Karen Faye on three decades with Michael

Karen Faye, who has been Michael Jackson’s makeup artist for three decades, has recently done an interview for Aristan magazine, in which she talks about memories from three decades with Michael. How did you meet Michael Jackson? I was working for Dick Zimmerman, who was a very popular celebrity photographer back then. He introduced me to do the makeup for Michael for an exclusive photo shoot for the cover of his album—Thriller. Michael and I really had a great time in that session. Michael asked me for his next photo shoot, which was for the story of E.T. And then for Beat It... and everything after that... and the rest is history. Michael was busy touring with his brothers during the Victory tour. In this work, Michael needed all of my attention, so I asked someone named Carm to help me. And that was the beginning of Carm’s ten-year collaboration with Michael’s brothers. Did Michael trust you? Yes, he did. The media was hunting for me after the success of the Thriller album. I remember one time a tabloid reporter called me and said that for any information about Michael or any video we had at the time—while we were working on Thriller—he would pay me $75,000. I said no. They asked, “So how much?” That really wasn’t something that would tempt me. After that, the offers became more and more offensive. Eventually they realized they weren’t getting any information from me, and gradually this approach calmed down a bit. But during the most controversial period, they were still very persistent. Did Michael believe in spirituality? Every creative person, of course, has a connection to the universe. Michael always attributed his genius to God. He said that God flows within him and that his talent has nothing to do with him. I know how much Michael loved all the children in the world. That’s true, but the more interesting thing for me is how strongly the children were drawn to him, like magnets. I think the children recognized something familiar in him. They could sense his unconditional love and connected with him because deep down, he was a child. Children look at the world with lively, eager eyes. Michael had the ability to see the wonder and amazement of this world the way they do. Can you tell us when and where this photo was taken?

This photo was taken on a high hill in Neverland by Jonathan Axley, before the start of the trial. What was his favorite food? Michael wasn’t very hungry. He thought eating was a waste of time. Like a child who has to sit at the dining table while he hears the kids outside the house calling him to go play with them. He ate organic and healthy foods, but he definitely liked Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC). Akasha was the name of his cook, who had worked for him years ago. She now owns a restaurant in Culver City, California. They got along well about food. She made Michael organic cheese cake, and Michael covered it with hot sauce. He loved eating it every day. She also made delicious cream cookies and banana treats, which were Michael’s favorites. I’ll never forget those amazing treats that Michael had chosen the nickname “Okies” for. (Explanation of Okies: a made-up word by Michael, based on the rhyme of cookies, meaning sweets) Michael was identified by the Guinness World Records book as the kindest celebrity. Can you share some information with us? It’s a little hard to give a lot of information about this because Michael himself didn’t like to talk about it. He just did it. He just did it. When we were touring around the world, while everyone went to restaurants and clubs, Michael liked to visit orphanages and hospitals. I always went with him. He would ask his team to contact them before going and find out what they needed. He would fill his cars with toys and other supplies, and we would set off. He arranged for the construction of playgrounds, bought buses for them, and provided transportation. He paid for expensive surgical procedures for the children. What were Michael’s favorite cosmetic products? Face powder from the Lancôme brand, which was easy to use. Lancôme made this custom for me. Right here, I thank Lancôme for years of generosity. Michael had this powder box and would leave it everywhere. He kept it in every pocket. Everyone around him knew that if they found a powder box, they had to return it to me so I could deliver it back to Michael. I know that “Turkle” is the nickname Michael gave you. Where does that name come from? I will never tell. Source: eMJey / Artisan Magazine