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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.
During the [making of the] BAD album, Fridays quickly became known as "family day." He would have his two chefs, affectionately known as the Slam Dunk Sisters, prepare a large dinner for the crew, musicians and any family members that might be around. Since I was working sometimes 80 hours a week, it was not uncommon for Deb to come have dinner with us. Michael loved these family get togethers.
In later projects I would bring my girls, whom he loved and would play with. There is one moment in time in my head when Deb brought my daughter Amanda, who was just a baby at the time, into the studio for the afternoon. She set up a play mat and brought some toys, and Michael sat and played with her for a while. He looked at Deb and said, "This is her own little world, isn't it?"
On celebrity visitors and chimps …
It was not uncommon for celebrities or VIPs to stop in. One day the Secret Service searched the building for a couple hours before Nancy Reagan came for a visit. Next it was Princess Stephanie from Monaco … The chimps were common guests in the studio, as was a giant snake, both of which I would wind up holding during MJ's vocals.
On watching Jackson write songs …
I have watched him write many songs, and the process is amazing. I asked him where they came from, and he said they were gifts from God. He could hear the entire song in his head before we could get tape on the machines. He would sometimes sing the drums, bass, percussion, keyboards, etc., and we would later bring in musicians to replace his demo tracks.
On Jackson’s childhood …
I remember him telling me about grown women throwing themselves at him when he was just 9 or 10 years old.
One story I will never forget was him telling of flying with his dad and brothers through a lightening storm at night. The plane was being tossed around, lightening was flashing, and he started crying in fear. His dad ignored him, embarrassed. A flight attendant sat with until the plane cleared the storm. Hearing him tell that story, with tears in his eyes, gave a glimpse into his life.
On working at Neverland …
Somewhere around 1991 he asked me to visit a ranch he had purchased, and design a sound system for a carousel. The next thing I knew I was at Neverland Valley Ranch, in Santa Ynez, CA. There was construction everywhere, and the amusement park was in the early stages of installation.
Over the next few years Michael asked me to build system after system, putting music on the bumper cars, in the petting zoo, on two trains, all around the amusement park, the boat lake, the train stations, and eventually inside the house, and inside his bedroom and bathroom. Deb loves to tell of the times Michael would call at 2 in the morning (his sleep schedule was never normal) to talk to me about a new attraction he had coming to Neverland, and if I would put music on it.
I still have an old answering machine tape of him thanking me for one of the systems we had built.
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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