family bond has been broken. There's a Mother's Day and there's a Father's Day, but there's no children's day. It would mean a lot. It really would. World peace. I hope that our next generation will get to see a peaceful world, not the way things are going now.

VIBE: Has singing ever stopped being fun and become work?

MJ: It's always been fun. Unless I get physically sick, it's always fun. I still love it.

VIBE: Many of us see you as a historic figure, an innovator who has set a standard that still exists in music. Where does Michael Jackson go from here?

MJ: Thank you, thank you. I have deep love for film, and I want to pioneer and innovate in the medium of film-to write and direct and produce movies, to bring incredible entertainment.

VIBE: What kinds of movies? Are you looking at scripts?

MJ: Yes, but nothing has been finalized yet.

VIBE: Are you ever lonely?

MJ: Of course. If I'm onstage, I'm fine there. But you can have a house full of people and still be lonely from within. I'm not complaining, because I think it's a good thing for my work.

VIBE: Tell me about the inspiration for "Speechless." It's very loving.

MJ: You'll be surprised. I was with these kids in Germany, and we had a big water-balloon fight-I'm serious-and I was so happy after the fight that I ran upstairs in their house and wrote "Speechless." Fun inspires me. I hate to say that, because it's such a romantic song. But it was the fight that did it. I was happy, and I wrote it in its entirety right there. I felt it would be good enough for the album. Out of the bliss comes magic, wonderment, and creativity.

VIBE: Do you collect anything?

MJ: I like anything having to do with Shirley Temple, the Little Rascals, and the Three Stooges. I love Curly. I love him so much that I did a book on him. I got hold of his daughter, and we wrote the book together.

VIBE: Is there anything that you would like to say to VIBE readers?

MJ: I love Quincy Jones. I really do. And also, I want to tell the readers not to judge a person by what they hear, or even what they read, unless they heard it from the person himself. There is so much tabloid sensationalism. Don't fall prey to it, it's ugly. I'd like to take all the tabloids and burn them. I want you to print that! Some of them try to disguise themselves, but they are still the tabloids.

VIBE: Finally, how do you channel your creativity?

MJ: I don't force it; I let nature take its course. I don't sit at the piano and think, I'm going to write the greatest song of all time. It doesn't happen. It has to be given to you. I believe it's already up there before you are born, and then it drops right into your lap. It's the most spiritual thing in the world. When it comes, it comes with all of the accompaniments, the strings, the bass, the drums, the lyrics, and you're just the medium through which it comes, the channel. Sometimes I feel guilty putting my name on the songs-"written by Michael Jackson"- because it's as if the heavens have done it already. Like Michelangelo would have this huge piece of marble from the quarries of Italy, and he'd say, "Inside is a sleeping form." He takes a hammer and chisel, and he's just freeing it. It's already in there. It's already there.

7.10.2011

Ebony 1992


EBONY, May 1992

MICHAEL JACKSON: Crowned in Africa
Pop Music King Tells Real Story of Controversial Trip
By Robert E. Johnson


When he was out front as the 14-year-old lead vocalist of the Jackson Five singing group, Michael Jackson visited Africa for the first time. “When we came off the plane in [Dakar, Senegal] Africa”, he recalls, “ we were greeted by a long line of African dancers. Their drums and sounds filled the air with rhythm. I was going crazy, I was screaming, ‘All right! They got the rhythm…This is it. This is where I come from. The origin.’”

Nineteen years later, when Michael, now 33, came off the plane in Gabon, a West African neighbor nation of Senegal, he was greeted by an excited, screaming crowd of grade-school students who carried a banner than proclaimed: “Welcome Home Michael.” Drum sounds again filled the air with rhythm that flowed from fans who gathered at the airport and lined the streets in anticipation of seeing the “king of pop, rock, and soul,” who would later be crowned “King Sani” in a West African village.

Despite or perhaps because of this acclaim, the pop idol almost immediately became the center of an international controversy based on a negative media campaign. The media bashing included these big lies:

- The trip was a “public relations disaster for Michael.” Truth: It was a triumph in which he drew more spectators in Gabon than Nelson Mandela and more in the Ivory Coast than the Pope, according to African spokespersons.

- “The singer cut short an African tour after a stopover generated the wrong kind of excitement.” Truth: The sponsors wanted him to extend his tour to meet the demand for his appearances everywhere.

- He held his hand to his nose because the African nations smelled. Truth: He sometimes touched his nose, an old nervous habit which earned him the nickname “Smelly”, given originally by Quincy Jones because Michael was touching his nose in Los Angeles.

- He collapsed from the heat and he went to London for a medical appointment. Truth: He was never bothered by the heat. His personal physician, Dr. R. Chalmers, accompanied Jackson on the trip. Jackson didn’t go to London for a medical appointment.

- He refused to shake hands with Africans. Truth: He shook the hands of hundreds of people, hugged and kissed children in hospitals and institutions for the mentally retarded.

- He is “neither Black nor White” and is not a good role model for children. Truth: After Michael read a prayer in the basilica of Our Lady of Peace in the Ivory Coast, a 9-year-old boy exclaimed: “Michael is love, love, love! I want to be like him.”

Because he is well known for his humanity and philanthropy, tour organizer Charles Bobbit reflected on the African tour and said: “I was impressed with the interaction between Michael and the children. He sat on the bed with children who were deformed and children that were ill… He sat there and talked to them, hugged, cuddled them. He shook hands and did not wear a surgical mask like he does sometimes to America…That qualifies him as a role model for children – his deeds and not his looks.

While the international controversy raged, Michael remained aloof, refusing to read the stories and saying that he preferred to let his deeds and his songs speak for him. Strangely and significantly, he had anticipated this and other criticisms in the song, “Why You Wanna Trip On Me”, in the Dangerous album. The song says, in part:
They say I’m different
They don’t understand
But there’s a bigger problem
That’s much more in demand
You got world hunger
Not enough to eat
So there’s really no time
To be trippin’ on me…

It was clear from the beginning that the African people agreed with Michael. And from the time of his arrival, the native of Gary, Indiana was welcomed like a ruling dignitary and a long-lost son.

He had come to the land of his ancestors to participate in a historic ceremony conducted beneath a sacred tree in the gold-mining village of Krindjabo, populated by the Agni tribe and located near Abidjan, Ivory Coast. As the village people stood in admiration, Amon N’Djafolk, the traditional tribal chief of Krindjabo, placed a crown of gold upon the head of the musical monarch and pronounced him “King of Sani.”

Almost overcome by emotions, the shy, sensitive son of Joseph and Katherine Jackson smiled and said, “Merci beaucoup,” to the French-speaking people and repeated in English, “Thank you very much.”

He then joined elders of the king’s court, signed official documents and sat on a throne of gold as women dancers, clad in white gowns, gave a dazzling performance of ritual dances. These elderly women are the guardians of the village, and their ceremonial dances gave their blessings to the crowning of “King Sani” and asked God for protection at a tree that symbolized the essence of power.

The musical messenger, who journeyed to West and East African nations as a self-proclaimed ambassador of peace, love, and goodwill, achieved a success that exceeded his expectation.
From his sunset arrival in Gabon, where more than 100,000 people greeted him with spiritual bedlam, to his stop in Cairo, Egypt, to which he had paid homage on his newest album, Dangerous, with the best-selling single and music video Remember the Time, Michael was caught up in a hurricane of happy happenings.

In French-speaking, oil and mineral rich Gabon, he received the West African nation’s Medal of Honor from President Omar Bongo, who was the official host of the performer’s “Come back To Eden” tour.
President Bongo told Jackson that he was the first entertainer to ever receive the medal, which until then has been given only to heads of states and high-ranking diplomats and dignitaries – including Nelson Mandela.

As host of the tour, President Bongo appointed his daughter, Pascaline Bongo, the nation’s Foreign Minister, and his son, Ali Bongo, to coordinate the tour along with Charles Bobbit, a consultant to the president, who initiated the idea for Jackson’s visit.

Jackson agreed to go on the non-performing tour with the stipulation that his priority was his “desire to visit orphanages, children’s hospitals, churches, schools, and playgrounds.”

During his visits to Gabon, the Ivory Coast, Tanzania, and Egypt, he encountered “Michael mania” everywhere. His image was on posters, T-shirts, billboards, a postage stamp (in Tanzania), and street banners. His music was played on the radio, piped into hotels – Okume Palace in Libreville, Gabon; Hotel Ivoire in Abidjan, Ivory Coast; and the Kilimanjaro Hotel in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

Energetic and intensely interested in his fans, he logged 30,000 miles in 11 days; passed through 11 time zones, slept in five time zones and landed on four continents – South America, Africa, Europe, and North America. His 26-person entourage traveled in a Boeing 707 Executive plane with stateroom, private bath, open bar, lounges, dining areas, video and audio equipment, telephones, and fax machines.

And when it was over, the entertainer, contrary to false rumors, had given a new Michael Jackson twist to person-to-person diplomacy and had touched the lives of hundreds of thousands of proud Africans.

The interview