Coperta TV Guide-ului de deasupra anunţă tocmai interviul pe care l-a difuzat MTV în premieră în august 1999. Spun asta pentru că şi acum este accesibil la adresa www.mtv.com. De fapt, fotografia se găseşte în colecţia postată de Karen Faye pe propriul său site, realizat împreună cu mai vechea noastră cunoştinţă, Taunya Zilkie (www.zilkinc.com). Pe site-ul stilistei se găseşte şi interviul pe care ea l-a acordat în septembrie anul trecut revistei Artisan Magazine, "Trei decenii cu Michael Jackson":
Karen Faye, long time hair and make-up artist to Michael Jackson, recently gave an interview with Aristan Magazine, in which she discussed her nearly 30 year relationship with the late King of Pop.How did you meet Michael Jackson?
I began working with Dick Zimmerman, who was a very popular celebrity photographer back then. He booked me on a shoot for an album cover with Michael Jackson. The album was Thriller. Michael and I got along really great! Michael requested me for his next photo session with ET … and his next assignment, Beat It… and everything after that … the rest is history. Michael was embarking on The Victory Tour with his brothers. Michael required my complete attention, so I brought in Carme to help me. I met Carme earlier while working at the Barbizon School where we both had been teaching. We had become good friends. This began Carme’s 10-year working relationship with Michael’s brothers.
Michael could trust you.
Yes, he could. The media started hounding me after the Thriller album was released. I remember being called by a tabloid reporter offering me $75,000 for any information about Michael or the video shoot we were working on for the song “Thriller.” I said no. They said, “how much then?” It just wasn’t something that tempted me. The offers got more outrageous from there. They finally all got to realize I was a dead end for information and it tapered off a bit. But during major controversies they still were very persistent.
Was Michael spiritual?Anyone who is creative is naturally connected to the universe. Michael always attributed his talent to God. He said God was channeling through him, and it had nothing to do with him.
I know how much Michael loved all children of the world.
That’s right but what I find more interesting is how children are drawn to him, like a magnet. I think they recognized a kindred spirit. They recognized his unconditional love and related to him because he was a child at heart. Children look at the world through fresh, unjaded eyes. Michael had the ability to see the wonderment of the world like they did.
What was his favorite food?Michael wasn’t a big eater. He thought it was a waste of time, like a child having to sit at the dinner table while hearing all the other kids outside calling him to come out to play. He chooses organic and healthy food but sure can enjoy a bucket of KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken). Akasha was his chef many years ago, and now has a restaurant in Culver City, California. She would find the perfect compromise. She would make him organic cheese enchiladas that he covered with hot sauce. He would want to eat them every day. She also made a killer banana cream pie that was a favorite. I will never forget these wonderful cookies she made that he nicknamed “ookies”.
Michael is known in the Guinness Book of World Records as holding the record for celebrities giving to charities. Can you share about that?It is a little difficult to share too much about that because it is not something Michael would talk about. He would just do it. He just did. When we were touring the world, while everyone was going out to restaurants and clubs, Michael’s joy came from visiting orphanages and hospitals. I used to go with him. He would have his team contact them before his visit and find out what they needed. He would fill up his vehicles with toys and treats and we would go. He arranged for playgrounds to be built, bought busses and provided vehicles, paid for expensive operations for children.
Can you share with us when and where was the photo taken?
The photo was taken, high on a hill at Neverland by Jonathan Exley before the trial began.
What were Michael’s favorite make-up products?Easy, hands down, Lancôme Dual Finish Powder! Lancôme would provide it by the case for me. Shout out to Lancome … thanks for so many years of your generosity. Michael would have it and leave it everywhere. He had it in every pocket. Everyone around him knew if they found a compact, to return it to me, so I could recycle it back to him.
I know Michael’s nickname for you was “Turkle.” How did you get that name?
I’ll never tell.
Taclale:
1. De ce nu vrea Karen Faye să ne spună de unde-i vine porecla, de ce-de ce-de ce? Turk ar însemna nu doar "turc" (iar ea are nume oarecum nemţesc, Karen, precum îi sunt şi trăsăturile) ci şi "obrăznicătură"... Iar sufixul "le" a fost adăugat din motive de sonoritate - ca să semene cu "turtle", care nu înseamnă doar broască ţestoasă, ci şi turturea. Ne putem imagina orice combinaţie, probabil că toate şi niciuna se vor potrivi cu ceea ce a vrut Michael Jackson să exprime. Ceva pe-aproape tot trebuie să fie... Dac-o mai fi şi oarece argou, am terminat povestea, că n-o să mergem la Los Angeles doar ca să ne familiarizăm cu măgăriile rostite de americani (e doar o presupunere). Mă rog, dacă ne-ajută Ăl de Sus, poate ajungem şi pe-acolo, dar cu mai multe pretexte, nu doar unul.
Revelaţie: dacă porecla asta se pronunţă cam ca "turkey" (curcan) - înseamnă că e vorba despre o "interpretare" liberă, fonetic vorbind, pentru "charcoal" - termen (ca să nu spunem mai mult) folosit în machiaj. Iar coana-mare să fi fost asemănată, în glumă, cu un "turkey", pentru că certamente se fălea, înfoindu-se, atunci când îi ieşea ceva bine. Aşa cum ar face oricine. Nu-i aşa că e un sport adorabil bătutul de câmpi?
Pe de altă parte - nu-i aşa că madam Faye aduce la trăsături cu madam Rowe? Că, la urma urmei, a ales-o pe Debbie şi pentru că avea trăsături teutonice (oase mari, puternice, gena "blondă" părând predominantă şi deci aptă să ţină piept uneia "de culoare") să fie mamă a doi dintre copii pentru că semăna cu "mama" Karen? Da, e o temă de dezbătut mai încolo (când, când?);
2. Ar trebui făcut un dicţionar al expresiilor, cuvintelor (de multe ori "cuvinte-geamantane") şi poreclelor folosite de Michael Jackson. Căci, iată, mereu apare ceva nou - cum sunt aceste mirobolante "ookies";
3. Akasha înseamnă, în sanscrită, "eter". Adică ceea ce spunea maică-să prin 1983, că se hrăneşte cu aer... Hă-hă, glumim. Akasha Richmond are un site foarte interesant despre restaurantul ei din Culver City, www.akasharestaurant.com, din care aflăm că povestea se învârte în jurul vegetalelor...
