billyworld99
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Renowned photographer Henry Diltz, whose work has appeared in Life, Rolling Stone and the New York Times, captured the Jackson 5 multiple times in the 1970s. He reconnected with their lead singer Michael Jackson, who had since become the biggest pop star on the planet, in 1985 to document the famed 'We Are the World' charity single recording sessions. He witnessed Michael the boy, the man, the transcendent genius and the troubled superstar, from two feet away.
Michael was always very quiet. His older brothers were a lot more loose and outgoing, always joking and laughing. But Michael came alive onstage -- almost like he lived for those moments.
In the early '70s, I went to a small concert at a school for blind children in L.A. I was sitting cross-legged two feet away from Michael with all these kids in the front row. His voice had such a pure quality to it that it just released something in you. I could see all the kids listening and moving, so enthralled by the music. He just sang so amazingly beautiful. It was so joyful and such an outpouring of angelic sound that it released something in me, and tears started rolling down my face.
At 'We Are the World,' he really isolated himself. Here was a whole room of the most famous singers in the world -- Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Smokey Robinson, Paul Simon, Ray Charles -- and they were all shaking hands laughing and talking. Some of them had never met each other before. It was like the most amazing party, like a dream where you're surrounded by all the hero singers in the pop and rock world. But Michael kind of stood off in the corner behind a potted palm tree. It was quite odd; he didn't really come out and mix with everybody. He was off by himself, like it was overwhelming. That was the last time I saw him in person.
He changed his appearance so dramatically from the shots I took when he was a little boy to the way he looked in the end you'd never know it was the same person. He was obviously always troubled by something. He had this heavy thing on his shoulders. He was very internal, very introspective, and he lived in his head. Life is meant to be joyful, we're supposed to have fun, and it was sad that he was so isolated.
I'm sure that Michael is finally released from the torment that he had in this lifetime. He's free and he doesn't have to deal with that anymore. It's all of us who he left behind who are unhappy, because we don't have him here. But we certainly have all of his records and videos, which is fantastic.
http://www.spinner.com/2009/06/27/mi...me-to-tears/
Michael was always very quiet. His older brothers were a lot more loose and outgoing, always joking and laughing. But Michael came alive onstage -- almost like he lived for those moments.
In the early '70s, I went to a small concert at a school for blind children in L.A. I was sitting cross-legged two feet away from Michael with all these kids in the front row. His voice had such a pure quality to it that it just released something in you. I could see all the kids listening and moving, so enthralled by the music. He just sang so amazingly beautiful. It was so joyful and such an outpouring of angelic sound that it released something in me, and tears started rolling down my face.
At 'We Are the World,' he really isolated himself. Here was a whole room of the most famous singers in the world -- Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Smokey Robinson, Paul Simon, Ray Charles -- and they were all shaking hands laughing and talking. Some of them had never met each other before. It was like the most amazing party, like a dream where you're surrounded by all the hero singers in the pop and rock world. But Michael kind of stood off in the corner behind a potted palm tree. It was quite odd; he didn't really come out and mix with everybody. He was off by himself, like it was overwhelming. That was the last time I saw him in person.
He changed his appearance so dramatically from the shots I took when he was a little boy to the way he looked in the end you'd never know it was the same person. He was obviously always troubled by something. He had this heavy thing on his shoulders. He was very internal, very introspective, and he lived in his head. Life is meant to be joyful, we're supposed to have fun, and it was sad that he was so isolated.
I'm sure that Michael is finally released from the torment that he had in this lifetime. He's free and he doesn't have to deal with that anymore. It's all of us who he left behind who are unhappy, because we don't have him here. But we certainly have all of his records and videos, which is fantastic.
http://www.spinner.com/2009/06/27/mi...me-to-tears/