A Passion in My Soul

What are a few of your observations about Michael’s life that people outside of his world have never seen?

Todd Gray: Well, he was very observant, and had amazing focus. And when he was performing it might look effortless for him when he was doing it, but that only happened because he had a dedication and perfectionism focused on his performance, whether that was on stage or in the mixing booth with the engineers. He’d be nervous and tense before going onstage, but that would all get channeled into his performance. Sometimes he didn’t sleep well in hotels on the road, and he had a special recording machine that switched on in the middle of the night and played stories.

Michael Jackson’s Photographer Todd Gray shares intimate moments with Michael “I remember one time me and one of the other fellas on tour went out looking for women and when we got back Mike asked what we’d done for the evening. The guy I was with said: ‘We went fishing.’ Fishing? It took him a minute to catch on what the dude was trying to say but when he finally understood we laughed and it became our running joke that he’d ask us every time we saw him. ‘So boys, did you go fishin’ today?’ ” Interview with the Michael and The Jacksons - 19th February 1979 What do you like most, things you like? MJ: I like fish (brothers laugh)

“Michael at home in Encino, California, in 1983. I went up to his bedroom to help select some clothes for the photo session and saw this beautiful warm-toned light streaming through his shutters and onto the wall. We both liked the quality of the light and decided to shoot a more mysterious portrayal of his persona with his face shrouded in the shadows.” –Todd Gray, Before He Was King

“A Los Angeles radio station staged a promotional contest, and the winner, the woman in the center, was content enough to meet the Jacksons backstage and see the show in L.A. in 1979. She hadn’t bargained for the kiss she received from Michael.”— Todd Gray

Michael Jackson’s Photographer Todd Gray shares intimate moments with Michael “I remember one time me and one of the other fellas on tour went out looking for women and when we got back Mike asked what we’d done for the evening. The guy I was with said: ‘We went fishing.’ Fishing? It took him a minute to catch on what the dude was trying to say but when he finally understood we laughed and it became our running joke that he’d ask us every time we saw him. ‘So boys, did you go fishin’ today?’ “ Interview with the Michael and The Jacksons - 19th February 1979 What do you like most, things you like? MJ: I like fish (brothers laugh)

”MJ would not stand for mediocrity. I only realized that I had adopted his work ethic a few years after I stopped working for him. Whenever I was tired and my heart was not into my work, I’d find myself thinking about how MJ pushed himself to maintain a high level of quality, and this made me not settle for “good enough” in my photo work. I always strove to achieve the best I was capable of producing, regardless of the circumstance or size of the job. I passed this onto my students over the years as motivation to achieve greater heights than they thought themselves capable. “Shoot for the stars, and if you don’t make it, at least you’ll land on the moon.” - Todd Gray

mjjalways:

“Michael always loved having his photograph taken with celebrities. He was a real fan and was so naïve and sweetly starstruck about it that he would forget his own status as a celebrity. I think it helped him relax, and it took some pressue and attention off of him.” — Todd Gray, 1981

"I remember spotting Chuck Berry, sitting alone near a buffet table at the after-party for the American Music Awards, and thinking Michael might like a picture with him. I wanted to show an intergenerational kinship, a grandfather and grandson image, and I asked Chuck if Michael could sit on his lap. Chuck agreed, Michael came over for the shot, and without any prompting, their hands met in a Black Power handshake… And in this handshake, perhaps he is passing some of his strength and determination to the next generation, to Michael". - Todd Gray, Michael Jackson: Before he was king

MJ would not stand for mediocrity. I only realized that I had adopted his work ethic a few years after I stopped working for him. Whenever I was tired and my heart was not into my work, I’d find myself thinking about how MJ pushed himself to maintain a high level of quality, and this made me not settle for “good enough” in my photo work. I always strove to achieve the best I was capable of producing, regardless of the circumstance or size of the job. I passed this onto my students over the years as motivation to achieve greater heights than they thought themselves capable. “Shoot for the stars, and if you don’t make it, at least you’ll land on the moon.” - Todd Gray