Interview with the Thriller Cover Photographer

Have you ever wondered who the photographer behind the best-selling album cover in the history of music is?

Dick Zimmerman is the person who became famous and celebrated by introducing a new style of photography that presents the captured image as a painting. He has 13 years of working with Hollywood stars, including three photo sessions with the King of Pop. He tells us about his memories:

The Day the Thriller Album Cover Was Shot

On that day, he came alone. Nobody was with him. We had two clothing racks with the best handpicked fashion from Los Angeles hanging on them. None of them caught Michael’s attention. He said, “I want to wear something like what you’re wearing.” I was wearing my white suit. I said, “Well, we’re almost the same size.” In that photo, Michael is actually wearing my clothes.

What Happened to the Suit?

10 years ago, I put it up for auction at Sotheby’s. I was worried about my safety and my wife’s. We had a very big house, and I was often out of town for my work. I don’t know what would have happened if thieves had heard that the suit was with me. I decided to get rid of it. I got $27,000 for it. If it were today, maybe I could have made a million dollars.

Wedding Photography of Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley

We did this shoot in Donald Trump’s suite (the famous billionaire) at the Trump Hotel. They had to block off Fifth Avenue, which was in front of the hotel, because there wasn’t enough space on the sidewalk for photographers and reporters to gather. The entire street was covered with photographers.

The photos I had taken were worth a lot, and I was worried about my life while carrying them. To make the photos, we shut down the entire darkroom so we could work securely.

Meeting Michael

At midnight, I returned to Michael and Lisa’s suite at the hotel, and the waiter told me that Michael would come down to see me in a few minutes. Thirty minutes passed, and there was no sign of Michael. I walked around the room; it was dark, and I saw someone standing on the other side of the room with a beard and mustache. I thought he was a security officer, so I went toward him and asked if he knew when Michael would arrive. I looked at him and suddenly realized it was Michael. We both laughed, and he removed his beard and mustache. All this time, he had been standing there, watching me to see when I would finally notice his presence.

He brought a bottle of wine and started watching the photos. We talked until 3 a.m. He told me about his failures. He had recently participated in an interview with Diane Sawyer and even took her on a tour of his Neverland ranch. He said he had been as honest as possible with her, but one day after the interview aired on television, the media attacked him. Tears were in his eyes. He said, “I don’t know what to do anymore.”

People didn’t understand him or accept him. They accused him and blamed him. I can tell you that the accusations weren’t true. He was like a child. To me, he seemed to come across like a beautiful butterfly. The only things he talked about were the future of the world’s children, the environment, and air pollution. And his problem was that his guards were too many, and a huge number of people would pull him in different directions all at once for flimsy reasons.

Source: eMJey.com / popeater.com