#StoryOfTheDay...#OnThisDay Saturday, June 27th, 2009, Jonathan Morrish, director of corporate communications for the collecting organization PPL and former vice president of communications at Sony Music Entertainment Europe, and friend of Michael Jackson recalled his memories :
"I was honored to work with him. I had the incredible good fortune and privilege to work with Michael, well actually The Jacksons, when they joined CBS from Motown in 1976, and to remain involved in his career until his last album, Invincible, in 2001.
Simply put, Michael Jackson was the greatest singing and dancing artist of all time, and his death is not only a huge and tragic loss, but unfortunately heralds the end of an era. Michael changed music making and the music industry. His videos raised the bar to new standards, and his tours around the world took musical theater to unprecedented levels of artistic and technical excellence. He left behind a body of work that will be listened to for generations to come.
The success of the group and his own solo success, which took off with Off The Wall in 1979, brought him to England, a country
which he loved very much at the time.
As a child star, which is probably the hardest mantle to bear, he was a man whose trust rightly had to be earned. He understood the dynamics of show business - the discipline, the need for perfection, the attention to detail - and rightly expected this from the people he worked with.
But he could be wickedly funny. On one occasion in Germany,
just before a TV show, he insisted that I stand behind the cameraman so that, if he felt like it, he could call on me to replace him. Needless to say, after a few minutes he nodded at me, and I obediently stepped up - and this was live TV in front of 30 million people - to take my place while he was leaving! it didn't bother me. I think it was his way to entertain and challenge.
He had an engaging mind, and during our travels around the world
and the cities he played in, he made sure to visit galleries and seeing the sights. Yes, he liked to go shopping, and of course the stores were closed for him, given the inability of the world's most famous man to shop during regular opening hours. But he made it fun for everyone around him and was incredibly generous.
As a performer, he gave his best on stage to the fans, who paid to see him. Give them what they want and what they like, and do it with style, passion, energy and the highest technical specifications. My thoughts are with his family.
My boss Paul Russell [chairman of Sony Music UK and later president of Sony Music Entertainment Europe] saw the benefits and value of having a man on the ground who could spend time with Michael, and he chosed me!
As a result, I have so many memories that it's hard to boil down
it all down to one. Nelson Mandela's meeting with Michael in Cape Town was a moment in my life that I will never forget. But, as a general lasting memory, the moments I spent in the photographer's pit during his shows, watching and witnessing the sheer physical and emotional power of a Michael Jackson concert, a few yards from the man himself, are unforgettable.
The vibrancy, emotion and drama he put into each of his performances is something that will live with me forever.
Having Muscles- boa constrictor Michael wrapped around me is also something I can't forget, but probably prefer!"
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