Cute Michael Jackson Stories ( 8 )

  

Thriller錄影，1983年11月

http://lacienegasmiled.wordpress ... el-jackson-stories/

中文來源：mjjcn.com  編輯翻譯：stroller

John Landis（Thriller導演）：

當時和Michael的合作簡直太神奇了，因為我們處在巔峰——就好像在Beatles狂熱最頂點時和beatles合作一樣。和他在一起的經歷非同尋常，因為他實在是有名得出奇。我曾經說，那就好像是跟耶穌在一起一樣，因為人們看到他就會陷入歇斯底里。還有Michael的那些朋友——這太瘋狂了！有時候你會聽到，“Michael，William Disney（Walt Disney的兒子）打電話來”，或者是Fred Astaire，Michael還是個孩子的時候就跟他很熟了。“Mike，亨利基辛格（Henry Kissinger）打電話來”、“Mike，雷根總統打電話來。”怪異而瘋狂的事情隨時都有可能發生。
拍攝Thriller時我最喜愛的一刻、也是我這一生中難得的無語時刻是：我們在一家位於洛杉磯東邊的肉類加工廠裏拍墳墓那場戲，那是在一個貨運場旁邊，一個危險的社區。我們在外面拍攝，Michael的助理過來跟我說：“Michael想在他的房車裏見你。”我說：“好的，我20分鐘後到。”於是我出去，大概是淩晨3點半，外面有一輛Winnebago房車，還有一大幫保安，我上去敲門，Michael對我說：“John，你認識Onassis夫人嗎？”而坐在裏面的是Jackie Kennedy。

John Landis：我們辦了一場首映式，因為Michael想要一個首映式，那簡直是一場暴動。我去過奧斯卡、我去過英國電影學院獎、我去過艾美獎、我去過金球獎，但我從沒參加過一場這樣的首映式。太令人難以置信了。從Diana Ross到Warren Beatty，甚至Prince，每個人都在那裏。簡直是瘋狂、驚人……我們得到了全場起立歡呼，人們大聲喊著：“再來一遍，再來一遍！”於是我說：“再來一遍？沒有他媽的再來一遍了！”然後Eddie Murphy站起來喊道：“把那該死的東西再放一邊！”於是大家坐下又看了一遍Thriller。
這太令人驚歎了，太令人驚歎了…

Marty Thomas（Thriller道具助理）：

這是一項漫長又隱秘的工作，你知道吧？我記得我們還得簽一份保密協議，不能告訴任何人我們在拍什麼，連家人都不能說……這對於當時的MV拍攝來說是非常罕見的。他們會列印出拍攝地點的地圖到處放著，但那上面都是假位址。有些報紙的人會溜進劇組，偷到這些地圖，結果他們發現跑到了老遠老遠的山谷裏一家關了門的購物中心。

我正在吃午餐呢，Michael過來坐到我們頭上，跟別人說話。這只是一張職員的飯桌，平時他跟我們保持著距離。實際上，從拍攝一開始就有人告訴我們，如果跟Michael說話，你就被開除了。所以，當他坐在那裏時，我們都想“哦，上帝！”，然後他跟我們說話了。他帶過來一個蛋黃醬和豆芽菜三明治，說：“誰想吃掉這個？”我說：“我來吃掉它！”於是他分了半個三明治給我。

我吃了幾口，但他離開後，我就打住了。一個夥計問我：“那你幹嘛要呢？”我說：“其實，我只是想到80歲的時候，可以跟人說‘我吃過半個Michael Jackson的三明治’。蛋黃醬現在對人們來說太不健康了——他不吃肉，但他愛吃所有那些油脂。

 Thriller video, November 1983

John Landis It was amazing working with Michael at the time because it was at the height – it was like working with The Beatles at the height of Beatlemania or something, it was extraordinary being with him, because he was just ridiculously famous. It was like being with Jesus I used to say, because people used to see him and go into hysterics. Also, Michael’s friends – it was so nuts. It used to be like, ‘Michael, William [son of Walt] Disney’s on the phone,’ or Fred Astaire, who Michael had known very well since he was a kid. ‘Mike, Henry Kissinger’s on the phone’; ‘Mike, President Reagan’s calling.’ Bizarro shit all the time.
My favourite moment during the making of Thriller, and one of the few times in my life I’ve ever been speechless, was when we were shooting the graveyard set in a meatpacking plant in East LA, a dodgy neighbourhood, by a freightyard. And we’re shooting away and Michael’s assistant comes to me and he says, ‘Michael would like to see you in his trailer.’ And I was like, ‘OK, I’ll be out in 20 minutes.’

So I go out – and it’s like 3.30 in the morning – and there’s a Winnebago out there and there’s loads of security there, so I step up and I knock, and Michael’s like, ‘John, do you know Mrs Onassis?’ and it was Jackie Kennedy…

John Landis: We had a première – which was a riot – because Michael wanted a première. I’ve been to the Oscars and I’ve been to the Baftas, I’ve been to the Emmys, I’ve been to the Golden Globes, and I’ve never been anywhere like this première. It was incredible. There was everyone from Diana Ross and Warren Beatty to Prince. It was nuts. Amazing… got a standing ovation and all that stuff and they’re shouting, ‘Encore, encore,’ and I said ‘Encore? There is no f—ing encore!’
Then Eddie Murphy got up and shouted, ‘Show the goddamn thing again!’ So they sat and they watched Thriller again. Why not?
It was just amazing, it was just amazing…

Marty Thomas (props assistant on Thriller): It was a long job and it was secret, you know? I remember we had to sign a non-disclosure agreement and not to tell anybody what we were filming, not to tell family or anything… very, very rare for music videos back then. What they would do is print up maps to the location and leave them around, but they were false locations. Somebody from the press would sneak on set and steal these maps and they were just sort of locations of the shopping mall that’s closed, way way out in the Valley.
I was having lunch and Michael came and sat at the head of our table to talk to somebody else. It was just a crew table, and usually he was pretty separated – in fact, they told us at the start of the shoot, if anybody talks to Michael, you’re fired. So he sat down and we’re like, ‘Oh, God,’ and he started talking with us, and he had with him a mayonnaise and beansprout sandwich, and he said, ‘Anyone wanna finish this?’ and I said, ‘I’ll finish it!’ So he gave me half of his mayonnaise and beansprout sandwich.

I ate a few bites and after he left I didn’t finish it, and one of the guys said, ‘Why’d you take that?’ I said, ‘Actually, I just want to be able to say when I’m 80, I just want to say, I ate half of Michael Jackson’s sandwich.’ Like, mayonnaise is supposed to be so bad for you now – he won’t eat meat, but he’ll eat all that lard.