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‘Cause this is Thriller…Thriller Night… Happy Halloween, listeners! To celebrate Halloween 2015 we are releasing this special episode with none other than LaVelle Smith Jr.
LaVelle Smith Jr. is one of the entertainment industry’s most decorated and influential dance choreographers. Known for his work with artists such as Michael Jackson, Janet Jackson and Beyoncé Knowles, Smith has won the MTV Video Music Award for Best Choreography five times. In addition to these accolades he is also a two-time recipient of the Bob Fosse Award and Music Video Producers Award for Outstanding Choreography. Smith has been inducted into the DuPont Manuel Hall of Fame and was the youngest inductee into the Millers Gallery of Greats.
Smith’s work with Michael Jackson began in the late 1980s, during the Bad era. Jackson recognised Smith’s unique style and began incorporating his collaborative efforts into works such as The Way You Make Me Feel and other Bad era pieces. Smith also toured with Jackson on The Bad World Tour which sparked a collaborative relationship around live performance that would endure two additional world tours (Dangerous and HIStory), the Michael Jackson and Friends benefit concerts in South Korea and Germany in 1999, and ended with the 2008 private rehearsal sessions for what evolved into Michael’s ill-fated tour, This Is It.
Smith has collaborated with Jackson on most of his dance-heavy music videos, all of his adult solo tours, and a range of other projects including his seminal horror musical film Ghosts. This interview will take you inside the mind of LaVelle Smith Jr. and his collaborative and creative process with the King of Pop. Topics include Smith’s origins in the entertainment industry, his initial work with Michael, their creative process around Ghosts, their work together in the late 2000’s and lastly, Smith’s views on choreography. We also delve into what his hopes and dreams are for the future of his already incredible career. So sit back, relax, and enjoy our Thriller Night Halloween special for 2015!
Links
LaVelle Smith Jr.’s official website and Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts.
Syl Mortilla’s halloween article Visionary: An Article on Michael Jackson’s Long Game
Michael Jackson’s Ghosts
Michael Jackson’s Thriller
Nick*’s Threatened (The Dementor’s Kiss Remix)
Dangerous live. AMA’s 1993, Wetten Das 1995, Munich 1999 & American Bandstand 2002.
Damien Shields article Inside the King of Pop’s 1995 HBO special that never was; ‘Michael Jackson: One Night Only’
Glee’s Thriller/Heads Will Roll video
Michael’s Dream Foundation
VH1’s Making of Ghosts
Michael Jackson’s The Making of Thriller
Jamon’s Halloween movie recommendations. Sinister and The Babadook.
Connect With Us
TheMJCast.com
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If you have any thoughts, opinions, or feedback on the show, we’d love to hear from you. Contact us at themjcast@icloud.com or find the links to our many social networks on www.themjcast.com. Michael On!
Hello MJCast folks,
Love the show! Thanks so much for all you’re doing to help shed light on MJ’s art and preserve his legacy. A quick question about Episode 19 with Lavelle Smith, Jr. Great interview! But is there any way you could put up a podcast without the background music? I’ve been listening for a while now and finding the music really distracting as I try to focus on tyhe discussion. Maybe it’s just my ears, so no worries if you can’t. Many thanks, again, for all you do.
MP
Love your shows, thank you for supporting Michael’s Dream and the opportunity to get the message out there. <3
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Great guest and well done Q for leading the interview! Q had a relaxing way of asking questions and reacting to LaVelle’s answers that put everyone at ease. Sometimes it feels like Q is reading his questions but it makes sense as it becomnes clear that some questions he asks on behalf of others, as he thanks them for submitted questions for LaVelle towards the end of the episode.
LaVelle’s choice of answers often leaves you wanting for more and he mentions wanting to write a book… could it be that he left out a lot on purpose to keep it for his book?
That Dangerous perfomance based on Clockwork Orange would have been an amazing fusion of such different elements from pop culture.
It was fantastic to have him as a guest, thank you!
Can you share the soundtrack of this episode? Not only does it make great Halloween background music but also… is it an instrumental of Little Suzie that we hear at some point?
I love that remix by Nick*, the first time I heard that maniacal laughter at the end I couldn’t believe it!
The conversation at the end was great fun. I love how Q starts saying “Oh I haven’t seen the making of Thriller for d… many many many years”. And the story of being startled by his husband while ironing cracked me up (same happens to me regularly while doing the dishes).
I agree on The Ring being one of the scariest movies.
So, has Jamon got his hands on the Thriller book with the hollogram cover?
Great episode, guys.
Alexandre (he/him/his)