Watch Thriller 40 (2023) Full Movie For Free
Transcript
00:00:00 [MUSIC]
00:00:10 [APPLAUSE]
00:00:20 >> There are two things in the music business, before Thriller and
00:00:35 after Thriller.
00:00:37 [MUSIC]
00:00:47 The first time I heard Michael Jackson's Thriller, he was pop,
00:01:04 R&B, he was gospel, he was rock.
00:01:07 It was everything that I loved.
00:01:09 >> And bring all of these elements together of dance and choreography and
00:01:12 theatrical moments and it feeling like a musical damn near.
00:01:17 >> The magic of it, each track was better than the next.
00:01:21 It was in your brain and everybody knew it.
00:01:23 >> For the 14th consecutive week,
00:01:24 the best selling album in the country is Michael Jackson's Thriller.
00:01:28 >> If Thriller came out today, it would still be the greatest album ever made.
00:01:33 It's the ultimate blueprint to modern pop music.
00:01:36 >> I love the way that record is sequenced, right?
00:01:39 Wanna be starting some.
00:01:40 The title says it.
00:01:41 He wanna be starting some shit right now.
00:01:43 He's like, I'm about to start some shit in the industry right now.
00:01:45 I'm about to blow everybody up.
00:01:47 >> This was literally the pinnacle of everything that began with him,
00:01:50 Thriller, Beat It, and Billie Jean.
00:01:54 To this day when Thriller comes on, I mean,
00:01:56 there's not a Halloween that doesn't happen where you don't hear that song.
00:02:00 But then you have human nature, PYT.
00:02:03 And then you have Lady in My Life.
00:02:05 >> It became the biggest selling album ever.
00:02:08 Michael Jackson, always keep running the game.
00:02:10 >> This is history.
00:02:13 I wanna say it's black culture, but it's for everyone.
00:02:17 >> Thriller is the biggest selling album of all time.
00:02:19 Thriller is a cultural phenomenon that's lasted four decades and
00:02:23 seems determined to continue going forward.
00:02:25 [MUSIC]
00:02:31 >> What takes your breath away is he had the ambition to become the biggest star in
00:02:35 the world.
00:02:36 And he did it.
00:02:37 The fact that he had that dream, I mean, that goal.
00:02:42 That's what's the remarkable story.
00:02:43 [MUSIC]
00:02:49 >> Ever since we were kids, we've always wanted to dance or
00:02:52 keep the time to the music.
00:02:54 And that's part of us.
00:02:56 It's like something we have to have.
00:02:58 And it's in us, because I don't know what I would do if there wasn't music.
00:03:04 >> Joe Jackson's role in his children's careers would give people a lot to talk
00:03:07 about.
00:03:08 The former steel worker had somehow gotten his family out of Indiana,
00:03:12 groomed for stardom.
00:03:13 [MUSIC]
00:03:24 >> Well, here are five brothers from Gary, Indiana, ranging in age from 10 to 18.
00:03:29 The Jackson Five.
00:03:30 [MUSIC]
00:03:40 >> This poor man's life has been dissected completely.
00:03:50 Is there anything anybody hasn't asked you by now?
00:03:52 [MUSIC]
00:04:02 >> Now tell me, what do you think is the success of the Jacksons,
00:04:08 yourself and the Jacksons?
00:04:10 >> I would say probably the togetherness.
00:04:14 >> I can't think about Michael without thinking about the Jackson Five and
00:04:18 Motown and all of that.
00:04:19 So it takes me a little further back.
00:04:21 It takes me to Off The Wall, which is one of my favorite records.
00:04:24 [MUSIC]
00:04:26 >> Welcome to WBLS once again, Michael Jackson.
00:04:28 >> Thank you very much.
00:04:29 >> The name of the album is?
00:04:31 >> Off The Wall.
00:04:32 >> Are you?
00:04:32 >> [LAUGH]
00:04:34 >> We'll be back with Michael right after this.
00:04:36 [MUSIC]
00:04:46 >> I was not the biggest Jackson Five fan.
00:04:50 I was a serious pop music critic.
00:04:52 And I said, well, it's cute what they're doing.
00:04:54 [MUSIC]
00:04:57 You know, James Brown, Jackie Wilson, that's really nice.
00:05:01 You know, it wasn't what I was interested in.
00:05:03 And then Off The Wall comes out, and I was caught up in the excitement of learning
00:05:07 more about Michael and his world, so I interviewed him separately.
00:05:10 Interviewed the brothers all together, him separately.
00:05:13 You know, he's nervous.
00:05:15 He doesn't like to do interviews.
00:05:17 He's sad.
00:05:18 He's lonely.
00:05:18 He starts talking about his life.
00:05:21 [MUSIC]
00:05:25 He was so hurt around 14, 15, 16 when his face changed.
00:05:30 He got bigger.
00:05:31 I mean, his face had broken out.
00:05:36 He was so sad.
00:05:37 People didn't care about him anymore.
00:05:39 You know, adults would come into a party at some house, and
00:05:42 they would be looking all around, where's Michael?
00:05:45 And they'd be walking right past him, you know?
00:05:47 And he got the feeling, we don't care about you.
00:05:51 We want that little kid.
00:05:52 [MUSIC]
00:05:56 >> He was dead set on his focus to be a Michael Jackson solo artist.
00:06:02 >> And he had to.
00:06:04 He knew that it was time.
00:06:05 He knew that he was excited to have it all be on his own terms.
00:06:11 You know, not attached to anybody.
00:06:14 And he knew that he was even gonna soar from that.
00:06:19 >> Well, Off the Wall was an enormous success.
00:06:23 It put Michael on the map as a solo artist.
00:06:26 People forget that before Off the Wall, there was a period between Motown and
00:06:33 the Destiny album where people thought maybe the career of the Jackson 5 was over.
00:06:38 That they were yesterday's news forgotten boy band, really.
00:06:41 So Off the Wall reestablished Michael as someone to watch.
00:06:45 >> Off the Wall was just this incredible record.
00:06:48 And we knew that Mike was coming back with something special,
00:06:52 because he didn't win everything that he wanted during the Grammys.
00:06:57 And he only won one award, which was the R&B award at that.
00:07:01 He thought he was gonna sweep.
00:07:03 He thought for sure, I got a pop smash here.
00:07:07 So when that didn't happen, he left there with a vengeance,
00:07:11 determined to do better next time.
00:07:13 >> He was determined to change the way he was perceived.
00:07:17 There were a lot of writings he did to himself, affirmations.
00:07:20 [MUSIC]
00:07:26 >> I look in the mirror and I would say over and over to myself.
00:07:29 I'd take a deep breath, put my feet together, raise myself erect,
00:07:33 strong like a hero or warrior.
00:07:35 And I'd say, biggest selling album of all time, greatest selling over and
00:07:39 over to my mind and look in my eyes and I'd mean it.
00:07:43 I'd say biggest selling album of all time.
00:07:45 And I wouldn't accept anything unless it was exactly what I wanted.
00:07:49 My attitude was I want the biggest selling album of all times to break records,
00:07:54 to do phenomenal work.
00:07:56 I came in angry.
00:07:58 >> Michael was writing.
00:07:59 He was writing, he was fuming.
00:08:01 He was still upset about this idea that he would be denied major awards for
00:08:08 Off the Wall.
00:08:09 I just remember all of the process of when they were doing it and
00:08:13 the excitement while they're recording.
00:08:16 Just hearing tales as they're coming in on the studio with it.
00:08:20 [MUSIC]
00:08:39 Westlake was a really great studio because you felt the facility had this
00:08:44 warmth and this friendliness and this casual, put you at ease feeling.
00:08:50 There was just the most incredible vibe where you could just be creatively
00:08:54 free to take the music wherever you wanted.
00:08:57 [MUSIC]
00:09:01 >> This is hallowed ground.
00:09:02 I was in here a lot cuz Quincy made a lot of records in here.
00:09:05 Off the Wall was made in here, certainly Thriller.
00:09:09 Quincy worked in here a lot.
00:09:10 >> Quincy influenced everything we've ever done in our lives,
00:09:13 whether you can hear it or not.
00:09:14 >> Exactly.
00:09:15 Depth of understanding of music, that's what makes Quincy Quincy.
00:09:20 He's done big band, he's done small band, he's done pop, he's done rock,
00:09:24 he's done everything.
00:09:26 So just understanding all those different genres and
00:09:29 how to fuse them all together is what gives you all these wonderful
00:09:33 applications that you get on a Michael Jackson record.
00:09:36 >> And that sound, Bruce Swedin had a lot to do with how that overall sound was,
00:09:41 the echo and the reverbs and the way he would place things.
00:09:45 And they were excited as we were making the record,
00:09:47 you could feel the excitement in the room.
00:09:49 Knowing that we were doing something that was gonna be special.
00:09:52 [MUSIC]
00:10:01 >> Wow, I don't even know where to begin.
00:10:03 I just remember coming here to this studio, which was like a second home.
00:10:09 And coming in listening to the demos that Rod Temperton would provide.
00:10:15 And we would just start to carve musically and
00:10:19 work our way into the details of the demos.
00:10:23 >> Rod Temperton, this guy was brilliant.
00:10:26 I mean, he was deep.
00:10:27 I love Rod Temperton.
00:10:30 He wrote incredible songs and he was part of Quincy's tight team.
00:10:34 [MUSIC]
00:10:37 >> We did a lot of funky sounds on Baby Be Mine.
00:10:40 [MUSIC]
00:10:50 Quincy was just looking for, he's always looking for something different.
00:10:56 So we were brought in because it was, I think Quincy knew about MTV and
00:11:01 he was looking for a cinematic thing cuz Quincy came from film.
00:11:05 When Michael would want, he knew things that he would want for sounds.
00:11:08 And he would put it on a record player and play it and
00:11:11 then I'd say, well, let me go get that other synth.
00:11:13 So it would be in the truck parked in the parking lot of Westlake or
00:11:18 it would be in the hallway.
00:11:19 We had ample cases lining up the hall and we just basically took over the place.
00:11:22 And we were creating sounds and using synthesizers in kind of a big way and
00:11:26 replacing orchestra.
00:11:27 [MUSIC]
00:11:36 >> So one of the things that I noticed about Michael's development as a songwriter,
00:11:40 I saw him getting more rhythmically and harmonically advanced,
00:11:43 taking steps forward and forward and forward.
00:11:44 >> His talent was not only developing as a singer, he developed as an entertainer.
00:11:50 >> Yes.
00:11:51 >> It's funny, you guys should have picked this room cuz I'm walking through here,
00:11:55 and I just, I'm just seeing,
00:11:57 I can almost channel him, his spirit into this room.
00:12:02 >> He had us prepared, we were prepared.
00:12:04 >> No question.
00:12:05 >> And he would come in ready to go.
00:12:07 He was the kind of individual that had a awesome work ethic.
00:12:12 >> The process was quite a adventure, cuz most people forget
00:12:17 that the first single from the album was The Girl is Mine.
00:12:19 [MUSIC]
00:12:22 Obviously, you had no bigger star in the world than Paul McCartney.
00:12:27 And the pairing of Michael and Paul, what better flag waver to get a project started?
00:12:32 [MUSIC]
00:12:42 [MUSIC]
00:12:52 So if we get the call, it's like Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson,
00:12:55 I mean, it just didn't get any bigger than that.
00:12:57 So we were kinda like, holy shit, what are we gonna do?
00:13:01 What's this gonna be all about?
00:13:03 When Paul McCartney walked in the room, there was a palpable change of energy.
00:13:08 I'm like, my God, that's Paul McCartney.
00:13:10 [MUSIC]
00:13:20 >> That was a wonderful day for me, it was a day that changed my life.
00:13:31 I was in the presence of the greatest, most successful people in the music business.
00:13:37 Paul McCartney, Michael Jackson, Quincy Jones, George Martin was there.
00:13:43 >> Because of its catchy melody, many think The Girl is Mine was written by
00:13:46 Paul McCartney, when in fact, it was composed by Michael Jackson.
00:13:50 [MUSIC]
00:13:55 >> Once the music started flowing, it was like, here's two old friends.
00:13:59 [MUSIC]
00:14:28 >> Coming out of Off the Wall, the challenge was,
00:14:31 is Michael Jackson really a pop star, or is he just a big R&B artist?
00:14:35 >> Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, whoo!
00:14:37 >> The way it worked was that you were a black artist until you weren't, and
00:14:41 you weren't when you got on the pop charts.
00:14:43 Michael told me The Girl is Mine was his sneak attack.
00:14:48 He knew he wanted to cross over, and
00:14:49 what better way to do it than to have Paul McCartney?
00:14:53 >> I've heard it all before, Michael.
00:14:54 She told me that I'm her forever lover, don't you remember?
00:14:57 >> Well, after loving me, she says you can love another.
00:15:00 >> Is that what she said?
00:15:01 >> Yeah, she said it.
00:15:02 You keep dreaming.
00:15:03 >> I don't believe it.
00:15:05 >> Mine, mine.
00:15:06 >> No, The Girl is mine.
00:15:08 >> Mine, mine.
00:15:09 >> No, mine.
00:15:10 >> The Girl is mine.
00:15:11 >> She's mine, mine, mine, mine, mine.
00:15:14 >> Mine, mine, mine, mine, mine.
00:15:15 >> So that initial session with Michael and Paul happens in April.
00:15:20 The actual formal sessions for Thriller didn't start for a couple months later.
00:15:24 >> Yeah, Michael did the demos at his home studio.
00:15:30 Quincy invited me to go to Michael's house to listen to some demos.
00:15:35 What I didn't realize was that we would be given our own private world premiere of
00:15:39 Billie Jean, Beat It, Wanna Be Stardust.
00:15:42 [MUSIC]
00:15:52 [MUSIC]
00:16:02 >> Well, the songwriting process is something that's very difficult to
00:16:11 explain because it's very spiritual.
00:16:13 [MUSIC]
00:16:15 It's, you really just, in the hands of God.
00:16:19 And it's as if it's been written already.
00:16:22 That's the real truth.
00:16:24 As if it's been written in its entirety before you were born and
00:16:27 you're just really the source through which the songs come.
00:16:32 Really, because they just fall right into your lap in its entirety.
00:16:36 You don't have to do much thinking about it.
00:16:40 And I feel guilty having to put my name and time on the songs that I do write them.
00:16:46 And I compose them, I write them.
00:16:48 I do the scoring, I do the lyrics, I do the melodies.
00:16:52 But still, it's the work of God.
00:16:56 >> Starting something was wild, you know, I had all this.
00:16:58 [MUSIC]
00:17:01 >> Wanna Be Starting Something has the frenetic percussion of Off The Wall.
00:17:07 Which is amazing because it's like you have these incredibly tight drum grooves
00:17:11 and these program beats now.
00:17:13 I think that's why for me, Wanna Be Starting Something is still my favorite.
00:17:17 >> I remember just being able to go out and do the demo at Havenhurst, yeah.
00:17:23 He had it before we got there.
00:17:25 And then he just shared it with us and we worked out the parts.
00:17:28 >> Because it's so rhythmic and all that.
00:17:31 So he knew the sound, he knew the rhythm that he wanted to hear and everything.
00:17:36 So like I said, we were quick.
00:17:38 [MUSIC]
00:17:46 [MUSIC]
00:17:57 >> There's a certain approach you wanna take to emphasize the feeling.
00:18:02 I would say that Quincy helped glue those elements together and
00:18:07 make an arc out of the progression of how the song started to the vamp at the end.
00:18:12 And made it seamless, including horns, which of course at first thought would
00:18:17 be considered too jazzy, but they blended perfectly well in the song later on.
00:18:22 [MUSIC]
00:18:30 >> But there's still that.
00:18:31 [MUSIC]
00:18:40 >> And then at the end, when it goes acapella to,
00:18:43 [MUSIC]
00:18:45 That as a DJ, that is your best friend.
00:18:47 Because then you start to mix in your next record and
00:18:50 blending in whatever the biggest songs you have.
00:18:54 [MUSIC]
00:19:04 [MUSIC]
00:19:12 >> As a matter of fact, I asked him what Mama Say Mama Say Mama Kusa meant.
00:19:16 You know, I was going down, it don't mean nothing, just sing it.
00:19:20 >> [LAUGH]
00:19:22 >> Because that was difficult to do.
00:19:24 >> Yeah, he said, I like singing with you all because you sound like me.
00:19:29 He always thought our voices blended so well with his.
00:19:34 >> Want to be starting something was like,
00:19:36 it was like an opportunity to kind of get into his mind.
00:19:39 And this idea of like Billie Jean and the fact that he was living kind of in this,
00:19:44 this world where you didn't really know what was real or wasn't.
00:19:49 [MUSIC]
00:19:59 [MUSIC]
00:20:09 >> My mom had just bought a stereo system and it had lights.
00:20:18 The drums kicked in.
00:20:19 [MUSIC]
00:20:25 I mean, what?
00:20:27 And I ran down the hallway just to hear closely what was playing,
00:20:31 what this record was.
00:20:33 And it was Billie Jean and it was on and popping from there.
00:20:37 >> It's actually kind of nasty and you can hear the room mics and
00:20:40 it's dirtier than you think.
00:20:42 >> You always have that moment where you fall in love with an artist for
00:20:45 the first time.
00:20:45 Really, truly great legendary artists.
00:20:48 You have that same feeling over and over and over again.
00:20:52 Billie Jean was that moment where I fell in love with Michael all over again.
00:20:56 [MUSIC]
00:21:02 When Michael sings it, he puts the funk into it the way he does all the.
00:21:08 [MUSIC]
00:21:10 And all the little stuff that he puts in, that gives it the syncopation.
00:21:14 And if I just go.
00:21:15 [MUSIC]
00:21:16 He's gonna go.
00:21:17 [MUSIC]
00:21:25 [MUSIC]
00:21:53 >> Everybody loves toxic R&B.
00:21:56 Billie Jean's not my lover.
00:21:57 She's just a girl who claims that I'm the one.
00:22:00 Yeah, that's like, was it his side chick?
00:22:02 You know what I'm saying?
00:22:02 Was it some chick who he had an encounter with and got pregnant?
00:22:06 Is this real?
00:22:07 Is this some delusional fan who is saying that they had an encounter that they did?
00:22:13 Or did all of those things just led you to be more intrigued about an artist, right?
00:22:19 >> But it was like urgent and R&B.
00:22:22 It was crazy.
00:22:23 It was an amazing R&B record.
00:22:25 And his lyrics, the kid is not my son.
00:22:28 I mean.
00:22:28 [MUSIC]
00:22:32 The kid is not my son.
00:22:33 [LAUGH]
00:22:34 That first of all, we like bad boys.
00:22:36 So that made us love him some more.
00:22:38 And then when I saw the video, I was losing my mind.
00:22:40 I lost my voice screaming.
00:22:42 >> It was about Billie Jean, him stepping on the pavement,
00:22:47 glowing and making you feel the magic.
00:22:51 >> I had storyboarded that he would walk down the street and the paving stones would light up.
00:22:56 And I showed him which 11 paving stones we could afford to have light up.
00:23:00 And therefore, which ones couldn't.
00:23:02 And he looked carefully at them.
00:23:03 And I said, well, should we rehearse it?
00:23:05 And he said, no, let's just do it.
00:23:07 And we ran the playback, the music, and the chorus kicked in for Billie Jean.
00:23:12 And he began his dance movement down that street.
00:23:16 And I'll never forget it.
00:23:17 The camera actually steamed up.
00:23:19 I could hardly even see him through the eyepiece because it was so exciting to watch.
00:23:25 >> Michael is doing so much moving that Steve isn't even getting.
00:23:30 There are several shots in Billie Jean where he's just being shot from the waist up.
00:23:36 And you can just see him doing all kinds of stuff.
00:23:39 And it's like, why aren't you getting that?
00:23:41 But that's just how new the medium was to capturing dancers.
00:23:47 Michael opened the door for that.
00:23:50 >> And every time they just kept freezing him in those brackets.
00:23:53 And every time he walked and they froze him.
00:23:55 And every time he said something, I just was losing my mind because I loved him so much.
00:24:00 But on Billie Jean, we was like, oh, this here is super duper duper sexy.
00:24:04 [MUSIC]
00:24:09 >> MTV refused to play Billie Jean.
00:24:12 They said, well, our network appeals to, you know, white teenagers.
00:24:16 And this just really doesn't fit our format.
00:24:19 >> This is it.
00:24:22 Welcome to MTV Music Television.
00:24:25 I'm Mark Goodman.
00:24:25 >> I'm Martha.
00:24:26 >> I'm Alan Hunter.
00:24:27 >> You'll never look at music the same way again.
00:24:29 >> Turn it on.
00:24:30 Leave it on.
00:24:31 America, see the music you want to see.
00:24:34 >> I want my own TV.
00:24:37 >> Some prominent black musicians are complaining that they are being left out of the video market,
00:24:41 specifically the music television cable operation.
00:24:44 >> It occurred to me, having watched MTV over the last few months, that it's a solid enterprise.
00:24:51 And it's got a lot going for it.
00:24:53 I'm just floored by the fact that there's so few black artists featured on it.
00:24:57 Why is that?
00:24:58 >> The fact is, quite frankly, we're a rock and roll station.
00:25:02 >> MTV will deny this till the world ends, that they had nothing against black artists.
00:25:09 But they refused to play Michael.
00:25:13 >> In 1975, I was named president of the CBS Records Group and a vice president of CBS, Inc.
00:25:21 No single record changed the business and my life as powerfully as Michael Jackson's thriller.
00:25:29 I screamed bloody murder when MTV refused to air his videos.
00:25:34 They argued that their format, white rock, excluded Michael's music.
00:25:38 I argued they were racist assholes.
00:25:41 So Walter Yetnikoff said, really, okay, if you don't play Michael Jackson,
00:25:45 I'm pulling Billy Joel and everybody else that I have off of MTV.
00:25:50 >> I've never been more forceful or obnoxious.
00:25:53 I've also never been as effective.
00:25:56 With added pressure from Quincy Jones, they caved in.
00:25:59 And in doing so, the MTV color line came crashing down.
00:26:04 >> One of the most important things about Thriller was the doors that it opened for
00:26:08 other artists to have the opportunity to get on the pop charts.
00:26:13 Tina Turner, my God, private dancer, that's who it was.
00:26:17 It was Tina, it was Lionel, it was Whitney, it was Michael and Prince.
00:26:22 Revenues could just be crazy.
00:26:24 [MUSIC]
00:26:26 >> Thriller changes the dynamic in the culture.
00:26:30 Michael shows the way that this is possible.
00:26:33 >> Yeah, I grew up during the time that Thriller was released and
00:26:39 MTV was just becoming a really big thing.
00:26:43 I remember almost more vividly the amazing storytelling through the videos,
00:26:51 which is pretty interesting cuz I think here we are 40 years later.
00:26:54 And the music and the video is coming to life again for
00:26:58 the next generation on TikTok.
00:27:01 Michael Jackson's music has been available on TikTok since August 2020.
00:27:07 I think there's a real rebirth of the music and
00:27:10 the video from the songs on the album.
00:27:14 And it is this new generation that's being exposed or engaging with the music.
00:27:18 There are about 10 million video creations
00:27:24 on TikTok right now that include music from Thriller.
00:27:28 There are 17 billion views of those 10 million videos that exist.
00:27:35 There are about 2 billion likes on those videos.
00:27:39 So people putting a little thumbs up or sharing or doing something to say,
00:27:44 I'm excited about this, I'm engaging with this music.
00:27:48 Pretty massive numbers.
00:27:49 They're hearing it for the first time.
00:27:50 They're like, it's the same feeling we maybe had when we watched the MTV video for
00:27:55 Thriller or Beat It.
00:27:58 They're having that same experience 40 years later.
00:28:02 But rather than just watch,
00:28:03 they're actually then making something to engage with that music.
00:28:06 [MUSIC]
00:28:10 >> I was kinda upset about the news I heard about MTV and
00:28:14 how they weren't showing blacks and that kinda hurt me.
00:28:18 So I wanted to do something that was so powerful, so
00:28:21 strong that everybody would have to show it.
00:28:25 But I wanted to tell a strong story.
00:28:27 The story had to sell itself.
00:28:29 And what they so-called videos weren't doing that, they were terrible.
00:28:34 They were just a lot of nothing put together just to sell a song.
00:28:37 I wanted my things to be powerful.
00:28:39 I wanted to stand out from everything else that when you see it,
00:28:41 you run to the set and you're glued to it watching it.
00:28:44 I wanted quality, I wanted excellence, I wanted the best.
00:28:47 I wanted to perfect perfection.
00:28:48 >> One thing that I can always say about Michael is that you felt like there was
00:28:53 a sense of culture, and the culture would span all the way from kinda like this
00:28:58 Broadway, more theatrical world.
00:29:00 And then there was this other element that was cultural,
00:29:04 that was almost like gangsters.
00:29:06 [MUSIC]
00:29:19 >> When you look at Beat It and the idea that the people of that era felt like,
00:29:24 he's speaking to us and with us, he's rocking with us, he's making music for us.
00:29:29 We can dance to his music.
00:29:30 [MUSIC]
00:29:45 >> It was an incredible move to decide we're gonna have a rock and
00:29:48 roll record on this thing.
00:29:51 Beat It was straight up rock and roll.
00:29:53 >> Michael's idea with Beat It was to distance himself from off the wall,
00:29:57 from the dance, disco, and Michael wanted to stretch.
00:30:00 Creatively, he wanted to stretch.
00:30:02 >> They wanted a crossover hit across the board, rock, R&B, pop.
00:30:06 They called me to come in with Michael and Quincy to do the,
00:30:10 [MUSIC]
00:30:14 If they wanna go rock and roll, let's do it.
00:30:15 So I did it with all that, doubled it, made it sound huge, and
00:30:21 then I played the bass on it as well.
00:30:23 I did play bass on that record as well.
00:30:24 So I sat with them and made that swing, and
00:30:28 when Michael was dancing in the room, I knew I was in the pocket.
00:30:30 >> When he wrote Beat It, he said, I want the kind of guitar player on here
00:30:36 that will attract young, white, teenage males, Eddie Van Halen.
00:30:40 [MUSIC]
00:30:42 I said, well, what do you want me to do?
00:30:44 Quincy said, well, I want you to be you.
00:30:46 That's you right there, and he pointed to the famous strap that he had.
00:30:50 And he said, I'm not gonna tell you what to play, you go be you.
00:30:53 >> I mean, Eddie ripped these solos off one after the other.
00:30:56 [MUSIC]
00:31:11 I remember hearing the sound coming from Studio A where he was doing the solo.
00:31:15 It was so loud.
00:31:17 I could, I just, it was just so loud.
00:31:20 >> Bruce Waddeen and Quincy brilliantly edited that solo together.
00:31:24 >> I mean, I think I probably just loved it, cuz at that moment,
00:31:27 it was probably everything that I ever loved in one song.
00:31:31 I've done way more time Googling Lucas's tone on Beat It than Eddie Van Halen's,
00:31:37 because it's the tone that drives the whole record, that's the riff.
00:31:41 >> It's the perfect way that a rock guitar could ever sit over programmed drums and
00:31:47 a funky groove.
00:31:49 >> I thought his videos were incredible.
00:31:51 I mean, first off, the guy can dance.
00:31:53 I mean, just being in the room, watching him groove while we're playing.
00:31:57 >> That short film, you see this whole movie,
00:31:59 it's about a big fight that's about to happen, right, between two rival gangs,
00:32:02 right?
00:32:02 [MUSIC]
00:32:12 >> He saw value in street culture.
00:32:19 He wanted to try to figure out a way on how to incorporate it in, and
00:32:24 the beginning of it was Beat It.
00:32:26 >> The people that you see in that film are a mixture of dancers and street cats.
00:32:32 And not only that, you actually have real gangsters on set,
00:32:36 like real Bloods and Crips and Vatos and all, like for real.
00:32:41 >> There was such a magic in Michael and his movement.
00:32:44 [MUSIC]
00:32:54 >> You had B-Boying that was going on in New York, you had Popping and
00:32:59 Locking that was going down over here in California, and Struttin and Robot, and
00:33:03 all that.
00:33:04 So the guy that's vibrating in the Beat It short film with the glasses on,
00:33:08 his name is Robot Dane.
00:33:10 This is the first ever street dance wave of the United States of America.
00:33:15 [MUSIC]
00:33:20 >> The most relevant scene at the time, which either was break dancing,
00:33:24 locking, popping, waving, whatever it might have been.
00:33:28 He's pushing the envelope forward, he's teaching us some things,
00:33:32 he's informing us as artists.
00:33:34 But also too, as performers, he's letting us know that, yo,
00:33:38 I wanna be the baddest.
00:33:39 >> As a fan or a critic, you're always looking for breathtaking moments.
00:33:44 The time when you say, I've never seen anything like that,
00:33:47 I'm probably not gonna see anything like that again.
00:33:50 The Motown show, that's what I think was the most important step in the whole
00:33:55 thriller process of making him the superstar.
00:33:59 [MUSIC]
00:34:07 >> Bob Jones was Vice President of Publicity at Motown.
00:34:12 He says, we're doing a Motown show.
00:34:15 I rented a tuxedo and I went to the show.
00:34:20 People just went crazy.
00:34:22 >> I was home in front of the TV.
00:34:25 Waiting for him to take us there.
00:34:27 First, we didn't know what he was gonna do,
00:34:29 because he was up there with his brothers.
00:34:31 >> The Jacksons leave, the brothers leave, and Mike stays out there.
00:34:36 And in the audience, you could hear just kinda like,
00:34:40 what's getting ready to happen now.
00:34:42 [APPLAUSE]
00:34:49 And Mike goes through the whole, those are some great times,
00:34:52 I love the old songs.
00:34:54 Those were good songs, I like those songs a lot,
00:34:59 but especially, I like the new songs.
00:35:06 >> And then here comes Billie Jean.
00:35:09 [MUSIC]
00:35:17 The tape that you can see of Billie Jean and
00:35:21 the stuff you see going on in the audience.
00:35:27 It does not capture what was happening in that crowd.
00:35:32 These people were going absolutely berserk.
00:35:35 [MUSIC]
00:35:39 Mike just turned it the fuck out.
00:35:42 [MUSIC]
00:35:52 I mean, he just laid a bomb on that room.
00:35:57 [MUSIC]
00:36:02 >> I was at that show at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium, and he's moving different.
00:36:06 He's got his own moves now.
00:36:08 He's not so much doing what he learned growing up and was excited about.
00:36:12 [MUSIC]
00:36:15 >> We just was happy to see Michael Jackson perform, period.
00:36:19 Nobody's seen the moonwalk coming.
00:36:20 [MUSIC]
00:36:27 >> He does the moonwalk.
00:36:29 That's the breathtaking moment, okay?
00:36:31 And after the show, I couldn't believe it.
00:36:33 I had to go backstage and ask somebody, was there a special trick floor?
00:36:39 How did he do that?
00:36:40 >> This was the performance that really changed space and time.
00:36:45 A few of his dances, we call them timekeepers.
00:36:48 >> And he created a whole vocabulary of timekeepers, whether it's with his hip.
00:36:52 [MUSIC]
00:36:55 Or with his little side stomping with the ankle.
00:36:57 >> That's right.
00:36:58 [MUSIC]
00:37:00 >> Or he'll stomp with the foot.
00:37:02 [MUSIC]
00:37:06 >> With that, you can sing.
00:37:08 You see what I'm saying?
00:37:09 And it looks like you're dancing.
00:37:11 It's a bit of a trick, right?
00:37:14 And you walk over here.
00:37:15 [MUSIC]
00:37:18 And switch the mic, flip the coat, put the hand in the pocket.
00:37:22 You can do few things here and there that only you can do if you know your song and
00:37:26 your music.
00:37:27 [MUSIC]
00:37:28 >> When you see him glide across the floor or pop, it's a special effect.
00:37:34 He saw magic in that dance.
00:37:36 >> Look at that.
00:37:37 If you pause each moment, there's an iconic silhouette.
00:37:41 It's the hat, it's the arms, it's the tapping of the leg, right?
00:37:46 The kick.
00:37:47 [MUSIC]
00:37:51 >> To see a black man standing on his toes, seeing that and
00:37:55 not being conscious of it has made generations of black, brown,
00:38:01 white, whatever color kids feel like anything was possible.
00:38:05 It's bigger than I think we think and acknowledge.
00:38:08 >> [APPLAUSE]
00:38:10 >> After Mike finished, the producer had to get on the microphone and
00:38:14 said, ladies and gentlemen, please, please gather yourselves and take your seats.
00:38:20 We have more show to take, there's much more show coming.
00:38:25 And it took a minute for people to get their ties back together and
00:38:28 the women to put their wigs back on.
00:38:31 >> Okay, I have one question for you.
00:38:33 Who was the unfortunate artist who had to come on?
00:38:35 >> [LAUGH]
00:38:39 >> I don't remember.
00:38:41 >> [LAUGH]
00:38:46 >> I think that was a moment that he
00:38:48 had his breakout moment from the group.
00:38:51 That song, Billie Jean, and the way he performed it on that night,
00:38:56 set the standard of what it was to be a megastar.
00:38:59 >> The next day after the show, when Fred Astaire called my house, he said,
00:39:02 I saw the show last night, I taped it, I watched it twice this morning.
00:39:06 And he said, you were incredible, you're a hell of a mover, and
00:39:08 you really put them on there.
00:39:10 And I said, God, thank you, it's so wonderful for
00:39:14 you to say that cuz I think you're the best.
00:39:16 And that was my reward cuz I think he's brilliant.
00:39:19 [MUSIC]
00:39:23 >> To a classical dancer, it's about your line,
00:39:25 it's about the shapes that you're making, and Michael does that.
00:39:30 That to me is very similar to a trained dancer, even though he wasn't trained.
00:39:34 He would have been the ideal ballet dancer, the proportions of his body.
00:39:39 He was lean and long, and just had a natural instinct when he moved,
00:39:45 but there is such precision and clarity.
00:39:49 He was a perfectionist, and that's what dancers are.
00:39:55 You don't commit that type of time and sacrifice your body, the injury,
00:40:00 all of those things if you don't have the passion for it and the love for it.
00:40:05 And all of that sums up Michael as a dancer, as a performer, as an artist.
00:40:11 >> Michael Jackson didn't invent dancing on film, but
00:40:14 his particular synthesis of the Nicholas Brothers on one hand and
00:40:18 Bob Fosse, Astaire, popping, locking, moonwalking.
00:40:23 No one had ever put those elements together before like that.
00:40:26 You can see it all the way through from Billie Jean and Beat It and
00:40:29 Thriller, all the way through to all of these other artists.
00:40:32 Look at MC Hammer, you can't touch this.
00:40:35 Then you go forward to like Usher and Justin Timberlake.
00:40:39 And then you go farther forward to Justin Bieber, Doja Cat, Bruno Mars.
00:40:47 >> Michael is emulated if you look at BTS, you can see it.
00:40:51 >> I'm all in with BTS, I love those guys.
00:40:55 Every move they do is all Michael Jackson.
00:40:59 Michael created that.
00:41:01 >> The entire K-pop wave, they've all studied Michael in terms of stage clothes,
00:41:07 video clothes, and stagecraft.
00:41:10 There's a great video if you watch BTS.
00:41:13 There's a lot of Michael Jackson, you see it in their dancing.
00:41:16 [MUSIC]
00:41:26 So the entire K-pop movement, they're students of the game.
00:41:44 You can look at a number of millennial hip hop artists, Polo G being one of them.
00:41:49 23, 24 years old, from Chicago, yet he's very much entranced with Michael Jackson
00:41:55 and he uses Michael Jackson music and imagery in some of his music.
00:41:58 [MUSIC]
00:42:03 >> It was just a night, I was riding around, I was riding my car and
00:42:06 I was just listening to Michael Jackson interviews.
00:42:08 I wasn't listening to music, I was just listening to his interviews.
00:42:11 And I just came up with this idea, like maybe I should do this song and
00:42:17 this instrumental and just really mess everybody's head up,
00:42:20 cuz I know they wouldn't be expecting that from a young artist.
00:42:22 [MUSIC]
00:42:27 Cuz I remember my grandma had this same exact album.
00:42:30 My auntie, who was her daughter, she was a big Michael Jackson fan, so
00:42:34 she always had us listening to him.
00:42:36 So I remember her having this one exactly.
00:42:38 It's pretty wild, it says how powerful the imagery that Michael created was.
00:42:44 [MUSIC]
00:42:48 >> On Thriller, his life was evolving, and his vocal approach was different.
00:42:56 >> There's vocalists and there's stylists.
00:42:58 Style wins, when you can hear a person sing and
00:43:01 recognize them from the first couple bars, you know you got something special.
00:43:06 They have a special tone, a special voice, a special delivery.
00:43:10 Now Michael had all of that.
00:43:11 And just the way he loved to dance and he loved to perform,
00:43:15 he turned all of that melody that he was so great with into percussive melody.
00:43:21 >> Well, that's what he did.
00:43:22 He would sing drum parts, he would sing bass lines,
00:43:25 all with his rhythmic inflections, we call it drums in your mouth.
00:43:29 >> He would beatbox, he was an amazing beatboxer, but
00:43:32 beatbox with melody and sing, not just beatboxing.
00:43:35 He would integrate melody with it, and you can hear it on Beat It,
00:43:39 just the way he would attack each syllable.
00:43:42 [MUSIC]
00:43:52 >> I think of all of his melodies and his songs and they're completely percussive.
00:44:04 I mean, they're incredibly rhythmically hooky and all those songs.
00:44:07 And the songs that he wrote have these very aggressive staccato rhythms.
00:44:12 I feel like Billie Jean and One of You Starting Something,
00:44:15 they're really short and stabby.
00:44:17 There's a tiny bit of anger and
00:44:19 contempt in the way that he's singing and writing.
00:44:23 >> I know I am someone, and let the truth unfurl.
00:44:27 No one can hurt you now, because you know it's true.
00:44:31 Yes, I believe in me, so you believe in you.
00:44:35 Help me sing it.
00:44:36 Woo-hoo!
00:44:38 >> The greatest soul singers are not afraid to feel the music,
00:44:42 just do what the music tells them to do.
00:44:45 >> For all the new cats, all the new school cats that are going on record and
00:44:50 ad-libbing, and they say like, brr, ra, skrr, brr, ba, da, da, da.
00:44:55 I'm sorry, Michael did that first.
00:44:58 I'll prove it to you.
00:45:00 So beat it, just beat it.
00:45:03 [SOUND]
00:45:06 Beat it.
00:45:07 [SOUND]
00:45:09 Beat it.
00:45:10 >> Why was he yawning on a record, though?
00:45:13 It shows the freedom and how comfortable he felt on the studio without worrying
00:45:17 about people's judgment or like, yo, what's that?
00:45:19 Because he knew he was bringing the freaking skills.
00:45:22 You knew he was bringing ultra talent and imagination for him to be like,
00:45:26 you know what, I feel like yawning right here.
00:45:28 [SOUND]
00:45:31 Beat it.
00:45:32 [SOUND]
00:45:34 I don't know what that one is, I don't know.
00:45:37 But I love it.
00:45:38 And I'm listening to his ad-libs, he's doing all that.
00:45:41 [SOUND]
00:45:44 He's doing all this rhythmic stuff.
00:45:47 [MUSIC]
00:45:57 [SOUND]
00:46:03 Michael had such a clear vision of what he wanted.
00:46:05 And Quincy, he knows who wanted to work with each other.
00:46:08 There's a number of things going on.
00:46:10 We had Beat It, drums being done by Jeff Picaro at Sunset Sound.
00:46:15 Steve Lukather in Studio B at Westlake.
00:46:18 Studio A, Quincy and Bruce.
00:46:20 Quincy's going back and forth between A and B across the hallway.
00:46:24 Then you add the E.T. Storybook album, and then it's just a lot going on.
00:46:30 Quincy had become friends with Steven Spielberg.
00:46:33 And I remember one day he and Steven invited Quincy down to the set when he
00:46:38 was working on E.T.
00:46:40 And E.T. was there and the guys who were operating it at the time were there.
00:46:44 And I think somewhere in the course of it,
00:46:46 Steven had said to Quincy, he said, you know,
00:46:48 I want to do a record, we should do a record of some sort.
00:46:51 So Quincy, I think, came to Michael and said,
00:46:55 Steven wants us to do the E.T. Storybook album,
00:46:58 where Michael would narrate the story of E.T.
00:47:01 and Michael would write and sing a song for the album.
00:47:05 And Michael was a big fan too.
00:47:06 So Quincy said, let's do this.
00:47:07 So they started doing it in the midst of doing Thriller.
00:47:11 I've always loved film.
00:47:13 And we're talking on the stage and doing Quincy Jones and myself and Steven
00:47:20 Spielberg working on a project.
00:47:24 The problem is nobody bothered to call Walter Yetnikoff and clear the rights
00:47:28 because the album was going out on Universal MCA's label.
00:47:33 I'll never forget one day I was at a meeting and I get a call.
00:47:37 So I get on the phone and Walter says, tell Michael to stop kissing the monster.
00:47:42 Walter, what are you talking about?
00:47:44 Stop kissing the monster.
00:47:46 So if you look at the E.T.
00:47:48 Storybook album, Michael's got his arm around E.T.
00:47:50 They're like pals.
00:47:51 And that's what Walter was talking about.
00:47:53 It wasn't just an album.
00:47:54 It was a whole box set with posters and picture of Michael with E.T.
00:48:00 So Walter filed an injunction against MCA and Universal and made them take the
00:48:07 album out of the stores.
00:48:09 It was already shipped.
00:48:10 It was already a huge hit.
00:48:11 They had to pull the album back.
00:48:13 Epic wasn't happy and they felt it was sort of holding up their record.
00:48:17 The thriller record.
00:48:18 Yeah, they sued, you know, you can't have our artist.
00:48:21 And Walter was litigious anyway.
00:48:23 And so he went in hard and MCA responded hard and it was, you know, all hell broke loose.
00:48:31 He said, John, is he mad at me?
00:48:33 I said, what do you think, Walter?
00:48:36 You just sued him and Steven Spielberg and Quincy Jones and you're wondering if he's mad at you?
00:48:44 And he goes, what can I do to make it up?
00:48:47 And I said, you give him the ownership of his master recordings, off the wall, thriller and everything to come.
00:48:52 He said, done.
00:48:54 To get your masters back in the middle of a contract I don't think had ever, ever happened.
00:49:02 Rod came with his songs.
00:49:03 Michael had his songs.
00:49:05 And if those worked, they worked.
00:49:06 If they didn't, they went looking elsewhere.
00:49:09 I lost my heart on the carousel.
00:49:14 I do love a circus girl who left my heart in pieces.
00:49:21 Carousel was a great song.
00:49:23 And fortunately or unfortunately, you know, there was only room on the album for one mood like carousel or human nature.
00:49:32 Human nature was a choice we had to make, you know.
00:49:36 Toto was big at that time.
00:49:38 Toto, who I just adored, we worked together a lot.
00:49:41 And they sent over two demos, two things they thought were going to be right for Michael.
00:49:46 And all of a sudden, at the end, there was all this silence.
00:49:50 And I said, why?
00:49:52 Why?
00:49:53 [HUMMING]
00:49:57 And I tell you, I get goosebumps just talking about it.
00:50:00 And I said, what the hell is that?
00:50:02 You know, that's what took carousel out.
00:50:04 I said, this is what I want to go, because it's got such a wonderful flavor.
00:50:09 I'll tell you what.
00:50:11 Tonight, I want to do one of my favorite songs.
00:50:18 I just, just showed her.
00:50:20 She likes the way I stare.
00:50:24 If they say why.
00:50:26 Everybody sing!
00:50:27 I like that passion.
00:50:30 Tell me why.
00:50:31 Why?
00:50:32 Does he leave me that way?
00:50:34 The song that always haunts me is "Human Nature."
00:50:39 What a beautiful record.
00:50:40 Yeah, it's one of those records that you just say, I wish I would have did that record.
00:50:44 And that always, for me, is the test of if I love it or not.
00:50:50 I remember one experience in the studio.
00:50:53 Rod Timberton, one of the writers on the album, and he said, Michael, if you only had three hits off this album, would you not be happy?
00:51:01 I said, I'd be very angry.
00:51:03 And they all started laughing.
00:51:05 I said, I expect eight hits off of this album, nine, all of them.
00:51:13 That's how I am.
00:51:13 I'm sorry.
00:51:14 And my attitude was always reaching out for more, never being satisfied.
00:51:19 And right at this very moment, I'm on my fifth hit record.
00:51:23 Five, "Human Nature" is number ten.
00:51:26 And I've broken a record that has never been done before.
00:51:29 Five hit songs for one album.
00:51:31 Always reaching out for more.
00:51:34 Striving for excellence.
00:51:39 It's so engaging because the idea was to have something for everyone.
00:51:45 There was a song that I didn't really know too much about that was called "Starlight."
00:51:49 And it was a disco song that Rod Timberton wrote, you know.
00:51:52 So it really evolved from this click here at 118.
00:51:59 And so, okay, we lay the click down.
00:52:01 And the idea was, let's put a new version down.
00:52:04 Let's put some tracks in and see where it goes.
00:52:06 So we started with this drum beat.
00:52:10 Four on the floor, kind of dance song.
00:52:13 And then backbeat.
00:52:20 Claps on the four.
00:52:25 And then the hi-hat part was like this.
00:52:28 Five, six, seven, eight.
00:52:35 And then open hat.
00:52:39 There we go.
00:52:41 And then the cowbell.
00:52:52 There we go.
00:52:53 So another thing about Michael and Quincy is they like kind of like a little bit of a feel to the music.
00:52:58 So this is straight time.
00:53:00 And then we add a little bit of shuffle to it.
00:53:03 So it just kind of pushes it a little bit like that.
00:53:06 So it's in.
00:53:08 And then the bass line ended up being kind of like a -- something I never would have expected, like a little bit of Latin rhythm.
00:53:16 Like...
00:53:21 Which sounded like a conga line to me.
00:53:23 But...
00:53:27 And there was the opening.
00:53:29 [Music]
00:53:41 Just layering all the parts of "Thriller" was one of the most fun sessions I've ever done in my life.
00:53:46 At 24, Michael had become more than a master singer, dancer, songwriter.
00:53:52 He was a super salesman of his own mystique.
00:53:55 Michael's passion for world conquest was singular.
00:53:58 He lived, breathed, slept, dreamt, and spoke of nothing but number one successes.
00:54:06 "Thriller" stayed number one for months.
00:54:08 In the long period of its unprecedented success, however, when it occasionally fell to second place for a week or two, Michael panicked.
00:54:17 Hysterical, he'd berate me for failing to pump up the promotion.
00:54:21 "I'm pumping, Michael," I'd say.
00:54:23 "I promise you I'm pumping."
00:54:25 And I was.
00:54:27 After "Thriller" had sold about three or four million copies, I got a call about 12 noon.
00:54:33 On the phone was the record company saying, "Hey, listen, if you're not busy, we need you to get over here right now."
00:54:40 Michael was going to be presented a plaque for the "Thriller" record.
00:54:46 And we were wondering, why were we waiting?
00:54:50 In came Jane Fonda.
00:54:52 Jane.
00:54:58 I love Michael, and I admire him.
00:55:00 He's the only person I know that writes music that you can dream to and dance to and love to and work out to.
00:55:06 And I do all of them to him.
00:55:10 In retrospect, I know exactly what he was doing.
00:55:15 He understood the importance of having a big white star giving him this plaque.
00:55:20 Michael has number one single on the pop charts, number one album on the pop charts, number one single on the R&B charts, number one album on the R&B charts.
00:55:32 And I think that starts that sort of an historic record.
00:55:36 But I don't think we understood where it was going to go until the "Thriller" video came out.
00:55:46 As far as the record company was concerned, the album cycle was done.
00:55:49 They were thrilled with whatever it sold, and Michael said, "No, no, we got more."
00:55:55 "Thriller," of all the songs on the album, seemed like it could do much more video-wise, no, movie-wise, than any of the songs, because of the story and all the visuals and monsters and stuff.
00:56:08 And so I came up with an idea of thinking that I really want to change Metamorphosis into some other creature.
00:56:17 And I saw "American Werewolf" in London.
00:56:20 I really liked it.
00:56:22 And I said, "Who's the director who did it?"
00:56:25 And they said, "Genelena, Genelena."
00:56:27 I said, "Great, that's who we got to get."
00:56:28 So I said, "Get in touch with him."
00:56:31 So I get this call, and he says, "Michael Jackson."
00:56:33 And I really thought, "Little Michael Jackson of the Jackson 5?"
00:56:38 I mean, I thought, "He's a kid," you know?
00:56:40 And he told me he had a song "Thriller," and he wanted me to make a video.
00:56:44 And I said, "Why?"
00:56:45 His brother showed him on the bus the tape of "American Werewolf," I think to scare him, but he loved "American Werewolf" in London.
00:56:53 And he was obviously fascinated with Rick Baker's work.
00:56:56 [MUSIC]
00:57:00 And so he called me and said, "I want to turn it into a monster. Will you do it?"
00:57:04 And the record label wouldn't pay for it.
00:57:07 And we talked.
00:57:08 I said, "Michael, you know, you shouldn't pay for this. You shouldn't pay for it yourself."
00:57:13 And he said, "Branca, figure it out."
00:57:15 Nobody wanted him to do this.
00:57:17 This was entirely his own thing.
00:57:20 And everybody else, his people and the record company, said, "Next album. Let's—we've already—Michael, hello? It's the most successful album of all time. We want—"
00:57:31 So they thought "Thriller" was outrageous.
00:57:34 Its budget was $1.2 million.
00:57:36 That's at a time when the average music video budget was only $50,000.
00:57:41 So I went—I went back to the office.
00:57:42 I thought about it, and I thought up this idea of a making of.
00:57:46 Went to MTV and Showtime, and I—and Michael was the biggest thing on the planet.
00:57:50 And I said, "We'll give you a making of Michael's next video. We need a million to—"
00:57:55 And they came back, and they said yes.
00:57:58 We're trying to bring back the motion picture shorts, which we will do with "Thriller."
00:58:04 A lot of the videos—I hate to use the word "video" because I like to think of it as a film, which it is.
00:58:08 We're doing a short film.
00:58:10 A lot of them are so terrible.
00:58:13 And I wanted "Thriller" and "Beat It" to be a stimulant for people to make better videos or short films.
00:58:19 I really did.
00:58:20 Because, I mean, I love MTV watching it.
00:58:23 You know, I think it's great.
00:58:24 But a lot of stuff I see, I'm not so crazy about.
00:58:27 He wanted to turn into a—at first, a wolfman, like the werewolf in "American Werewolf."
00:58:36 His desire was to turn into a monster on camera.
00:58:42 We had the character turn into a four-legged hound from hell, you know, a beast.
00:58:49 And Michael wanted to do that.
00:58:51 And I told him, "Michael, it would be so difficult for you to dance with four legs, you know, and with a puppeteer."
00:58:58 No.
00:58:59 So then it was going to be more of a traditional wolfman character.
00:59:04 And Rick Baker did the first design, and it was great, but truly terrifying.
00:59:11 And I said, "Oh, whatever we have him turn into, he's got to be attractive."
00:59:15 Scary, but kind of cool and elegant, you know?
00:59:21 So his second design, he made him that werecat.
00:59:25 And it's a much more graceful design.
00:59:28 Are you all right?
00:59:30 Get away!
00:59:31 [Screaming]
00:59:34 Michael Jackson was a very slight person.
00:59:42 99 pounds, so can one.
00:59:45 So how do you develop a presence on screen?
00:59:49 For a thriller, you know, it was supposed to be a satire of a teenage horror film, so he's in a letterman's jacket.
00:59:56 And then with his red jacket for that theater, I was trying to create a silhouette that was sexy, masculine, impressive, and gave him weight on screen.
01:00:13 So with Michael's fascination with monsters, I said, "Well, you'll become two monsters.
01:00:21 You'll become a werewolf."
01:00:23 And then when we decided on dancing zombies, a zombie.
01:00:27 Doesn't make sense, but who cares?
01:00:29 You know, it's a fantasy.
01:00:31 And he really enjoyed the process of the makeup, and he really enjoyed wearing the makeup.
01:00:38 Most actors hate it, and he loved it.
01:00:41 He's so dynamic, Mike, and he has such power and such charm.
01:00:46 As I had seen it, just looking at, you know, can you feel it?
01:00:50 And everything I saw, it's like, why isn't he being sexual?
01:00:55 I mean, he's a rock star.
01:00:57 So one of the first things for me was I wanted a girl to make him sexy and to also to be Gaga in love with him.
01:01:10 The big eyes, you know.
01:01:13 And I saw over a hundred actresses and dancers and all kinds of people.
01:01:20 And when Ola came in, one, she was desperate, desperate to be with Michael Jackson, and she was adorable.
01:01:27 Michael Jackson isn't Michael Jackson as a werewolf.
01:01:32 Michael Jackson is another person totally with the mask.
01:01:38 And I like, you know, what he's so shy.
01:01:41 I have something I want to tell you.
01:01:43 The only time I really explained something to him, I said, you know, Michael, I want you to know when you say, I'm not like other guys.
01:01:51 I'm not like other guys.
01:01:53 It will get a laugh.
01:01:55 And he was clueless. He said, why would this get a laugh?
01:01:59 I said, because you're not like other guys.
01:02:01 But at least he was prepared, because it got a huge laugh.
01:02:04 And so he was in on it.
01:02:07 You know, I think he would have been terribly upset otherwise.
01:02:10 From the beginning of the film, going to the theater, then you're walking out.
01:02:16 And then Michael has that cat and mouse sort of walk with that he's doing with Ola Ray.
01:02:20 That's like an ode back to classic musicals, right?
01:02:24 The cat and mouse chase, right?
01:02:26 You know, the man playing up to the woman and all that.
01:02:29 And it's a dolly shot.
01:02:31 And I said, Mike, here's what we're going to do.
01:02:35 As long as Ola could keep the beat, you do those lyrics,
01:02:40 you can never be more than this many feet away from her.
01:02:43 The big difference between a costume designer and a fashion designer is for us,
01:02:49 it's all about dramatic context.
01:02:52 So where are they going to be?
01:02:54 They're going to be in an alley and a movie theater.
01:02:56 And what are they doing?
01:02:58 They're on a date, and Michael is going to be playful and be seductive.
01:03:03 She's dressed in blue.
01:03:05 She's cool.
01:03:07 She's relaxed.
01:03:08 She's in jeans.
01:03:10 They did have a leopard print on them, but, you know, tight jeans, little jacket.
01:03:16 She could have been cuter.
01:03:18 I think to the audience, with what she's wearing and her attitude,
01:03:23 she's sending off every good vibe.
01:03:25 And I'll say, okay, well, that was fine.
01:03:27 I don't want fine.
01:03:29 You're Michael Jackson.
01:03:31 So it has to be great.
01:03:34 Because if you can't be great, why the fuck do I have Michael Jackson here?
01:03:38 So he goes, okay, John.
01:03:41 And he did the next take.
01:03:43 He was great.
01:03:45 [Music]
01:03:58 Michael Peters and Michael Jackson came up with the choreography,
01:04:02 and it's fascinating choreography,
01:04:04 because the dances were allowed more rehearsal than usual.
01:04:09 At that point already, Michael had established certain moves.
01:04:15 So my first instruction to Michael Peters was spooky.
01:04:19 And the second one was, I don't want any Michael move.
01:04:24 [Music]
01:04:41 And they go into this popping routine, right?
01:04:45 This goes back to the whole thing of where Michael Jackson crosses the technique
01:04:49 in the street world, right?
01:04:54 And he was so inspired by popping and waving and all that,
01:04:58 that he had to put them in the film.
01:05:01 How would a zombie dance?
01:05:03 And then looking at it, it just made a lot of sense to me
01:05:07 that they weren't just locking, or they just weren't popping,
01:05:11 or they just weren't doing jazz dance.
01:05:14 The angles, the lines were all demented and crooked.
01:05:20 I'd just never seen anything like that before.
01:05:23 [Music]
01:05:28 On those zombies, those costumes were just made of rags.
01:05:32 We call it aging, distressing, and dying.
01:05:36 And of course, Rick Baker's work was just masterful on everybody.
01:05:42 [Music]
01:05:56 This is a song about watching a movie.
01:06:00 Yo, a blockbuster night.
01:06:03 He made a whole movie. He entertained us.
01:06:05 He gave us R&B. He gave us horror. He gave us sci-fi.
01:06:08 But he gave it all to us in music.
01:06:10 He was just amazing.
01:06:12 After the video came out, it tripled its sales.
01:06:16 They sold 6 million of these.
01:06:18 This made MTV a powerhouse
01:06:20 and then created this whole rock video business.
01:06:23 It was extraordinary.
01:06:25 And it's that moment when the audience falls madly in love
01:06:29 that the audience creates the icons.
01:06:32 He could write the songs. He could produce them.
01:06:35 He could sing them. He could perform like no other.
01:06:38 And he also was a fashion icon.
01:06:40 I've seen little tiny kids in red jackets.
01:06:42 I've seen old grandpas in red jackets.
01:06:44 I've seen girls in red jackets.
01:06:46 I've seen everybody wearing that jacket.
01:06:49 It was huge, worldwide.
01:06:51 They were buying the leather jackets that Michael--
01:06:53 They were buying everything.
01:06:55 They were buying Michael Jackson posters, calendars.
01:06:58 [Music]
01:07:03 I love you, Michael Jackson.
01:07:05 Michael Jackson!
01:07:07 The thing with Michael Jackson on, it does continue to sell.
01:07:10 I work in a record store,
01:07:12 and it still just flies out of the store every week.
01:07:15 And we're talking about a record that's a year and a half,
01:07:18 almost 2 years old, and people are still freaking out about it.
01:07:21 There have always been fan clubs,
01:07:23 Michael's fans more passionate than most.
01:07:25 This club calls itself the PYP.
01:07:27 We love you! We love you, Michael!
01:07:30 And if nothing else, Thriller was always going to be played
01:07:33 in the month of October.
01:07:35 There's a thing in Mexico that happens where, I'll tell you,
01:07:38 people fly in for it.
01:07:40 They're all in their costumes, and they do the Thriller dance.
01:07:44 Thousands of people, and people are still, you know,
01:07:47 dancing to this song like it was just done,
01:07:50 like the short film just came out yesterday.
01:07:53 Thriller, a long time coming, Michael Jackson's Thriller.
01:07:57 Probably the single biggest video for MTV ever.
01:08:01 After their initial reluctance,
01:08:04 MTV became a huge supporter of Michael Jackson,
01:08:08 especially the Thriller short film.
01:08:11 They heavily promoted the premiere.
01:08:14 At some point, it felt like the M in MTV stood for Michael.
01:08:19 And everybody was talking about how they were going to cut school
01:08:24 to go home to watch the Thriller video
01:08:27 because it was a 12 o'clock world premiere on MTV.
01:08:31 And he was acting, he was eating popcorn,
01:08:33 and then he turned into a monster.
01:08:35 There's something about music, I think, that has,
01:08:38 that triggers so many different emotions in people.
01:08:41 So you're tapping into all of that
01:08:44 to a larger and larger and larger audience,
01:08:47 and it just exponentially grew.
01:08:49 So the spring of '84.
01:08:54 The record's already out, it's already selling,
01:08:56 because Michael's now gone from being a pop star to a phenomenon.
01:09:00 The Guinness Book of World Records is giving him an award
01:09:03 as the biggest-selling album of all time.
01:09:05 It's a thriller of a party tonight for Michael Jackson
01:09:07 at the Museum of Natural History.
01:09:09 That's where Jackson is being honored for his album
01:09:12 that's broken all the records.
01:09:14 This was the payoff for the fans tonight,
01:09:16 that momentary glimpse of superstar Michael Jackson
01:09:19 with his date for the evening, Brooke Shields.
01:09:21 Thriller, with 25 million copies sold,
01:09:23 was the best-selling album ever.
01:09:25 Today we surpass 25 million copies for Thriller.
01:09:30 Michael Jackson!
01:09:32 The one artist in the world!
01:09:35 Thriller eclipsed them all.
01:09:37 At one point, the damn thing was selling a million copies a week.
01:09:40 Michael had become a global obsession.
01:09:43 Just think, you all came to see me.
01:09:46 No, I know why you're here, and with good reason.
01:09:51 To see one of the most talented, most popular
01:09:54 and most exciting superstars in the music world today,
01:09:57 Michael Jackson.
01:09:59 Michael, welcome to the White House.
01:10:02 But being with Michael at that moment in time,
01:10:06 this Thriller is now out on television.
01:10:09 And there was Michael Mania, you know,
01:10:12 who called me and he said, have you ever been to Disney World?
01:10:15 So the park was open and there were people walking around.
01:10:18 Here's Michael, here's Mickey and me.
01:10:21 We looked around, and there are people,
01:10:26 as far as you can see, in every direction,
01:10:32 behind us, in front of us, around us,
01:10:35 and they're getting more and more hysterical.
01:10:39 Michael! Michael!
01:10:41 And you see Mickey Mouse is going like,
01:10:45 holy shit, we're never getting out of this alive!
01:10:48 You know?
01:10:50 You know, Thriller was the biggest album in the world,
01:10:54 Michael was the biggest star,
01:10:56 and he wanted to go out and tour Thriller.
01:10:59 But Joseph, you know, Mr. Jackson, had other ideas.
01:11:04 He wanted to bring all the family back together.
01:11:07 He brought in Don King as the recommended promoter of the tour,
01:11:11 and he got the brothers and Mrs. Jackson, Catherine,
01:11:15 everybody was all for it.
01:11:18 Michael was hesitant, to be honest.
01:11:21 He felt like he had done Thriller on his own,
01:11:24 and he wanted to tour as a solo artist.
01:11:27 But he was persuaded to go along with it.
01:11:31 This tour is a bonanza of marketing,
01:11:36 so everybody wants to get in on this.
01:11:39 And Quaker Oats, you know, they had made a deal,
01:11:42 they had a tentative deal with the Jacksons
01:11:45 to be the sponsors of this thing.
01:11:48 And then Don King says, listen, I've already made a deal.
01:11:52 I made it with Pepsi.
01:11:54 Michael was not into sponsorship,
01:12:05 'cause he said, this isn't my thing, I don't drink Pepsi,
01:12:09 this is all for my family.
01:12:11 And Michael did not want to do the Pepsi deal.
01:12:14 # You're the generation, you love and want to do
01:12:18 # I put a Pepsi in the motion, and that's your stuff to you
01:12:22 # Hey, you're the Pepsi generation #
01:12:25 'Cause he said to me, okay, Branca, listen to me,
01:12:28 I gotta do this 'cause my family wants it,
01:12:30 but you have to write 2 things in the contract.
01:12:33 # You're the generation # Number 1, I'm never holding a Pepsi can.
01:12:36 # You're the generation # And number 2, I can't be on the screen
01:12:39 for more than 3 seconds.
01:12:41 And never holding a Pepsi can, so if you ever watch
01:12:44 that commercial again, you'll see.
01:12:46 It's interesting, because if Don King had not made the deal
01:12:50 with Pepsi, Michael's hair wouldn't have gotten burned.
01:12:53 I was actually at the Pepsi commercial,
01:12:56 and I had an all-access pass.
01:12:58 When I arrived at the Shrine Auditorium downtown,
01:13:02 Michael and the Jacksons were on stage performing Billie Jean.
01:13:07 The audience had been invited, you know,
01:13:10 and they were told to scream and the whole thing.
01:13:13 They didn't have to be instructed to do that.
01:13:16 They were crazy about seeing the Jacksons and Michael there.
01:13:19 They did a run-through, and after they came offstage,
01:13:23 Michael was just in a great mood, and he was having fun, fooling around.
01:13:28 And then they called him back out and said,
01:13:31 we're going to do this again.
01:13:33 And it went horribly wrong.
01:13:36 Filming the Pepsi commercial, there was a big explosion.
01:13:39 # You're the Pepsi generation #
01:13:43 And it burned Michael's scalp very severely.
01:13:48 The audience didn't know what was going on,
01:13:51 and when they took Michael offstage, I went backstage,
01:13:55 and it was just absolute chaos.
01:13:58 They put him in a stretcher, you know, an ambulance stretcher,
01:14:03 and they took him offstage to a paramedic truck,
01:14:07 and Michael Jackson was smart enough to be covered up,
01:14:14 but he had his glove out.
01:14:17 That was the photograph that went around the world
01:14:21 of him with the glitter glove.
01:14:24 People were crying, you know, in the audience,
01:14:27 and people were running with the ambulance as it was taking him away.
01:14:31 It was just an incredible thing.
01:14:33 When I got home, it was all over the news.
01:14:36 Jackson was rushed to a hospital last night
01:14:38 after suffering second and third degree burns.
01:14:41 But his doctor said the famous patient was doing well.
01:14:44 He slept several hours last night.
01:14:46 He was up watching TV at approximately 1 o'clock.
01:14:49 He's comfortable this morning,
01:14:50 although he is continuing to have discomfort in the scalp area.
01:14:53 People don't realize he had to go to emergency treatment
01:14:56 in a burn center, and he was troubled by the pain
01:14:59 from that burn for the rest of his life,
01:15:02 which led to pain pills and whatnot to ease the pain.
01:15:07 Because he needed painkillers, he was in pain.
01:15:11 Life couldn't stop.
01:15:13 He had a book full of things that he had to do, you know,
01:15:17 a schedule that just could not stop.
01:15:19 The opening of the Victory Tour in Kansas City was a massive event.
01:15:23 [roaring]
01:15:26 [crowd cheering]
01:15:32 It's an Arrowhead Stadium. It's a giant football stadium.
01:15:36 [crowd cheering]
01:15:47 I love you, Michael. I love you, Michael.
01:15:50 This is going to be the best concert of the century, don't you think?
01:15:54 Definitely.
01:15:55 I have to ask Michael Jackson to marry me today.
01:15:57 We would do about anything to see Michael Jackson.
01:16:00 [roaring]
01:16:16 You're looking at a sneak preview of what is perhaps
01:16:19 the most controversial rock concert tour in history,
01:16:22 the Jackson's Victory Tour, opening tonight in Kansas City.
01:16:27 [crowd cheering]
01:16:35 [horn honks]
01:16:36 [crowd cheering]
01:16:50 [horn honks]
01:16:51 [music]
01:16:57 Say you want to be star to something, you got to be star to something.
01:17:01 Say you want to be star to something, you got to be star to something.
01:17:05 It's hard to get over, shake shake, too low to get under, shake shake.
01:17:08 You're stuck in the manhole, shake shake, and I'm paying it's thunder.
01:17:12 It's hard to get over, shake shake, too low to get under, shake shake.
01:17:16 You're stuck in the manhole, shake shake, and I'm paying it's thunder.
01:17:20 My baby to the dark club, with a fever but nothing cheap on her.
01:17:24 I'm in the street, thinkin' she had a break-up.
01:17:28 Someone's always tryin', dying my baby, cryin', so it's leavin', cryin'.
01:17:33 You're stuck in the manhole, shake shake, too low to get under, shake shake.
01:17:35 You're stuck in the manhole, shake shake, too low to get under, shake shake.
01:17:37 You're stuck in the manhole, shake shake, too low to get under, shake shake.
01:17:39 You're stuck in the manhole, shake shake, too low to get under, shake shake.
01:17:41 You're stuck in the manhole, shake shake, too low to get under, shake shake.
01:17:43 [music]
01:17:49 The Victory Tour sold out in Kansas City, then it was on to Dallas, Jacksonville, New Jersey, New York, and Knoxville.
01:17:56 It's currently scheduled in some 13 cities, with more sites yet to be announced.
01:18:01 Preparations are well underway tonight for the Jackson's Victory Tour concert.
01:18:04 The Jackson's massive stage was beginning to take shape as early as Thursday.
01:18:08 There's not too many places that you can stick a monstrous stage like this.
01:18:12 Most of the performances, more than 50 in all, will be in stadiums like the Silverdome.
01:18:17 [music]
01:18:30 The shows of the Victory Tour were much more mainstream American.
01:18:33 That was a testament to how big Michael had become, and to the penetration of the album.
01:18:40 [music]
01:18:43 The irony of Thriller is that there was never a tour solely dedicated to the biggest LP of all time.
01:18:49 The Victory Tour was a mix of vintage Jackson family music and hits from Thriller.
01:18:54 But it was the Thriller material that turned the crowd out every night.
01:18:58 [music]
01:19:13 [music]
01:19:33 [music]
01:19:53 [music]
01:20:13 [music]
01:20:23 [music]
01:20:44 Michael has been nominated for 12, 12 1983 Grammy Awards.
01:20:51 The highest number in history.
01:20:53 [music]
01:20:57 So we went to the 1984 Grammys at the Shrine Auditorium.
01:21:02 I didn't get the feeling he was nervous. I actually got the feeling that he was excited.
01:21:08 And I don't think I had any idea, even the magnitude of it.
01:21:14 [music]
01:21:20 Michael Jackson was nominated for 12 Grammys overall, including Album of the Year and Record of the Year.
01:21:27 [music]
01:21:34 The Record of the Year is...
01:21:36 Beat it, Michael Jackson!
01:21:38 [applause]
01:21:39 Album of the Year.
01:21:40 Here it is.
01:21:41 Thriller!
01:21:42 [music]
01:21:52 Best Pop Vocal Performance Male, Michael Jackson.
01:21:56 [applause]
01:22:00 If I had to deal with myself, if I won one more award, which is this award, which is seven, which is a record, I would take off my glasses.
01:22:07 [applause]
01:22:12 [music]
01:22:22 He deserved it. You know, it was, it was due.
01:22:26 [music]
01:22:35 In February 1984, between Michael and Quincy, Thriller won a dozen Grammys.
01:22:40 [applause]
01:22:44 Well, as we know, Thriller, a huge, huge success, the album.
01:22:48 But, um, the joy of doing something phenomenal, 'cause everybody waiting to see the next big, you know, Michael Jackson short.
01:22:57 And I thought Thriller was the perfect vehicle.
01:22:59 We're gonna come out, no one's gonna like it.
01:23:01 No, no, no, no.
01:23:02 But 40 years from now, Michael Jackson.
01:23:04 [music]
01:23:10 Who's your biggest inspiration? Who inspires you the most?
01:23:14 Michael Jackson.
01:23:16 Michael saw that he could touch greatness with Off The Wall, knew he was still going against racist radio and people that wanted to put him in a box.
01:23:25 But you have to be so in the rarefied air 0.0001% to even be able to like project yourself to that.
01:23:34 That idea that I can take dance, music, and visuals and turn the world on its ear.
01:23:42 That idea that he crystallized in Thriller, not going away, I don't think it's ever gonna go away.
01:23:48 So rather it was human nature and his amazing voice, you know, beat it and looking at the references that were there.
01:23:56 Because every time you saw a video, you got a new idea of like who he was as an artist and what he was selling.
01:24:02 Rather it was his hair and his clothing, his wardrobe.
01:24:06 All of those things were informing the culture.
01:24:08 He was establishing the standard.
01:24:11 Thriller, man, there has never been anything like that.
01:24:16 Michael Jackson's Thriller.
01:24:19 Problem.
01:24:26 Come on, I'll take you home.
01:24:33 (Laughter)
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