6 Pop Songs Great for Audio Demos
Worst DIY Installs Ever Part 7
10 Must-Have Products for Your Next Install
6 Amazing High-End Home Theaters
Print
Email
Comments (20)
Share
Integrator on Working for Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson plays Jenga with Brad Sundberg, owner of BSUN Media Systems.
Electronic House CE Pro's sister publication, is looking for celebrity installations and themed home theaters to profile online and in print. Electronic House goes to more… View this discussion thread.
There are celebrities, and then there was Michael Jackson.
When Brad Sundberg, owner of BSUN Media Systems, mentioned his work on Jackson’s infamous Neverland Valley Ranch during his CE Pro of the Week profile, questions came to mind:
What was Michael Jackson like as a client?
What was he like away from the cameras?
Sundberg, who says he worked with the famous performer on countless personal and professional projects over 18 years, wrote about his experiences in a long essay in a BSUN e-newsletter sent a year after Jackson’s June 2009 death. Following are some excerpts:
On meeting Jackson …
Michael was working on Captain EO for Disneyland and Epcot Center. He was fresh off the Victory Tour, the Thriller album, his dominance of MTV, and he was back in the studio. I wish I could remember our first meeting, but it was likely just passing each other in the hallway. He was always warm, yet shy. Over time we would chat now and then, but it took time to build the trust.
On Jackson’s nickname for Brad Sundberg …
Early in 1986 the team moved into Westlake Studio D in Hollywood to record the Bad album, and welcomed me in. I worked other sessions during the day, but at night I was invited to sit in and learn. Eventually I worked my way up to technical director for the team, and the trust was solidified. It was during this time that Michael nicknamed me "Really Really Brad," a twist on the chorus, "Bad, Bad, Really, Really Bad." Check the album credits, it’s there.
On what Jackson was like … Not for a moment do I pretend to have been a close friend of his, or a confidant. Rather I worked for him and with him, and considered it an honor.
He was a consummate professional. If his vocals were scheduled for a noon downbeat, he was there at 10 am, with his vocal coach Seth, singing scales. Yes, scales. I would set up the mic, check the equipment, make coffee, and all the while he would sing scales for two hours.
He typically drove himself to the studio alone. For a while he drove a big Ford Bronco with dents and scrapes on it. He was not a great driver. More than once he called into the studio to say he would be late after being in a fender bender.
He was intensely curious about "normal life." He asked me about Christmas once, and couldn't understand how kids could wait until Christmas morning to open the gifts. You see, he was raised Jehovah's Witness, so Christmas was not celebrated in the Jackson family.
On working in-studio with Jackson …
A "typical" MJ album would take between 10 and 16 months in the studio. His budget allowed for as many as 100 songs to be recorded for any given project. Some would be discarded early on, while others were fine tuned. Musicians would be brought in to add their textures and ideas, but in the center of it all was Michael.
The team was remarkably small given the scope of the projects. Each project was slightly different, but typically there were less then eight of us working day to day, from the first day until the project was mastered. No entourage. No Elephant Man bones. No groupies. No drugs. Just music. And food.
Subscribe to the CE Pro Newsletter
Read more News stories
People On the Move: Milestone AV, Definitive Technology, JL Audio, NACECEDIA White Paper Examines How to Build Mobile Device Wireless Networks
Arizona Passes Statewide Alarm Licensing Law
6 Pop Songs Great for Audio Demos
Channel Vision Adds 6710, 6721 Outdoor PTZ Cameras
More in News
About the Author
20 Comments (displayed in order by date/time)
So cool.
Great article…we need more editorial like this…
Great article, nice job.
Tom, thanks for the nice article. Guys, thanks for the kind comments. I sort of fell backwards into this industry (doesn’t life sometimes do that to us?), with Michael asking me to start doing his personal AV projects away from the studio. I often refer to Neverland Valley Ranch as my “boot camp,” where I learned my craft in a very unique setting. His patience and allowing me to use my creativity to design some of the crazy stuff we built taught me to jump into projects with both feet and give my clients what they want, even if they can’t describe it.
Great guy!
Brad,
I remember motorizing the glass panels for the neverland ranch project. Wow, you really are dating us now that you look back and see how long ago that job was completed. Brad, doing work for clients like Michael Jackson is a great experience and challenge. As a sub-contractor/supplier on these jobs, the key was to respect their time, space and privacy. Get in, do the job and get out. Great article!
Great article! I really think you were able to sum up Michael’s entire life in one line, He looked at Deb and said, “This is her own little world, isn’t it?” His fascination with innocence was both his greatest strength and his worst enemy. Thanks for the little peek into the daily life of such an iconic figure of our generation.
Awesome story…..Back when Tweeter was still around, we had a store in Las Vegas. One day a car pulled up and a couple guys got out and did a once over of the store, next thing the door opens and MJ comes in looking for a Home Theater installation. The sales folks talked about this for months. MJ left a wide swath wherever he went.
Thanks for sharing!
Neat article, and an enjoyable read.
LOL @ playing Jenga with Michael Jackson. If you didn’t have a picture, I’d call shenanigans for sure!
BTW it’s lightning, not lightening.
Great story. Thanks for sharing. Michael was all about business, but so cool at the same time. 
What a Great read!
Here in California its pretty common to have a lot of high profile clients.
Obviously not as high profile as MJ.
The reason I bring this up is because I understand the lives of these clients and their desire to be at home in their homes.
Considering my own experiences, the amount of trust Michael had for you is truly phenomenal.
90% of the time that I receive calls from this type of client it is their assistant on the other end of the phone. Very few of them tend to stay engaged beyond completion of the project. Your story is amazing. You must have an vibe about you that is comforting. Thank you for sharing this.
Very enjoyable read!
Would be fun to read more stories like this ...that have the human touch.
Nice job Tom.
Great read. Great story.
Thank you for posting this.
Michael Jackson man was not only innocent of the horrendous crimes he was accused of - as even preliminary research reveals - he was also an amazing man.
His treatment at the hands of an the American justice system - manipulated by the ambition of an emotionally invested DA and a collusive media - was, and will remain, a total disgrace.
Many people are aware of this truth and we will continue to bring this issue into the public arena - until all are.
And no, I was not a fan, not even a little.
@Brad,
Nice article. So much bravado in our industry is just that. I love your “I’m not pretending to be a confidant” line. Would have been tempting to say you were, as who could argue.
Best of luck in your future endeavors!
Mark C