There are people who get a lot of joy when they get gifts and things from other people and there are others who love to give to others. I want to be the second kind, Michael Jackson told Indian photographer John Isaac who remembers: One day I received a phone call. The voice said: You are John Isaac? I said, Yes and asked who he was. The voice said: Michael. I said Michael, The voice said: Michael Jackson. I said, Who and hung up. A few seconds later the phone rang again, and Bob Jones was wondering why I had hung up the phone to Michael Jackson! I replied: It was he really? and handed the phone to Michael. He said he was a fan of my photographs. He bought a poster I created for UNICEF on which appeared many children. He asked if I could go to Neverland and sign the poster. I said I could sign one and send it, but he insisted that I go to Los Angeles. 3 days later, they came to New York to film They Do not Care About Us (prison version) and he invited me and my wife Jeannette to go see the movie. So we went and we met. The next day he asked me to spend the afternoon with him at his hotel in Manhattan and taught my photographic work. He told me that I had a knack for photography and should continue to use it to help children around the world and to help the same cause. He knew how much I care about children. I went to Brazil when they were finishing the video They Do not Care About Us and he said something Ill never forget: John, be my eyes and show me everything that I cannot see. I was so excited that I made photos of children in the slums of Rio de Janeiro and Salvador, while they were filming. I travelled in his private plane to Brazil, it was my first trip with him. Michael always supported me, he was aware of my provenance. One day he said we both came round to different places and that is why we both love children (Isaac spent 20 years working as a photographer of the United Nations, covering countries such as Vietnam, Rwanda, Sarajevo). Ive been to Neverland to take family photos of the first son of Michael and Debbie Rowe. Debbie was not in Neverland it was just Prince and Michael and I took pictures of father and son. I took the pictures with Debbie at a hotel in Los Angeles. The photo of the hands of Michael and Prince was one of the most special photos I had taken of them. I captured his hand taking the hand of Prince and he told me that he liked it so much he wanted to show the fans in Milan, so during that concert on June 18, 1997 the picture was shown on the screen stage. Michael does not even appear, only his hand protecting Prince. Ive been twice to Neverland. I drove an electric cart around the farm, saw movies in the theater, climbed on the train. I felt like a kid when I was there! One afternoon we saw a movie together. I was in the suite of Liz Taylor. Michael was very philosophical, often talked about philosophy and life. He asked me to tell him things about the children I had photographed around the world. When I worked for the United Nations, many stories of pain and suffering of all kinds of children. He was always very compassionate towards the less fortunate children. At the beginning of the HIStory tour in Prague, he wanted me to photograph on the stage while he was singing Heal the World. I was scared up there in the spotlight with so many fans in front of me, my knees were shaking. As exciting as it was to see Michael Jackson on stage, being next to Michael when he visited hospitals and orphanages was something especially touching and meaningful. I remember we were in some Eastern European cities and were visiting many hospitals with terminally ill patients. One evening, after such a hospital visit, Michael was sobbing in his hotel room feeling sorry for the kids who will die in a short time. I was very touched by his compassion. He wanted to take pictures with children before each concert. There are many photos that I like, but Im very proud of one I took during a rehearsal in Los Angeles which was published in a special Laurent Hopman - Captain Eo Productions (program memory HIStory World Tour - Limited Edition). Michael is at center stage and all the dancers around with different poses, rehearsing. looks like a painting. Michael really liked this photo also. All dressed in casual clothes. I have no copy of this negative image because I gave all to Michael. He wanted every moment of his life to be saved. Sometimes he wanted a black and white and the other two cameras were color photos. Today, with digital technology, you can convert the color black and white with no problem, but with the old negative it was more complicated. After a first selection on my part, Michael chose his favorite, he had good taste tp select the photos! And Michael was delighted to see the photos of his fans. They were very important to him. My wife bought me the TII DVD. Ive only seen parts of it and I grieved so Michaels death that I could not keep watching. Maybe one day I will see it to the end.
Posted on: Sun, 20 Jul 2014 08:13:25 +0000
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