054: CJ DeVillar Special

CJ DeVillar is a bassist and mix engineer who’s had the honour of working with artists like Quincy Jones, Boyz II Men, Van Halen and Yolanda Adams – but he joins us today, of course, to discuss his work with the King of Pop, Michael Jackson. He tells us how he came to meet and work with Michael and shares some intimate memories from the studio, where he and Michael worked on songs including Break of Dawn, Blue Gangsta and A Place With No Name. Jankins, host of the Moonwalk Talks podcast, joins us for this special interview with one of Michael’s collaborators during some of the last studio sessions of his life.

Links
• 
Damien Shields’ website and Xscape Origins book
• Jankins’ website
• Moonwalk Talks website
• Glenn Tipton’s Baptizm of Fire album
• Michael Jackson – A Place With No Name
• Michael Jackson – A Place With No Name (Vandalized Version)
• Michael Jackson – Break of Dawn
• Michael Jackson – Blue Gangsta
• Michael Jackson – Blue Gangsta (Vandalized Version)
• Michael Jackson – Xscape (Deluxe Edition)
• Jackson 5 – Dancing Machine (Live on the Carol Burnett Show)
• Jackson 5 – ABC (Live on the Ed Sullivan Show)
• Michael Jackson – Working Day and Night (Demo)
• Michael Jackson – Don’t Stop Til You Get Enough (Demo)
• Brandy – It’s Not Worth It (feat. Michael Jackson)
• Michael Jackson – Unbreakable (feat. Brandy)

Music Breaks & Ads
• 
Michael Jackson – A Place With No Name
• Michael Jackson – Break of Dawn (Dr Reignier Remix)

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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.comMichael On!

Thanks to listener Cody Covington, we now have a full transcript available for this episode. Our deepest thanks and gratitude, Cody.

052: Michael Prince Special

Michael Prince worked with Michael Jackson from the mid 90’s onwards, eventually becoming Jackson’s closest studio engineer, a man whom was trusted to capture the King of Pop’s most personal creative visions. From the HIStory World Tour, to the Invincible album, to the beautiful charity single What More Can I Give and right up until This Is It and the final studio songs Michael Jackson was working on, Michael Prince was involved.

Links
• 
Michael Prince’s Facebook, Twitter and Instagram
• Legs Diamond’s Facebook and iTunes
• Charles Thomson’s Facebook, Twitter and website
• James Alay’s Facebook and Instagram
• Los Lobos – La Bamba
• Damien Shields’ One Night Only article
• Michael Jackson’s HIStory World Tour live in Munich, Germany
• Michael Jackson’s Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix album
• Michael Jackson’s 30th Anniversary Celebration concert
• Michael Jackson’s I Am A Loser (Demo) and Damien Shields’ article
• Michael Jackson’s A Place With No Name and Damien Shields’ article
• Michael Jackson – What More Can I Give
• Michael Jackson – One More Chance
• Michael Jackson – Hollywood Tonight
• Michael Jackson – Best of Joy (Acapella)
• Michael Jackson’s Hold My Hand (feat. Akon) and Damien Shields’s article
• Michael Jackson – Xscape
• Can’t Get Your Weight Off Of Me leaked snippet
• Michael Prince and LaVelle Smith Jr. on Piers Morgan Tonight

Music Breaks & Ads
• 
Michael Jackson – Blue Gangsta (Demo)
• Michael Jackson – One More Chance (Night & Day Uptempo R&B Remix)
• Michael Jackson – I Am A Loser (Demo)
• Michael Jackson – Hollywood Tonight (Demo)
• Michael Jackson – Best Of Joy (Acoustic) by Nick* and CMCC

Connect with Us
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• Facebook
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• YouTube

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.comMichael On!

Thanks to listener Cody Covington, we now have a full transcript available for this episode. Our deepest thanks and gratitude, Cody.

Episode 043 – Thriller Night Special feat. CJ DeVillar

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Happy Thriller Night! To celebrate Halloween 2016, Q and Jamon are joined by host of fellow Michael Jackson podcast Moonwalk Talks, Jankins along with bassist, studio engineer and MJ collaborator CJ DeVillar. CJ collaborated with Michael on a range of songs including the unreleased and authentic version of Monster (which we discuss in detail on this episode), Blue Gangsta, A Place With No Name, Break of Dawn and multiple tracks on the HIStory album.

To kick things off, Jamon and Q spring an impromptu interview on Jankins, followed by a discussion around all the latest news in the MJ world. Topics include the recent and unfortunate passing of Thriller songwriter Rod Temperton, a new Michael Jackson project as revealed by John Landis and Nick Amideo’s Monster Movie Mash video. The team then discuss Travis DeRose’ marathon moonwalk across Europe, a competition around Smooth Criminals – The Songs of Michael Jackson and a new dance video set to Black or White. The news is capped off through an update on the Sony/ATV acquisition and a brand new book coming from The Jacksons called The Jacksons: Legacy. The main discussion topic for this episode is a chronological exploration into Michael’s horror themed work.

News

Main Discussion Topic

Finds of the Week

Additional Links

Music Breaks & Ads

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Tumblr.
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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.comMichael on!

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Episode 040 – The Gold Pants Brigade

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On this episode, Jason Garcia of The MJCast en Español joins Jamon as a guest host in Q’s absence. Jamon and Jason kick Episode 040 off with some follow up discussion around Episode 039‘s show length and how Jason feels being one month into hosting The MJCast en Español. News items include Kingvention 2016 (including an audio roundup from Karin and Elizabeth of The Journal of Michael Jackson Academic Studies), the 3T weekend in Amsterdam (with an audio roundup from Christophe Charlot, author Travelling with a King) and an update on Christophe’s MJBackstage magazine. Following this, the guys discuss Rogue Magazine publishing never-before-seen photos and videos of Michael Jackson, Ghana’s President discussing Michael Jackson in his address to the United Nations, a new book on the HIStory era by Brice Najar and finally Brad Sundberg‘s late 2016 plans for In the Studio with Michael Jackson. The main discussion topic for this episode is all around the Michael Jackson songs that Jason and Jamon feel are his most underrated. Special thanks to L. Josefin (@_linajosefin on Twitter) for this great idea.

Follow Up

News

  • Kingvention 2016 honours Dangerous 25 in style.
  • 3T weekend in Amsterdam recap
  • MJBackstage is to issue its final regularly released magazine this November.
  • The latest issue of Rogue Magazine is set to feature unpublished images of Michael Jackson.
  • Ghana’s President tells the United Nations to dance to the tune of Michael Jackson.
  • Let’s Make HIStory: An Insight Into the HIStory Album by Brice Najar is to be released in French and English versions.
  • Upcoming In the Studio with Michael Jackson events. London, Dublin, Berlin…and Mexico City!

Main Discussion Topic 

  • “What less famous MJ songs deserve recognition?” – L. Josefin (@_linajosefin on Twitter)
  • Jamon
    • You Can’t Win
    • Someone In The Dark
    • Lady In My Life
    • Hot Street
    • Song Groove (AKA Abortion Papers)
    • Someone Put Your Hand Out
    • Why You Wanna Trip On Me?
    • Money
    • Ghosts
    • Is It Scary
    • Morphine
    • Break Of Dawn
    • Do You Know Where Your Children Are?
    • Xscape
    • Jamon’s most underrated MJ song – We’ve Had Enough
  • Jason
    • On The Line
    • She’s Out Of My Life [Demo]
    • The Girl Is Mine [Mexico Deposition]
    • The Girl Is Mine 2008 (feat. Will.I.Am)
    • P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing) [Demo]
    • Stranger In Moscow
    • Morphine
    • Childhood
    • Blood On The Dancefloor
    • Fall Again
    • In The Back
    • Beautiful Girl
    • One More Chance
    • Get On The Floor
    • I Can’t Help It
    • Who Is It
    • This Time Around
    • 2 Bad
    • 2000 Watts
    • Threatened
    • Speechless
    • Slave To The Rhythm
    • Sunset Driver
    • Jason’s most underrated MJ song – Whatever Happens
  • Q
    • For All Time
    • Fall Again
    • Threatened
    • Speechless
    • Childhood
    • Whatever Happens
    • You Can’t Win
    • Someone In The Dark
    • Seeing Voices
    • Elizabeth I Love You
    • Dangerous
    • Lady In My Life [Extended Version]
    • Brandy – It’s Not Worth It (special mention for MJ’s background vocals)
    • Q’s most underrated MJ song – You Were There

Finds of the Week

Additional Links

Music Breaks & Ads

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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.comKeep Michaeling!

Episode 007 – We Come in Peace

Episode 007 - We Come In Peace YouTube ArtQ returns from his US/Canada/Hong Kong trip and is back on board to discuss the future (or lack thereof) of Captain EO in Disney parks, Michael Jackson being nominated by the Billboard Music Awards for Top R&B Album of 2015 with Xscape and the upcoming Broadway version of The Wiz. We also discuss Unity: The Latin Tribute to Michael Jackson, MJ tribute artist Dimitri Reeves performing Michael’s music amidst the Baltimore Riots, the Estate of Michael Jackson partnering with Authentic Brands Group for an international merchandising business relationship, Kingvention 2015 and the Thriller Studio Tour at Westlake Recording Studios, Hollywood! Lastly, we launch into an in depth discussion around Q’s experiences at the Cirque Du Soleil MJOne show at Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas.

News
Disney’s Captain EO to be closed?! What’s really going on here?
Michael Jackson’s Xscape album is nominated for Top R&B Album of 2015 by the Billboard Music Awards.
The Wiz is set to be NBC’s next live musical in late 2015, also coming to broadway in 2016 with Cirque Du Soleil‘s inolvement!
Unity: The Latin Tribute to Michael Jackson is out. Read all about this great album on this NBC article.
Michael Jackson tribute artist Dimitri Reeves performs MJ songs amidst the Baltimore Riots and gives an interview about it here!
The Estate of Michael Jackson and Authentic Brands Group partner to expand the Michael Jackson brand worldwide.
A Michael Jackson convention called Kingvention 2015 is happening in London on Saturday the 12th of September, 2015.
Thriller Studio Tour at Westlake Recording Studios in Hollywood is Back for 2015!

Discussion Topic
Q’s thoughts on Michael Jackson One, the Cirque Du Soleil/Michael Jackson show at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas.

Finds of the Week
Jamon – Tristan Jackson’s #MakeThatChange video project
Q – 2CELLOS They Don’t Care About Us music video

Additional Links
Messenger King: Michael Jackson and the politics of #BlackLivesMatter by D.B. Anderson
Kerry Anderson’s Facebook page and Agape Love, the Facebook page for his upcoming book.
Red Bubble’s Keep Michaeling t-shirt
Xscapeorigins.com, the website for the new book on Michael Jackson’s creative process, by Damien Shields.

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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. Keep Michaeling!