1968 Conqueror of American Rock - Chapter 151



Only Noblemtl

151. Share Your Heart (1)

Something absurd happened.

Michael Jackson, who would become the King of Pop, signed with our CW at the behest of Diana Ross. This was something I never could have imagined.

She said she knew Kings was the biggest entertainment agency in the country, but she didn’t want to push young Michael back into the adult business world.

‘James, I already have the big producers at Motown on my side. I can always involve Michael in his future work. So, please help Michael have fun making music on the CW.’

Michael didn’t want people to know about his father. Diana and I decided to respect Michael’s wishes and called everyone who knew about it together and promised to keep it a secret.

I gave my first assignment to Michael Jackson, who has become a member of our company as of today.

“Huh? Are you just playing around?”

“Yeah, play.”

“What about that solo album?”

“If you’re bored while playing, try writing songs or learning an instrument. If there’s an instrument you want, I’ll find a good teacher for you. You can use all the facilities and instruments in the company freely. Eddie will teach you well.”

Michael hung out with Eddie for a few days and then came back to see me.

“Brother, I want to read that book.”

Even before he entered school, Michael had been unable to attend school due to various contests and tours. One day, when he went to school, fans swarmed him and the school was paralyzed.

So Michael naturally became familiar with books.

You could have taken him to the UCLA library via Garage Brew, but it was sure to be a mess. With the recent news of the Jackson 5’s departure and his deal with the CW, reporters were hunting for Michael with their eyes wide open.

I took Michael to Tom Waits’ house.

“Wow, Michael is here too? Come on in.”

He hurriedly put out his cigarette and opened the window to ventilate the room.

“How come a Billboard #1 star is coming to a shabby old man’s house?”

“Our Michael wants to read a book, but as you know, he can’t go to public places.”

Michael’s face lit up when he saw the large bookshelf in Tom Waits’ house.

“Please feel free to borrow as much as you want, haha. Reading discussions are always welcome.”

Tom Waits and Michael Jackson have something in common: they are both huge readers. They both write down the inspiration they get from books in their notebooks and write numerous essays. Watching them, I reflect that I should read more books in the future.

And I thought that I should take this opportunity to create a library in the company, as well as a comic book store.

* * *

“Oh, you really wrote this?”

“huh.”

“Could it be that the book mentioned in these lyrics······.”

“That’s right. That book from back then.”

Annie wrote lyrics for a song based on skateboarding. It was more surprising than I thought. She combined skateboarding with the book I read a while ago, On The Road.

“I wanted to reveal the title of the book and highlight the miserable life, but after learning a little about the Beat Generation, I was able to understand them a little bit.”

Annie reportedly had several reading discussions with Tom Waits to write the lyrics for this song.

“But I still think that the freedom that the protagonists cry for ends in despair. It’s not just me saying it, it’s because I’m full. When I tell Tom about Korean history, he understands my thoughts. I think Tom is a truly free person in terms of culture.”

After meeting Tom, we started reading more often. Our team read the same books and shared our thoughts with each other, which helped us grow our minds.

“But isn’t sixteen a bit much? I wrote it because Angela told me to, but it’s too embarrassing. Should I change it to something like eighteen?”

Annie was of mixed Caucasian-Asian descent. She inherited the best qualities of each race, except for her height. Anyone could tell she was younger than sixteen, but she didn’t look much older.

Even with Hugo’s friends and the London smog, Annie seemed like the younger sister to him.

And the music video of a girl wearing a backwards snapback and skateboarding down the vast Route 66 will forever be a cherished memory and gift to Annie.

“No, make it sixteen. You look just like that.”

If it were the old days, she would have been immediately cursed at, but Annie, who was now twenty years old, seemed embarrassed but also showed that she liked it.

“Music is supposed to make you happy, right?”

“of course.”

I took my acoustic guitar and strummed simple chords.

“Oh, great! It feels refreshing to drive on a long, quiet road in the middle of the desert!”

“Once the song is done, we’ll be shooting a music video across the United States. We’ll need a lot of costumes.”

I illustrated and illustrated the Avril Lavigne-esque outfits I saw in the future.

“It’s not much different from the outfit I wore when I was a Bethel Rockstar, haha. I guess I’ll have to prepare several sets in different colors.”

I imagined Annie jumping up and down on the roof of a car in the middle of New York City, singing. Surely the hippie generation of today would see that and be enthusiastic about the culture that came before.

* * *

Los Angeles Airport (LAX).

Judas Priest arrived in LA after completing all the formalities. I went to the airport to pick them up as they were setting foot on American soil for the first time.

I turned on the Super 8 in advance and pressed the record button to capture the historic scene of them first exiting the immigration office.

It was quite shocking to see people coming towards us from afar, pulling carts loaded with luggage through the crowd.

All five of them were dressed in all-black leather jackets, leather pants, flashy chains, and studded combat boots. This was the original Judas Priest look, but it caught everyone’s attention at the airport.

Still, this would all be a memory, so I walked towards them with my camera.

“Hey, Judas Priest. Welcome to America!”

“James! What are we talking about, even with a camera, hahaha!”

I took them in the van and drove them to the place where we would be staying. It was right next door to where we were staying. My brother Kevin had bought several houses near Hermosa Beach, a bit too much, because he thought the land prices would go up soon.

All the members were sweating and fanning themselves with their hands.

“You guys, you should take a shower first.”

“Oh my, I never thought the fall weather in California would be this hot, haha. But I still feel so good.”

After showering, they changed into cool clothes.

“Hey, what kind of airport fashion are you wearing such thick leather clothes? Aren’t they uncomfortable?”

“This is our concept. It’s my first time stepping on American soil, and I wanted to come dressed like that, haha.”

It was Rob’s idea. He said that this was the kind of outfit that would suit heavy metal music.

“I’ve set up the practice room you’ll be using in the future with an amp and effects I made. It has much less noise and stronger output than the amp I brought to England before. You can look forward to it.”

I described the current club atmosphere on the Sunset Strip and the atmosphere of the American music scene.

“So, the north side of the road called Sunset Strip is where you and the Kings create a wholesome atmosphere, and the south side is the complete opposite? That would be fun.”

Glenn Tipton looked confident.

“And not long ago, Kings created a music radio station, similar to the pirate radio stations in England. This is not illegal, but a legal commercial radio station.”

“Really? America really is a free country. The British government is still trying to get rid of pirate broadcasts······.”

“Glenn, Rock is Never Die! Rock will never die! No matter how hard the government tries, pirate radio will never go away!”

Rob Halbord clenched his fists.

you’re right.

Because of you and people like us, they don’t give up and they keep broadcasting.

“James! Listen to this!”

Annie came in, struggling, carrying a bag full of necessities.

Judas Priest got up and took Annie’s suitcase for her.

“I just bought the basic necessities, but if there’s anything missing, let me know. And welcome to America, haha.”

“Thank you, Annie. You look even prettier in America.”

“Hey, Rob. What do you want to eat? I’ll buy you everything!”

He likes being told he’s pretty. He’s really changed a lot.

“Annie’s clothing style is really unique. It suits her really well. It looks like sportswear, or something like children’s clothing. It’s a fashion that you don’t see often in the UK.”

“This is the concept I’m going to wear in my new music video. The song is called Sk8ter Girl.”

Annie bragged that she changed the title to Arabic numerals. This guy must have been to the future, even if it was in his dreams.

“Annie, just wait. Stay still.”

Rob ran to his room and brought out a bunch of metal accessories: leather bracelets with spikes, silver chains of various thicknesses, necklaces. He put them on Annie’s wrists and attached the chains to her pants.

“Oh, this is killing me?”

Thanks to Rob Halford’s accessories, Annie has a 1970s Avril Lavigne look that combines hip-hop and heavy metal.

* * *

It’s been almost a year since I went to Wisconsin for the Christmas vacation.

I experienced my first proper Christmas in my life. I still vividly remember the hundreds of thousands of Christmas trees on the huge farm, the endless snowfall, the colorful lights, and the beautifully decorated fairytale town.

At Holy Hill Cathedral, I met the angelic children and Angela, and learned about giving from Andrew and his father.

I also wanted to create good Christmas memories for Michael Jackson.

“Michael, how about we take a trip to a snowy Christmas village in Wisconsin next month?”

“It snowed a lot in Indiana, where I lived. The slums of Gary, where I lived, were hell in the winter. But my family had enough coal to burn because my brothers and I went to a lot of events when I was five. Other families had to prepare firewood in advance before winter came.”

Michael told me about the slums he vaguely remembered from his childhood.

“I don’t think Christmas is all about decorating a beautiful tree and exchanging gifts. The old man in the red suit that people think of as Santa is just a product created by Coca-Cola.”

Michael, who still had a young face, was already mentally an adult.

“I think the true meaning of Christmas is sharing. I watched the Filton Festival video on KMTV a few days ago. I was really impressed by the scene where people were jumping around wearing T-shirts that said ‘Share Your Heart with £5’ during the Sparkling Ripple concert. I want to use the money I earn from singing to help others. I also want to create a charity event like the Filton Festival.”

“Michael, I agree with you. In fact, our company has acquired the farm where Woodstock was held. When it’s ready, we plan to hold several festivals and charity concerts there.”

“Really? I think it was a good decision to listen to Diana and come to the CW. It’s true that the producers and songwriters at Motown are good at writing songs, but they’re all about money.”

I had an idea for a meaningful Christmas in California, where it never snows.

“Michael, do you want to create a Christmas charity festival with your brother?”