PRINCE RIVALRY KEPT JACKSON UP AT NIGHTMICHAEL JACKSON's longtime pop rivalry with PRINCE was partly to blame for the superstar's death - because he worked himself into the grave to make sure his comeback shows in London were better than anything the PURPLE RAIN hitmaker could produce.
Randy Phillips, the promoter behind the ill-fated comeback shows, has revealed the costs of the This Is It production were spiralling out of control in the weeks leading up to the King of Pop's death in June (09) - because the pop superstar couldn't stop coming up with expensive ideas.
Phillips, the president of promotion firm AEG Live which organised the London concerts, held a meeting with Jackson and his musical director Kenny Ortega and begged the star to stop adding ideas.
He tells Entertainment Weekly magazine that Jackson was worried Prince would get the ideas if he ignored them.
He explains, "We went and met with Michael, and Kenny said, 'Michael, you've got to stop. We've got an incredible show, we don't need any more vignettes.'
"Michael said, 'But Kenny, God channels this through me at night. I can't sleep because I'm so super-charged.'
"Kenny said, 'But Michael, we have to finish. Can't God take a vacation?' Without missing a beat, Michael said, 'You don't understand - if I'm not there to receive these ideas, God might give them to Prince.'"




15 October 2009 22:06

http://www.contactmusic.c...ht_1119199

If true then it's not Prince's fault

Sounds tabloidish.

hmm intresting

Timmy84 said:

No, it's from a recorded interview w/ Ebony magazine. They played those clips right after his death. It was the last interview he did before his death (a few years before actually). However, he could have been talking about his song, or Prince in general.

Let's also remember that it's a bunch of bullshit to think MJ was up fretting over Prince. Even when that interview took place, which was July 2008, Prince wasn't exactly selling oodles of records (not without having included them in the price of a concert ticket). It doesn't seem logical that MJ would be fretting over Prince getting ideas instead of him.

Also, the gifts of God are without repentance, meaning that once God gives someone a gift, any gift, whether it's an idea for a show, a book idea, a picture to draw, a song to write, or a mouth to feed, He never takes it back. He doesn't renege on gifts. MJ's focus was a bit off, but his alleged fretting over Prince isn't what sent him to the grave.

ernestsewell said:

Yeah I see what you mean. I meant the way the title is, lol. I think the way MJ said it he was joking or something.

MJ was obsessed....

Revolution said:

Fuck ur sig man. MJ was a genius because he was making hits since he was 10...no one can debate the man was a fucken genius.Even prince said he was a musical genius.

voyevoda said:

when prince said that
[Edited 10/15/09 19:09pm]

JarviusLovesexy said:

In a interview once he was ask one word to describe Michael Jackson and he replayed "Musical Genius". I heard it on these forums several times.

voyevoda said:

Yep and then when he was asked what Janet was to him, he said "genius' sister", lol

The way I see it (and bear in mind I'm a HUGE fan of both) is that Michael always saw Prince as his rival. Always. Michael instigated the "rivalry" and fed stories about to the media for PR purposes.

Prince never saw it that way, because he's always been just about the music mostly. Although I love their music equally, Prince has never concerned himself with PR stunts whereas Michael was all about that (giant statue of himself floating down the river anyone? )

I think Michael was very much intimidated by Prince's talent. I mean, if Michael had a musical idea in his head, it might take him a few days, a few engineers and a bunch of session musicians before he got it to where he wanted it, whereas Prince would bang out a hit in a few hours, play everything on it, mix it, boom.

Also Prince was the one every other artist was attempting to copy musically. Everyone from Ready For The World to Phil Collins etc. And of course on top of Prince's own hits you had joints like "Manic Monday" and "Stand Back" getting a lot of play.Let's not forget that Janet and Latoya were big Prince fans and it's been said they would play "1999" and "Controversy" a lot at the Jackson HQ in Encino, and Michael was still living there too.

I think Michael wanted to feel more in control. I hate to say it but I think "We Are The World" was an exercise in egomania as much as it was a charitible thing to do. All those big artists, singing Michael's song. It's no wonder Prince didn't want to be part of it, he was his own man. Same thing with him turning down "Bad". The idea for Prince and Michael to duet on "Bad" was purely done from a PR and hype perspective and not a musical one.

We don't know how serious Michael's tone was, how he meant this statement he said to Kenny at the This Is It rehearsals, but let's remember that even when people say things like this jokingly there's usually some truth behind it.

I've no doubt that he would have liked to beat Prince's record of 21 nights at the O2, but it was never gonna happen. Aside from Prince's alleged hip issues, Prince is a fit, healthy, drug-free man and even he was most likely exhausted at the end of his 12 nights residency. Even before MJ passed I was saying that if the shows did go ahead, there was no way that Michael would be able to do more than 10, at the very most.

All the people around Michael simply saw dollar signs in their eyes. Nobody was concerned about his well-being. It's certainly not implausible to think that perhaps he wanted to cancel the whole thing, and so they killed him.
[Edited 10/15/09 19:32pm]

Let's be honest here: MJ was bigger than Prince as far as followers, fans and consumers. That is NOT a knock on Prince in the artistry department, since we all know sales don't always reflect talent. But there'd be no reason for Jackson to be worried about outdoing Prince, because he wouldn't really have to try if sales or turnout or breaking records was his goal.

I also have to disagree about the people who say he couldn't do the shows. I really don't believe this guy's condition deteriorated so much in 12 years where he was hopscotching the globe doing two-hour, high-energy shows to the point he could only do ten in the same residency. Not buying it. The overdose of drugs is what killed him. Had it not happened, he may still be playing a dangerous game with the personal doctors and drugs, but I reckon he'd be able to do the shows, only cancelling the odd one here or there, not unlike any other artist.
[Edited 10/15/09 19:35pm]
[Edited 10/15/09 19:36pm]

Revolution said:

If I remember correctly, it was a joke Michael made to Kenny



@ people on the Org thinking Michael was obsessed with Prince or vice versa. I took it as 2 icons who had a friendly competition over the years. They had alot of respect for each other

JarviusLovesexy said:

During an interview Prince had with Tom Joyner when Musicology came out

Not to mention, both guys were more than 20 years past the point of needing to be obsessed with each other anyways. If this garbage went down in 1986, then maybe I could buy the hype.

Timmy84 said:

N!GGA WHAT!?!??!?!?!?!

Revolution said:

midiscover said:

I see you in that Stevie/Prince thread laughin'


you ain't laughin' now!

midiscover said:

Yes he said that.

Prince saw the Jackson Five in 1974.

bboy87 said:

Prince was probably tipsy and mixed MJ up for Janet
Janet's the genius.

LittleBLUECorvette said:

Yeah I figured that. The Jackson 5 had to have been a major inspiration to him and seeing another 16-year-old doing it the way MJ did it put something in Prince, that's why he began doing music around that age.

midiscover said:

Prince hadn't been drunk in about 17 years when he said that. He was being truthful.

Timmy84 said:

No, he was just being kind
MJ is no genius

midiscover said:

Oh you done did it now... and on that note:

midiscover said:

Can't Mike and Janet both be geniuses?


If he wants "genius' sister"..... LaToya is right there for the taking

bboy87 said:

Exactly.

Both of them them are geniuses in their own way. MJ/Janet rule.
[Edited 10/15/09 20:24pm]

bboy87 said:

Janet's so misunderstood


*runs off crying*