Lenny Kravitz: Michael Jackson is the greatest of all time
Lenny Kravitz (Lenny Kravitz) spoke a few nights ago in an interview with Pierce Morgan on CNN about Michael Jackson.
Pierce Morgan: Where was the most important turning point in your career?
Lenny Kravitz: Working with Michael Jackson. I’ve worked with a lot of great artists, but Michael was something else.
Pierce Morgan: In what way?
Lenny Kravitz: The truth is, if my father hadn’t taken me with him when I was six years old to Madison Square Garden to see the Jackson 5 (Michael and his brothers) perform, I wouldn’t be here now. That day changed my life forever. You know, after that day, the world changed for me. Their music, their talent, that incredible experience left me speechless.
And then came the time when I worked in the studio alongside Michael. I had written a song, and he was standing there, telling me that he wanted to perform it exactly the way I wanted. So if there was nothing that I wanted, I should stop the work.
We were together in the studio for a week. Unbelievable.
Pierce Morgan: What kind of man was he?
Lenny Kravitz: First, I have to say he was a beautiful presence. Extremely professional, a perfectionist. He’d been working in this industry for all these years, and he still had the same excitement as in the early days. How could it be possible to work all day and all night and then go back to the studio the next day and work all day and all night with the same passion? Nothing in him had changed.
He was an exemplary father. He treated his children wonderfully. I also spent time with the kids. We were all together in the studio. He was a great father. How funny he was. Really funny.
Pierce Morgan: He had a great sense of humor.
Lenny Kravitz: We were laughing the whole time. And I have to say he had more appetite than you might think.
Pierce Morgan: Really? So he had a lot of energy to burn? To dance.
Lenny Kravitz: Yes.
Pierce Morgan: His amazing talent… I’ve never seen anything bigger than that.
Lenny Kravitz: I’m saying the greatest of all time.
Pierce Morgan: When you heard the news of his death, what did you feel? Some people who knew him had mixed feelings. For example, they say this death was the unavoidable result of his lifestyle—and of course for someone like Michael Jackson. I don’t know what I should take from it, but I think maybe he never wanted to grow old, and maybe that was a nightmare for him.
Lenny Kravitz: What you said is interesting. I also watched your interview with Jane Fonda. She said things about the same topic (Read). His death devastated me. I was frozen. I had a show in Scotland. I had come backstage to catch my breath and then go back on stage. Then I was given this news, and in that situation I was required to go on stage.
This… this… you can’t say how difficult it was. I was counting the days until his tour in London (This Is It) began. Wow! 50 nights of shows. That wasn’t a small thing.
Pierce Morgan: Do you think his legacy will be eternal? The older generation says that Sammy Davis Jr. was their “bet” time. In our time, was Michael the best?
Lenny Kravitz: Of course. Michael is incomparable.
Pierce Morgan: The greatest genius?
Lenny Kravitz: Yes.
Pierce Morgan: Of all time? Greater than everyone?
Lenny Kravitz: Yes, definitely. People know Michael and his astonishing solo career. But I know more. When he was a child, he was on par with the adult idols of that time—Aretha Franklin and James Brown. He sang with the same genius and passion as theirs, or any other great singer.
Source: eMJey.com / CNN
Lenny Kravitz: The truth is, if my father hadn’t taken me with him when I was six years old to Madison Square Garden to see the Jackson 5 (Michael and his brothers) perform, I wouldn’t be here now. That day changed my life forever. You know, after that day, the world changed for me. Their music, their talent, that incredible experience left me speechless.
And then came the time when I worked in the studio alongside Michael. I had written a song, and he was standing there, telling me that he wanted to perform it exactly the way I wanted. So if there was nothing that I wanted, I should stop the work.
We were together in the studio for a week. Unbelievable.
Pierce Morgan: What kind of man was he?
Lenny Kravitz: First, I have to say he was a beautiful presence. Extremely professional, a perfectionist. He’d been working in this industry for all these years, and he still had the same excitement as in the early days. How could it be possible to work all day and all night and then go back to the studio the next day and work all day and all night with the same passion? Nothing in him had changed.
He was an exemplary father. He treated his children wonderfully. I also spent time with the kids. We were all together in the studio. He was a great father. How funny he was. Really funny.
Pierce Morgan: He had a great sense of humor.
Lenny Kravitz: We were laughing the whole time. And I have to say he had more appetite than you might think.
Pierce Morgan: Really? So he had a lot of energy to burn? To dance.
Lenny Kravitz: Yes.
Pierce Morgan: His amazing talent… I’ve never seen anything bigger than that.
Lenny Kravitz: I’m saying the greatest of all time.
Pierce Morgan: When you heard the news of his death, what did you feel? Some people who knew him had mixed feelings. For example, they say this death was the unavoidable result of his lifestyle—and of course for someone like Michael Jackson. I don’t know what I should take from it, but I think maybe he never wanted to grow old, and maybe that was a nightmare for him.
Lenny Kravitz: What you said is interesting. I also watched your interview with Jane Fonda. She said things about the same topic (Read). His death devastated me. I was frozen. I had a show in Scotland. I had come backstage to catch my breath and then go back on stage. Then I was given this news, and in that situation I was required to go on stage.
This… this… you can’t say how difficult it was. I was counting the days until his tour in London (This Is It) began. Wow! 50 nights of shows. That wasn’t a small thing.
Pierce Morgan: Do you think his legacy will be eternal? The older generation says that Sammy Davis Jr. was their “bet” time. In our time, was Michael the best?
Lenny Kravitz: Of course. Michael is incomparable.
Pierce Morgan: The greatest genius?
Lenny Kravitz: Yes.
Pierce Morgan: Of all time? Greater than everyone?
Lenny Kravitz: Yes, definitely. People know Michael and his astonishing solo career. But I know more. When he was a child, he was on par with the adult idols of that time—Aretha Franklin and James Brown. He sang with the same genius and passion as theirs, or any other great singer.
Source: eMJey.com / CNN