Art
Proud Member
- Joined
- Jun 21, 2012
- Messages
- 11
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Hi all -
So let me tell you a bit about myself before I get into this, my name's Art and I've been a MJ fan literally all my life. My first memory (as in, of anything) is of watching the "Remember the Time" video premiere when I was 2 years old. When HIStory came to Sydney I was 6 years old, and though I didn't get to see the show I have cherished memories of seeing the famous statue parked in the harbour. I also remember seeing the fans outside his hotel from my parents' car, hearing them scream and looking out eagerly, but the car drove on before I could catch a glimpse of the man in the middle of it all... That was as close as I ever got but I tell you, I am so grateful to even have those memories.
His passing was a huge moment in my life and I have dwelled on it every day since. A few months ago I went to a museum exhibition about the Beatles Australian tour of 1964 and it suddenly hit me that someone needs to write a book: MICHAEL JACKSON IN SYDNEY.
It's all I've been doing for the past few months. I have spent hours and hours digging through press archives online and at reference libraries, reading books, spooling through old newspapers on microfilm and archived magazines. I am trying to put together as detailed a picture of MJ's time here as I possibly can. So far, I am amazed at how much I have learnt. With this tight focus I think there is much to be learnt about him that would otherwise go missing in a bigger book.
I'm not proposing that my city was somehow more special to MJ than any other, but here are a few of the things I've learnt. Some of them are really minor, but beautifully revealing:
* He finished writing "Moonwalk" here
* He first conceived the "Rocket Man" stunt here after meeting with the director of the stage version of Peter Pan
* He got married to Debbie Rowe here (though you already knew that
)
* He had a deep affinity with Aboriginal people which he pursued every time he came here. During the Bad tour he secretly visited a preschool for Aboriginal children, and made sure that they kept it secret and out of the media-- which they did, until he died
* He constantly made time to visit children in hospitals and encourage young artists and performers
* He visited Taronga Zoo twice, and one of the keepers who met him said "He show(ed) an extensive knowledge of and a deep respect for all animals."
* On his flight from Sydney to Melbourne in 1987, he was reading the kids book "The Giant Book of Knowledge" (I love this!)
I'm also shocked at, while he was doing all these great things and bringing his art to the world, how snarky the media was, and often, how ungrateful the public were. When the Bad Tour came to Sydney, the stadium was reportedly HALF FULL. They had to GIVE AWAY hundreds of tickets to the second show. There was a lot of love for him here and many adoring fans, but also a lot of hostility that really shocks me. I never knew that. I want to call people out on all this, so that we learn from our mistakes.
So long story short--- I am looking to talk to people who saw him while he was in Sydney, went to the shows, met him, can remember anything at all. Anything would be useful. I am trying to put together as detailed a picture as I possibly can. I also decided recently that whatever money I make from this, I will give half of it to a local children's charity in order to further Michael's work on this planet, in a small way.
Excuse the long post I've been thinking about this for a long time
So let me tell you a bit about myself before I get into this, my name's Art and I've been a MJ fan literally all my life. My first memory (as in, of anything) is of watching the "Remember the Time" video premiere when I was 2 years old. When HIStory came to Sydney I was 6 years old, and though I didn't get to see the show I have cherished memories of seeing the famous statue parked in the harbour. I also remember seeing the fans outside his hotel from my parents' car, hearing them scream and looking out eagerly, but the car drove on before I could catch a glimpse of the man in the middle of it all... That was as close as I ever got but I tell you, I am so grateful to even have those memories.
His passing was a huge moment in my life and I have dwelled on it every day since. A few months ago I went to a museum exhibition about the Beatles Australian tour of 1964 and it suddenly hit me that someone needs to write a book: MICHAEL JACKSON IN SYDNEY.
It's all I've been doing for the past few months. I have spent hours and hours digging through press archives online and at reference libraries, reading books, spooling through old newspapers on microfilm and archived magazines. I am trying to put together as detailed a picture of MJ's time here as I possibly can. So far, I am amazed at how much I have learnt. With this tight focus I think there is much to be learnt about him that would otherwise go missing in a bigger book.
I'm not proposing that my city was somehow more special to MJ than any other, but here are a few of the things I've learnt. Some of them are really minor, but beautifully revealing:
* He finished writing "Moonwalk" here
* He first conceived the "Rocket Man" stunt here after meeting with the director of the stage version of Peter Pan
* He got married to Debbie Rowe here (though you already knew that
)* He had a deep affinity with Aboriginal people which he pursued every time he came here. During the Bad tour he secretly visited a preschool for Aboriginal children, and made sure that they kept it secret and out of the media-- which they did, until he died
* He constantly made time to visit children in hospitals and encourage young artists and performers
* He visited Taronga Zoo twice, and one of the keepers who met him said "He show(ed) an extensive knowledge of and a deep respect for all animals."
* On his flight from Sydney to Melbourne in 1987, he was reading the kids book "The Giant Book of Knowledge" (I love this!)
I'm also shocked at, while he was doing all these great things and bringing his art to the world, how snarky the media was, and often, how ungrateful the public were. When the Bad Tour came to Sydney, the stadium was reportedly HALF FULL. They had to GIVE AWAY hundreds of tickets to the second show. There was a lot of love for him here and many adoring fans, but also a lot of hostility that really shocks me. I never knew that. I want to call people out on all this, so that we learn from our mistakes.
So long story short--- I am looking to talk to people who saw him while he was in Sydney, went to the shows, met him, can remember anything at all. Anything would be useful. I am trying to put together as detailed a picture as I possibly can. I also decided recently that whatever money I make from this, I will give half of it to a local children's charity in order to further Michael's work on this planet, in a small way.
Excuse the long post I've been thinking about this for a long time