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American Morning
Showbiz Today Reports: Jackson's Producer Discusses New Album
Aired September 07, 2001 - 11:44 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JEANNE MESERVE, CNN ANCHOR: I was going to come out with a snake draped around my shoulder. I thought it would be appropriate today.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Oh my God! Only if you wore the rest of the outfit too; all right, how's that?
MESERVE: No way.
HARRIS: Laurin Sydney has got a look...
LAURIN SYDNEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Jeanne, you stole my idea, so I'll put the snake back. I won't do that.
HARRIS: All right, let's see it. Whip it out.
SYDNEY: That's for later; keep watching.
OK, forget the snakes, that was yesterday.
Today Michael Jackson fever is sweeping New York. Fans got a little taste of tonight's big concert last night at the MTV Music Awards when the so-called King of Pop made an appearance with 'NSync.
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SYDNEY: That appearance is creating more buzz for tonight and Monday's big star-studded tribute concert with Jackson, a concert that will reunite him with his brothers.
Our so-called Bill Tush is standing by across the street at Madison Square Garden with the latest on tonight's big event.
And Bill, you are right in the thick of things.
BILL TUSH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Oh, and it's getting thicker, I've got to tell you that.
Anyway, we've been out here since early this morning. Nothing much was happening. But we just saw -- Liza Minnelli came out of the number eight awning over there where some fans have gathered to see the performers that are inside rehearsing. Liza is supposed to do "Never Never Land" tonight.
Anyway, Michael is going to do one of his new singles from his "Invincible" album called "Rock My World." And a couple days ago I sat down with the producer of that album, a young man by the name of Rodney Jerkins, who has made quite a name for himself at, as I said, a young age.
And here are some -- just some of the people that he's worked with.
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TUSH: Let's just go down the list of some of the people you've worked with: Backstreet Boys, 'NSync, Brandy, Whitney Houston, Monica, Britney Spears, J.Lo -- and it goes on and on -- Will Smith in his singing days.
And your latest project -- well, you're working on a project now with Brandy, but you just wrapped one that everyone is talking about: "Invincible." Michael Jackson's new album. You produced that and co- wrote the first single that's coming out.
RODNEY JERKINS, JACKSON RECORD PRODUCER: Co-wrote the first single and produced it. Also co-wrote and produced "Invincible," the title of the album and about five other songs besides those two.
TUSH: OK, what do we have to look forward to -- old Michael, new Michael?
JERKINS: Well, if you listen to the single, you kind of hear like an older -- old Michael mixed with some new elements. We just went for the base. I really wanted to capture the base of Michael that I grew up on, you know what I mean, which was melody and music -- and real melodic songs, you know.
And there's some futuristic sounding stuff on the album. It's real cool. It's kind of a mixture between, you know, old, new -- it's just a bunch of different sounds.
TUSH: We should mention, if you don't mind, you're 24 years hold.
JERKINS: Yes.
TUSH: You've been doing this since, what, 15?
JERKINS: yes, I started about 14, 15.
TUSH: That's amazing. What was it like hooking up with Michael Jackson? You said you grew up with him. I mean, you know...
JERKINS: I grew up listening...
TUSH: You grew up with him when he was all on a solo act. You didn't even know the Jackson Five. JERKINS: No, I really didn't. I didn't -- not until later. I grew up on his sound, you know, of music. And I used to love listening to Michael as a kid. All of the "Billy Jean" material, the bead jackets, the "Thriller" jacket. I had those at my house, you know, growing up.
And it's just the most incredible experience, being able to work with someone on that level.
TUSH: See, I always thought, you know, he comes across as a guy that pretty much is in control of his own destiny and what he says is the final word.
JERKINS: Right.
TUSH: That's not the case when you work with him?
JERKINS: Well, Michael is a total perfectionist, and he does have the final word in the studio. I mean, when we work together, it's not done until he's totally satisfied.
TUSH: I heard you quoted somewhere where you said about the singles -- one of the cuts on the album is called "Threatened," and you said it's going to shock a lot of people.
JERKINS: Yes, it's going to shock. We've done something with this song that has not been done ever in music. In history of the music, we've done something that I think that people are going to be wondering, how did we do it? And we spent days and days and days doing it. And to me, as simple as it is, it took a lot of thought to come up with the concept.
TUSH: We got all this equipment here, and you won't even give us a preview, huh?
JERKINS: No.
TUSH: No. OK.
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TUSH: I'll tell you, that album comes out on September 30, and it's going to be a big media hoopla over that thing.
Fans -- I just talked to two from Germany went by -- these folks. This is Elaine and John Stonashevsy (ph) came in from Pittsburgh, a fine municipality to be from.
You paid how much for those tickets?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I won't divulge it.
TUSH: Six hundred and eighty bucks is what they paid. I divulged it.
And she dragged poor old John here. He doesn't even want to be here tonight, right?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Correct.
TUSH: OK. We'll be back. There's more from Michael Jackson at Madison Square Garden, not Pennsylvania Station next door -- Laurin?
SYDNEY: And coming up -- thank you Bill -- more brothers -- not the Jacksons, but the highly anticipated Steven Spielberg/Tom Hanks- produced war series, "Band of Brothers." Film critic Peter Travers tells us whether it's a victory or a defeat for HBO. Coming right up.
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SYDNEY: And joining us now to tell us if "Band of Brothers" is a victory or defeat is our own star, "Rolling Stone" film critic Peter Travers. he's also a star of CNN's "HE SAID/SHE SAID" show that airs Saturdays at 10:30 a.m.
Tell us: door A or door B?
PETER TRAVERS, CO-HOST, "HE SAID/SHE SAID": I'm taking both doors because this movie is really, really terrific. This is a 10- hour miniseries that Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg executive produced, costing HBO $120 million...
SYDNEY: Yikes!
TRAVERS: ... and it shows on that screen.
You go through those 10 hours every Sunday night on HBO through the war, from basic training in 1942, through the Battle of the Bulge, the D-Day landing, everything else.
Look, it begins with an episode that's slow. It has David Schwimmer in it, the only star in this, of "Friends." And he kind of takes you out of this world and saying, What's Ross of "Friends" doing in "Band of Brothers"?
SYDNEY: He's very versatile.
TRAVERS: Not really. It doesn't work in this. But once you get passed him, you will get so involved in this that you will want to come back and do this.
And this "Band of Brothers" shames what Hollywood is doing out there with "Rock Star" opening this week with Mark Wahlberg and Jennifer Aniston, and "The Musketeer" -- who asked them to remake "The Musketeers"? -- again, with a Calvin Klein fragrance model as the star. Big mistake.
SYDNEY: OK, well we only asked you about "Band of Brothers." We'll save you up for next week, OK?
TRAVERS: All right; OK.
SYDNEY: Leon Harris, it sounds like something that you're going to want to watch. Back to you.
HARRIS: Oh yes, you know me and those fragrance stars. Yeah right, Laurin.
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