July 18, 2003 - Michael Interviews Pharrell Williams

For the first time, Michael Jackson is the interviewer. This phone interview, which appears in this month’s issue (August) of the American magazine Interview, is with Pharrell Williams, one of the members of the group The Neptunes. The full text of the interview is provided below:

Michael Jackson: Hello?

Pharrell Williams: Hi. How you doing, man?

M.J.: You gotta forgive me, but Gregory Peck, who passed away yesterday, was a very dear friend of mine, and I was helping his wife with the memorial and all that stuff. So please forgive me for being late with this call.

P.W.: No, listen, man. I can’t believe I’m talking to you on the phone.

M.J.: Oh, God bless you.

P.W.: Thank you, sir. You too.

M.J.: Thank you. Okay, I’m interviewing you, right? And I think it’s about seven questions—something like that.

P.W.: Sure, whatever you want.

M.J.: Okay. What inspires you in your music? What do you draw inspiration from to create music?

P.W.: It’s a feeling. You use the air as your canvas, and the colors are the musical chords that come to your fingers, onto the keyboard. So when I play, it’s like I’m drawing a feeling in the air. I know it might sound silly, but...

M.J.: No, no—it's a perfect analogy.

P.W.: And when you know it’s finished, you know it’s finished. It’s like a painting or a sculpture. When you stop, it’s because you know it’s reached its end, it’s complete—and it’s the other way around too. It tells you, “Hey, I’m done. I’m complete.”

M.J.: Yeah. And it won’t let you sleep until it’s finished.

P.W.: That’s right.

M.J.: That’s right. I go through the same process. (Laughs.) And what do you think about today’s music? Are you interested in the new sounds that are being produced, or do you feel like this music is moving in a direction you’re heading toward?

P.W.: Well, personally, I think I take inspiration from people like you and Stevie Wonder and Donny Hathway, and I just do what I feel is right.

M.J.: Exactly.

P.W.: You know, like back when everybody was going down one road and you went down the road Off The Wall (Michael’s 1979 album).  

M.J.: That’s right. (Laughs.)

P.W.: And when everybody was going down a different path, you went down the path Thriller. You went your own way. And I look up to people like you—people who aren’t afraid to listen to the voice of their feelings, to bring their dreams and goals to life. Turn it into reality. Create it.

M.J.: That’s beautiful. I love the way you put it. I wanted to ask you if you feel the same way I do—almost like pregnancy, like giving birth. Writing a song is like having a baby, and when the song reaches the end, it’s like you’re letting the baby be born. Have you ever had that feeling—that it’s hard to let go?

P.W.: You know what? A few days ago I had an interview for a video presentation, and I was scared to put it out there. That feeling was for a video, but for me a video is like the second part of a song, because a video is like a visual interpretation. Yes, I feel exactly that way. And it’s like if you were to perform something for people who don’t really connect with it—like your child did something and everyone points at it with their fingers, and you’re like, “Wait a minute! That’s my child!” Even though I’m not a father yet, I imagine it’s like that. At least, that’s how I feel about my songs.

M.J.: That’s right. The different kinds of music that Black people helped create—from jazz to pop and rock and roll to hip-hop, whatever you name it—what do you think about all of that? Is it a gift from God?

P.W.: I think music is a gift from God, period. (One of his fans interrupts.) Michael, can you please wait a second? (Williams talks to a fan for a moment, then continues with Jackson.) Sorry about that.

M.J.: (Laughs.) Blues, rock and roll—every kind of mainstream music, like rock and roll Chuck Berry, Little Richard and Fats Domino laid the foundation.

P.W.: Exactly.

M.J.: Even dancing... don’t you think it’s a gift from God?

P.W.: Exactly. God gave us this gift when He gave us the gift of performing. I mean, when you write lyrics, you’re writing for someone—or for the world. When you play, you’re playing something for the world to hear. When you dance, you dance for people to see. It’s a form of expression. And sometimes you might be a little more introverted about it—when you dance for yourself, write for yourself, or play for yourself—and you don’t even think about how interesting what you’re doing might look, sound, or feel, unless someone else tells you, or you record it and then go back to it.

M.J.: That’s right. Which older artists—no, not the artists whose work we hear on the radio today—who inspired you when you were younger? Like the artists your father listened to. Did you learn anything from those artists?

P.W.: Definitely. The Isley Brothers.

M.J.: Me too. I love the Isley Brothers, and I love Sly and the Family Stone.

P.W.: Donny Hathaway, Stevie Wonder.

M.J.: All the ones I love, you love too. (Laughs.)

P.W.: They changed the music. They blow you away.

M.J.: It’s beautiful, it’s beautiful. So where do you live right now? New York?

P.W.: I’m on the coast of Virginia, sir.

M.J.: Virginia, oh. Can you deliver my message of love to Virginia?

P.W.: Yes. Thank you.

M.J.: And to your mom and dad too? God has been so kind to you and has given you special gifts.

P.W.: Thank you, sir. I just wanted to say something, and I don’t know if you’ll be okay with me saying it, but I want to say it because it’s in my heart. People bother you...

M.J.: Yeah.

P.W.: Because they love you. That’s the only reason. When you do something and people don’t really understand it the right way, they turn it into a bigger problem—like if someone else were in your place, because you’re one of the most extraordinary geniuses that has ever existed. You’ve achieved more success and more honor than most people in this century.

M.J.: Thank you so much. That’s very kind of you.

P.W.: What you do is so unique. When you’re a hundred years old, they’ll still be talking about this and that—the things they did to your body. Please believe me: if you decided to cover your entire body in chrome, you’d still be so extraordinary that people everywhere—no matter what they think—would come right there just to see you. And it’s because of the steps you’ve taken in the world of music and in changing people’s lives. People have brought their children into the world with your music. You’ve made an impact all over the world.

M.J.: Thank you. It’s like the bigger the star, the bigger the mission. When you realize—I'm not trying to brag about myself or talk like that—but when you realize you’re at the top and they’re throwing spears at you too. Even Jesus was crucified. People who bring light into the world—like Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King, or Jesus Christ—like even me. And my motto has been “Heal The World", “We Are The World", “Earth Song”, “Save our children”, “Help our planet”. And people want to bring me down because of that, but none of it ever bothers me, because my fan base only gets stronger. I’m resilient. I’ve got the hide of a rhinoceros. Nothing can hurt me—nothing.

P.W.: Well, that’s exactly what I mean. I just want you to know you’re extraordinary, man. What you did with music—from Billie Jean to That's What You Get For Being Polite (he sings the song).

M.J.: Oh, you know this song? (Laughs.)

P.W.: (He sings Jack Still Sits All Alone by Michael.)

M.J.: Man, you know all of these.

P.W.: When you make these songs, it’s for the whole world. (He continues singing Jack Still Sits All Alone.)

M.J.: (He makes a guitar sound.)

P.W.: Even though I’ve never had a collaboration with you, just know that you’re unstoppable. That’s why I said: when you’re a hundred years old, if you decided to cover your entire body in chrome, no matter what they say— and it doesn’t matter to me what they say about you, sir—they’ll still come right there to witness it.

M.J.: There’s a lot of jealousy in all of this. I love all races, I love all people, but sometimes the devil gets into people and they become jealous. Whenever a standout person appears who goes beyond the limits of what people think he should do, people start feeling jealous and try to bring him down. But they can’t do that to me because I’m so, so, so strong. (Laughs.) Even though they don’t know that.

P.W.: They do know. Believe me, they know!

M.J.: Anyone else would’ve been torn apart by now. I’m very strong.

P.W.: Of course. When you were ten, they couldn’t tear you apart, because you beat the big men who were doing your job with your voice and your genius. And when you were twenty, you got ahead of people who had been working in this field for twenty or thirty years. And even now, they’re waiting to see what you’re doing. They want to see your children. They want to see your world. You’re extraordinary, and I wanted to tell you that, man. And I hope all of this gets published, because it matters a lot to me. And my wish is that one day I’ll reach half of your status.

M.J.: Oh, God bless you. Your work is great too. Thank you so much.

P.W.: Thank you, man.

M.J.: Have a wonderful day.

P.W.: You too, sir.

M.J.: Thank you. Goodbye.

P.W.: Goodbye.