March 20, 1999 (Germany, Saarland Hall) - “Turn Das”
Thomas Gottschalk: Michael, where did you get the idea for this project?
Michael: Well... it turned out like this...
[The moment the fans hear Michael’s voice, they scream again.]
Michael: I... I...
[The fans are still screaming, so Michael can’t continue speaking.]
Thomas Gottschalk: All right, tell us...
Michael: I knew I had to do something. I couldn’t just sit here from now until the start of the new century and do nothing. And I had this idea for a song, and then the words of that song ”What More Can I Give” came to me. I knew I had to do something... And it was about those same days when I was talking with President “Mandela,” and he invited me to perform for him at the ceremony. And that’s all the inspiration I needed for this project.
Michael laughs, and the fans start screaming so loudly again that Michael can’t continue his speech.
Thomas Gottschalk (to the fans): Come on, stop it... I want to tell you something about this... Michael is going to go back to “Michael Mandela”.... Come on... to “Nelson Mandela” and explain his project to him. And then I’ll talk with representatives from the ”Red Cross“ and ”UNESCO“ who are helping Michael with this project.
Michael, you’ll see some of your friends in Seoul that you invited... “Pavarotti, Stevie Wonder, Eros Ramazzotti”—and maybe even the band “Scorpions.”
And of course we’re happy that you’ll come to “Munich” with them. Are you also planning to bring them to “Munich”?
[The fans are still screaming loudly, and while Thomas Gottschalk is speaking, Michael looks toward the fans. He looks a little confused. Thomas Gottschalk waits for Michael to answer his question... It seems Michael doesn’t remember the question—maybe because the fans are screaming so loudly that it’s barely possible to hear a word.]
Michael: ... Yes... yes...
[Michael is a bit confused about what he should say. So he looks around for a familiar face to answer the question for him. His gaze lands on “Jonathan Muirish” (the head of Sony in England). He gestures to him and asks him to come over to the bench.]
Michael: Mr. Muirish, from “Sony”... he’s more prepared than I am.
[Jonathan Muirish sits on the bench.]
Thomas Gottschalk: He’s the head of the recording company Sony.
Michael: ... and “Marcelo Avram”...
[At the moment, “Marcelo Avram” is serving his prison sentence for tax evasion, but he has been allowed to leave prison to take part in this program. Michael gestures toward Marcelo Avram to come to the bench as well, but Avram doesn’t seem willing.]
Jonathan Muirish: I think there’s something... This is a very important night!... What Michael is doing is huge!... He’s putting something of himself into it. He always does this. I think he wants... in the whole question of why he’s holding these concerts in Munich and Korea, there’s an important message.
Meanwhile, Michael picks up one of the bouquet-like flowers placed as decoration on the edges of the bench, and the fans start screaming again.