I love Michael Jackson. Okay that’s an understatement. He’s had an impact on me since before I was able to form sentences. Like many other artists that I admire, I am always fascinated but their creative process. We always see the finished product but rarely are we granted access to the behind the scenes magic leading up to the masterpiece. “Michael Jackson’s Journey from Motown to Off the Wall” is a documentary from director Spike Lee highlighting the making of Michael Jackson’s classic album “Off the Wall”. It premiered on Showtime on Friday. Participants include musicians, record execs and industry insiders who were witnesses to the making of this gem. Admittedly, this is not my favorite Michael album. That would be “Bad” and I liked the documentary Spike did on the making of that album much more. (Bad 25) Most people I’ve talked to have said that “Off the Wall” is their favorite album of his. Overall, I enjoyed the movie although I could have done with a little less of the Motown era segments. It seems almost laughable that Michael had to prove to people that he was a serious ADULT artist and not the same MJ who sang “ABC”. Both Michael and his music producer Quincy Jones had to fight to make this album because people at the label felt that the two wouldn’t be a good fit since Quincy was jazz guy. Of course, they were wrong and the rest is history. It’s no coincidence that the great artists in history had to fight for their craft. For every one person who tells you yes, there are nine people who tell you no. The most telling segment in the show is where you see a letter that Michael wrote to himself we he prophetized the greatness that was yet to come. Were any of you able to catch it? If so, what did you think? Do you have a favorite Michael album? Do tell!
