Jennifer Batten (Michael Jackson)

February 2010


When she first heard the news of Michael Jackson’s death, Jennifer Batten didn’t believe it.
“I’d heard so many rumours about him over the years that I thought it was probably another rumour.”
Then realisation turned to anger.
“I was angry at how he’d been treated the past 15 years or so. The whole lawsuit thing and the press had things to a level it didn’t belong at.”
She hadn’t seen or spoken to him in 12 years, not since the end of the HIStory World Tour, her third playing guitar for the King Of Pop. The three jaunts totaled one-and-a-half years and over four-and-a-half-million people.
“There was Michael and his gang, then the band and dancers, and the roadies would travel on a different schedule. But at rehearsals everyone had access to him. And he was very open.
“Once we were on the road he couldn’t hang out with us, unless he shut down amusement parks, which he did several times over the years so we could hang out. Or if we were out (on the road) during Christmas or Thanksgiving he’d have big dinners with us.”
She adds: “We would have a group prayer before we’d go on the stage. But after a show he was gone before we hit the last note, for security reasons.”
Batten was turned on to the guitar through jealousy.
“My sister had a guitar and I didn’t,” she says.
“I told my parents that was what I wanted for my next birthday and my dad got me an electric guitar and some lessons. I really took to it.”
She adds: “My sister doesn’t play any more. She’s a book editor.”
Sounds dull in comparison.
“I know!,” she laughs.
Batten trained at a Hollywood music school and was playing in six bands simultaneously when she heard of an audition to play in Jackson’s band for his Bad world tour in 1988.
Out of more than a hundred, she got the gig.
Did he particularly want a female guitarist?
“I never talked to Michael about it but he was always looking for something different, something to wow people. I think it was a combination of that and that I could play the Beat It solo.”
This weekend she’ll be holding a workshop to explain her guitar techniques.
“I tear apart the stuff that I do and open it up to any questions. It’s mostly the anoraks who turn out to that,” she laughs.
Do they always want to know how to play the Beat It solo?
“I try to avoid it because I’ve played it so many times, I’m kinda done with that,” she laughs.
The Michael Jackson movie, This Is It, showed another female guitarist rehearsing with him for the 02 shows that never were. After playing on the previous three tours was she offended not to be asked?
“He wanted a whole new thing with young musicians and young dancers,” says Batten, who has also worked with guitar great Jeff Beck.
“And I think it was a smart move because I had done it three times already and he had someone who was so excited about it like I was the first time.”
How does she remember him?
“He was very even tempered, he was a creative tornado, he was very much hands on. And very kind to people. When things went wrong he never lost his temper, never yelled at anybody. He was a joy to work for. A very pure spirit who wanted the best for people.”


Jennifer Batten, The Guitar Bar at Deux, Clumber Avenue, Sherwood Rise, Saturday February 20, 1pm to 4pm. Tickets: £35, 07770 226926, www.theguitarbar.co.uk

'I taught Jacko the Moonwalk'

November 2009

They first met in 1979 after a concert by The Jacksons in Los Angeles. "There was an afterparty at this swanky restaurant in Beverly Hills," says Jeffrey Daniel, then the frontman of disco group Shalamar.
"I waited for an opportunity to go over and he was like (sings) 'the second time around...'
"This is after his sold-out concert and he's singing the chorus to my song. That's just how cool he was.
"But I didn't know at that time that he was already a fan of my dancing."
They became friends and Daniel would teach Jackson a number of dance moves, most famously the moonwalk. But where did he get that from?
"From the dance group The Electric Boogaloos and it was called the Backslide. But I wanted to do it right across the stage with Shalamar so I adapted it with long slides."
Daniel also choreographed Michael's Bad and Smooth Criminal videos (in which he also featured) and was creative consultant on a number of live tours.
Which is why the film Michael Jackson's This Is It, essentially a collection of clips from The King Of Pop's rehearsals for his planned 02 Arena shows, is familiar territory for Daniel.
"I'll have a different reaction from the general audience because I worked with him for such a long time," says Daniel, who saw the film at its London premiere last week.
He adds: "He was putting together some pretty nice visuals. And I've never seen him wear that many costumes before. That was pretty interesting for me. But what else can I say? It wasn't meant for public viewing but that's all we have left."
So what was he like?
"Extremely smart, more socially-conscious than most people would give him credit for and a very hard-worker. I know everything sounds cliched but it's all true."
Daniel learned to dance from an early age.
"We were raised in the projects (state-funded housing) area of east Los Angeles and dancing was just what we did in our neighbourhood. It was our culture.

"I loved it and it kept me away from things I shouldn't have been doing. I couldn't drink and dance. And I was never into drugs, even cigarettes. I was only into dancing and music."
His mother, who raised her three children as a single parent, was a classical pianist and ran a church choir, so music, like dancing, was a big part of his childhood.
"I was listening to The Beatles, Sonny and Cher, The Monkees, The Turtles, then Motown and Ray Charles. Being in California I was listening to it all."
After success as a dancer on the US TV show Soul Train, he formed Shalamar – a band that sold 25 million albums and had worldwide hits with A Night to Remember, Friends and There it is.
Shalamar are credited with introducing West Coast Street Dance into Europe, sparking a craze of body popping and robotics.
After the group split he went back to dance teaching. Daniel now lives in Japan.
He'll be teaching his moves at a masterclass at Dance Doctors in Long Eaton on November 16, part of which will include a Q&A session. Isn't he worried that these will be hijacked by questions about Michael Jackson?
"Well, that's obviously going to be a factor but if they're coming just to find out about Michael then when we get to the dancing they're going to walk out sore," he laughs.

The last time he spoke to Michael Jackson was around two years ago.
His death is bizarre, he added. "None of it makes much sense to me, still to this day."
He adds: "I think we, the people that really knew him, regret that we weren't there to say 'hey, what the hell's going on?'"
His fondest memory in the 30 years he knew Jackson was at Neverland.
"It was just the two of us walking together one night. We were going to see Toy Story in his cinema and we just talked. Not business, just life, children, family, girlfriends, wives, what we want to do... and that's something I'll treasure for the rest of my life."

Jeffrey Daniel will present a masterclass at Dance Doctors Studios, 3 C West End Mills, 2 Leopold Street, Long Eaton, on Monday, November 16 at 5pm (beginners) and 7pm (advanced). Tickets are £25, call 0115 946 4822 or visit www.dancedoctors.co.uk.

Gladys Knight/Tito Jackson, Trent FM Arena

October 2009

Few had turned out to bid Gladys farewell and help Tito through his grief. I’d estimate 2,500, which is less than a third of the arena’s capacity.
Then again at £40 to £50 a ticket they shouldn’t have been surprised.
Or so I thought.
While it was one of the least attended shows I’ve ever seen at the arena, Gladys and Tito delivered nearly three hours of quality.
Of course, many were waiting to see what Tito would say about his younger brother. Very little as it happened.
By way of an introduction to a series of blues numbers (during which he proved himself an impressive guitarist) he said: “I definitely have the blues.” Then asked for a round of applause: “Let’s give a hand for Michael, wasn’t he great stuff?”
And the reported musical tribute he and his 11-piece band were performing on this tour was in fact a medley of Jackson 5 numbers -- Rockin’ Robin, I Want You Back, ABC and the poignant I’ll Be There. The latter prompted a standing ovation, mostly for the lead vocals of Nicole, a member of the extensive Jackson clan.
But it wasn’t designed to bring us down - Tito sported an afro wig declaring “I want to go back.” There was more goofing around with his band of “dogs” as he called them. And despite the small number of people in front of him, the man in the bright yellow suit looked to be having a ball for an hour.

Gladys Knight was no less professional if a little more Vegas (which has been home for three decades) and talkative.
Her three best known tunes -- Best Thing That Ever Happened To Me, License To Kill and Midnight Train To Georgia -- were evenly spread throughout a 110 minute set.
The range of covers dated back to 1961 (Every Beat Of My Heart) through to the early 90s (Boy II Men’s End Of The Road).
The highlight was a Motown medley with remaining Pip and elder brother Merald joining her on stage: Dancing In The Street, My Guy, My Girl, Stop In The Name Of Love, Mercy Mercy Me.
And his goofing was genuinely hilarious despite the scripted spontaneity.
Knight’s attempt to introduce each song as if it had meaning grew tiring as did her schmaltz (everything was “fabulous” or “an honour” or “special”).
But there was no denying her incredible voice.
If you chose to spend your hard-earned on The Nolans or Richard Hawley last night, you missed out on one of the shows of the year.

Gladys Knight

As a friend of the Jackson family, Gladys Knight was hit harder than most by The King of Pop's death but it was "God's plan" she says. Ahead of her farewell show at the Trent FM Arena next month SIMON WILSON spoke to the Empress of Soul.



IT is 5am in Las Vegas but Gladys Knight isn't ending her evening in the city that never sleeps with a round of press interviews. "You know what? I'm an early riser," says the 65-year-old, dubbed the Empress of Soul.
"I've been to bed but I wake up around two or three. I know that's crazy but I got this way when I first had my kids – waking up for the feeding. I just kept it going.
"I'm a morning girl. Plus, I'm an insomniac."
Though she was born in Atlanta, Georgia, Vegas has been home to Knight for more than 30 years.
And for the past four years she has been off the world touring circuit, committing to a residency at the Flamingo Hotel & Casino in her adopted home city.
"It was a fantastic experience. It was two shows a night to start with, five nights a week, every week for four-and-half years. The only time I was out was when I was sick."
Did she prefer that to being on the road?

"I didn't mind it, you know, because I've been flipping and flopping this road for.... (laughs) OK people go ahead and ask me 'how old are you?"
37?
"(Laughs) Yeah, right.
"But it had been a long time so it was enjoyable. You get to know your family again, you get to watch your grandchildren grow up and I got to spend time with my husband."
But next month she'll be on the road once again bringing the same show to the UK.
"It's the same show to some degree," says the great grandmother.
"When you have an intimate setting like Vegas, you can talk a lot and you can shake hands with people. If you're in an arena it's a little bit less intimate so you have to reach them with a little more... how can I put it?... energy, maybe. And production and stuff like that.
"So that will be the difference. But I love to talk so that will be difficult."
I know you're a great-grandmother but why say goodbye on this tour? There's still performance life in you, isn't there?
"I would like to think so but we can't take things for granted. Tomorrow you're never promised. I wouldn't want to go out of this business – or even life – without saying goodbye."
She's determined it won't be the first of a few farewell tours.
"I've never appreciated in our industry where people would retire and then the next month they're back."
She doesn't rule out performing again but that will be strictly special occasions.
"Say, for instance, Elton and I are friends and if he asked me to do a benefit with him I would."
Joining her on the tour will be a number of surprise guests. Dionne Warwick, who Knight sang with on the 1985 hit That's What Friends Are For, has been confirmed to appear in Manchester (I guess that's no surprise now).
No-one has been lined up for the Nottingham date as yet but Tito Jackson will be opening all of the shows on the seven-city tour with his 14-piece band The Funk Brothers. His set will include a tribute to brother Michael.
Knight and the Jackson family have been friends since the early sixties. She introduced the Jackson 5, of which Tito was a founder member, to Motown label boss Berry Gordy.
"I watched those kids grow, from when they were really, really little kids," she says.
"And as they got older they got to be friends with my kids. So I know the family very well. Katherine is such a wonderful woman to me. I just love her to death."
Knight, a Mormon, uses an unusual phrase to describe Michael Jackson's death when I ask how she reacted to it.
"It really was sad in my heart for Michael's homegoing. But it's not our plan. That belongs to God. And as much as we'll miss him... we should be joyful for him that he's not in pain anymore.
"And he doesn't have people speculating about his life...well, you know, they still do."
Now they're speculating about his death.
"I know, you know. It's just really sad that our world, not just our country but our world has come to (view) gossip and speculation as what the news is all about rather than facts.
"The integrity has gone out of the news industry."

Alerted that my time is almost up and not wanting to end on a downer, I ask how Gladys Knight feels about the label Empress of Soul.
"Is that what they call me?" she laughs, like she's never heard it before.
"Work on it, work on it!" she adds, hysterically.
"That people would think of me that way, I love it!"
She invites me to say hello at next month's concert (they usually do) and says how much she's looking forward to it – which they always do but Knight has a very good, if bizarre, reason.
"I love shopping over there," she hollers.
"And I hate shopping!"

Uri Geller

January 2006


MICHAEL Jackson and he aren’t friends any more, says Uri Geller, the former Israeli soldier-turned-spoon bending mind man. It isn’t because Geller introduced him to Martin Bashir, the result of which was the damning documentary Living With Michael Jackson and the subsequent court case for child abuse — for which, he was, of course, acquitted.
No, Jackson has upset him.
“I do not consider him a friend any more,” says Geller. “A few months ago he said some anti-Semitic remarks. I will say the word allegedly. These remarks were played on American television. They played a tape. I was very hurt by those remarks.
“Remember he was my best man when I renewed my wedding vows. I introduced him to rabbis... to hear those words was very hurtful.”
The words, broadcast on ABC TV last November, were from a 2003 recording during which Jackson appears to complain about Jewish members of the music industry who he believed had conspired to wreck his career.
“They suck them [pop stars] like leeches... they start out the most popular person in the world, make a lot of money, big house, cars and everything and end up penniless.
“It’s a conspiracy. The Jews do it on purpose.”
So why hasn’t he called to quiz him?
“He won’t take my calls.”
The pair first spoke six years ago when Geller was visiting Mohammed Al Fayed’s home and Jackson called.
“He said he always wanted to meet me because he’d read about me in American school books. And he was always fascinated by mind power and the mysteries of the universe.”
They met soon after in New York. It was in the city years later that Geller would hypnotise Jackson at his request.
“He told me he had some kind of a... he wanted to get rid of something which is rather trivial. So I hypnotised him and then I did something highly unethical while he was in a very deep trance.”
You nicked his wallet?
“(Laughs) I asked him whether he’d touched any child in an inappropriate manner and he said ‘no’. And then I said ‘why did you pay up (settle out of court with) Jordy Chandler?’. He said ‘I couldn’t take it any more, I’d had enough.’ To me that was private validation that indeed the man never did that.”
But by asking him that it showed that you weren’t 100% sure of your friend’s innocence.
“Absolutely.”
He adds: “You know I risked my reputation to defend him through the hundreds of television shows and radio stations that called me up. And I always said ‘my opinion is, he is absolutely innocent’.”
Did Jackson ever blame him for setting up the Martin Bashir interview?
“No, he never blamed me directly. I felt totally and utterly betrayed by Martin Bashir. Michael and I were stabbed in the back.”
Though he does blame Jackson for making mistakes of his own concerning the documentary. Like failing to have a lawyer check the contract in order to exert some power over the final product.
“And you don’t sit in a documentary holding the hands of a kid. I mean, come on.”

Geller was born into a poor family in Israel in 1946, lived in Cyprus throughout his teens due to his parents’ separation but returned to Israel in 1967 to join the army —- during which time he killed an enemy soldier.
“It was either him or me,” he says.
He then spent two years as a model before performing spoon bending tricks to small audiences — a skill he discovered by accident aged five. After cracking the market over there, he moved to the UK to find new audiences which he found with a career-breaking David Dimbleby TV interview in 1972. Added to the spoon bending was watch mending, where he’d encourage TV viewers to stare into his eyes in order to fix their lifeless time pieces.
“I also realised I was able to motivate people and instill in them confidence to change their lives for the better. And really this is what the show is about,” he says referring to the date at Mansfield’s Palace Theatre next month called Uri Geller Explains The Unexplained.
“It"s a family show,” he insists, encouraging adults and children to bring along broken watches and spoons.
“The core of the show is motivation. The kids that do come, 95% of them will never smoke or touch drugs. It’s that powerful.”
When they grow up, one assumes he means. He’s had letters from clean-living successful businessmen which is his “proof” of this. He’ll also discuss UFOs, life and death, the power of healing and prayer.
“People go home inspired.”
Charities also benefit, as at each show he auctions off a bent spoon and a visit to his home in Berkshire.
“I have some very unusual items at my house. My car just came back from a museum. It’s a Cadillac with 5,000 bent forks and spoons riveted to its body. They all belong to very famous people. Like James Dean, Rock Hudson, Elizabeth Taylor, Maradona, David Beckham, Churchill, Lady Thatcher... someone offered me a million dollars for it. I think it’s worth more. One day I may put it on eBay.”
Aside from the media interviews surrounding the Jackson trial, Geller’s last major TV appearance was in the Australian jungle during I’m A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! in 2004. He was one of the first contestants to munch on insects during a task.
“One of them was so hard I could not chew it. I swallowed it live not realising that it had little claws and as I was walking back across the bridge back to camp it crawled back through my oesophagus and back into my mouth. I still get little nightmares from that.”