Michael Interviewed Pharrell Williams

For the first time, Michael Jackson is the interviewer. This phone interview, published in this month’s issue (August) of the American magazine Interview with Pharrell Williams, one of the members of the group The Neptunes took place. In this interview, Michael says things that I thought would be interesting for you, so I’ve included the full text of the interview below:

Michael Jackson: Hello?

Pharrell Williams: Hi. How are you, man?

M.J: You have to 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 service and all those things. So please forgive me for the late phone 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 there are seven questions or something like that.

P.W: Sure, whatever you want.

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

P.W: It’s a feeling. You use the air as a canvas, and the colors are the musical chords that come to your fingers, and they land on 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, that’s a perfect analogy.

P.W: And when you know it’s finished, you know it’s finished. Like a painting or a sculpture. When you stop working on it, it’s because you know it’s reached the end, it’s complete—and on the contrary, it tells you, “Hey, I’m already complete.”

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

P.W: That’s right.

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

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

M.J: That’s right.

P.W: You know, like that time when everyone was going down the same road and you went down the road Off The Wall (Michael’s 1979 album)  —you went down it.

M.J: That’s right. (laughs)

P.W: And when everyone was going down a different path, you went down the path Thriller. You went your own way. And I’m taking inspiration from people like you—people who aren’t afraid to listen to the voice of their feelings, and to put their dreams and goals into action. Turn them into reality. Create them.

M.J: That’s beautiful. I love it. You said it so well. I wanted to ask you whether you feel the same way I feel—almost like being pregnant, giving birth to the world. Writing a song is like having a baby, and the fact that the song ends is like you’re letting the baby be born into the world. Have you ever had that feeling—that it’s hard to let it go?

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

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

P.W: I think music in general is a gift from God. (One of his fans interrupts him.) Michael, can you please wait a moment? (Williams talks with a fan for a few moments, then continues his conversation with Jackson.) Sorry.

M.J: (laughs) Blues, rock and roll, all kinds 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 song lyrics, you’re writing for someone—or for the whole world. When you play, you’re playing something for the whole world to hear. When you dance, you dance for people to see. It’s a form of expression. And sometimes you might be a bit more introverted about it—when you dance for yourself, write or play for yourself—and you don’t even think about how, in appearance, sound, or feeling, what you’re doing might be interesting, 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—from the time you were younger, do you get inspiration from? Like the artists your father listened to. Did you learn something from those artists?

P.W: Definitely. The Isley Brothers.

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

P.W: Donny Hathaway, Stevie Wonder.

M.J: All the ones I like, you like too. (laughs)

P.W: They changed the music. They make you lose yourself.

M.J: It’s beautiful, it’s beautiful. Okay, 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 mother and father too? Because God has been very kind to you and has given you special gifts.

P.W: Thank you, sir. And I just wanted to say something, and I don’t know if you’re 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 that people don’t properly understand, they turn it into a bigger problem—so that if someone else were in your place, because you’re one of the most extraordinary geniuses that has ever existed. You’ve achieved success and honor more than most people in this century.

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

P.W: What you do is very unique. When you’re a hundred years old, they’ll still be talking about this and that thing they did to your body. Please believe me—if you decided to cover your entire body with chrome, you’re so unique that people, regardless of what they think about you, will come right there just to see you. And it’s because of the steps you’ve taken in the world of music and the changes you’ve brought to people’s lives. People have brought their children into the world with your music. You’ve made an impact everywhere.

M.J: Thank you very much. It’s like the bigger the star, the bigger the goal. When you understand that—I don’t want to praise myself or talk like that—but you understand that you’re at the top, and they throw a spear toward you. Even Jesus was crucified. People who bring light into the world, like Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King, or Jesus Christ—me too. 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 this ever bothers me, because my fan base only gets stronger. I’m flexible. I have the hide of a rhinoceros. Nothing can hurt me. Nothing.

P.W: Well, that’s exactly what I’m saying. I just want you to know that you’re unique, 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: Boy, you know all of this.

P.W: When you make these songs, it’s for the whole world. (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, know that you’re unstoppable. That’s why I said: when you’re a hundred years old, if you decide to cover your entire body with chrome, no matter what they say—and it doesn’t matter to me what they say about you, sir—they’ll 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 prominent figure appears who goes beyond the limits of their efforts, people feel jealousy and try to bring them down. But they can’t do that to me because I’m very, very, very strong. (laughs). Although they don’t know that.

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

M.J: If anyone else were in my place, they would’ve been crushed by now. I’m very strong.

P.W: Of course. When you were ten, they couldn’t crush you because you defeated the adult men who were doing your job with your voice and your genius. And when you were twenty, you surpassed people who had been working in this field for twenty or thirty years. And even today, they’re waiting to see what you’re doing. They want to see your children; they want to see your world. You’re unique, and I wanted to tell you these things, man. And I hope all of this gets published, because they’re very important to me. And my wish is that one day I reach half of your status.

M.J: Oh, God bless you. Your work is also very good. 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.