http://tinyurl.com/yhk2csd Jennifer Batten Reflects On Working With MJ Source: MJFC / swafnews.com 这篇应该是完整版访问 文章很不错 但超长 (5-3-10) It was one year ago today that Michael Jackson announced plans for the 'This Is It' concert run at a press conference at London's O2 arena. To mark the anniversary, Charles Thomson sat down with Jackson's long-time guitarist Jennifer Batten, to talk about what it was really like behind the scenes on a Michael Jackson tour. Jennifer谈到了和MJ三大巡回的幕後 Batten was Jackson's lead guitarist for a decade, accompanying the star on all three of his record-breaking world tours. At just 29 years old she was plucked from complete obscurity by the King of Pop. As impossible as it sounds, before Batten joined Jackson, her touring experience was limited almost exclusively to a brief spell with an Elvis impersonator. 在参加MJ的巡回前 她仅有的巡回经验是和猫王的模仿者一起 "We played down in American Samoa of all places," she laughs. "He had a brother that was a missionary on the island, so he set up the gig. Then we did another stint in Colorado because he had a brother there too. That was it." 我们在美属萨摩尔岛各处表演 因为他有哥哥在那里当传教士 然後我们去了科罗拉多 因为他也有个哥哥在那 就只有这样 Inspired by blues legends like BB King and Brownie McGee, Batten began playing guitar at the tender age of eight. As a young woman she attended the Musicians Institute in Los Angeles where she was the only girl. Jennifer八岁开始学吉他 她去的音乐学院只有她一个女孩 "I was the only woman with 60 guys," she says. "I didn't have a problem with it. I could go practice in the bathroom because you get the natural reverb in there and I knew I wouldn't be bothered." 我是唯一的女生 但我对此没有任何问题 我会在浴室练习 因为有很好的回音 而且我知道 没人会来干扰我 BAD TOUR After the Elvis gigs she lived for several years in San Diego, playing in cover bands before heading to Los Angeles in search of success on the music scene. It wasn't long before she began teaching at her former school, the Musicians Institute. It was there - on one fateful day in 1987 - that Michael Jackson's representatives called asking for musicians to attend tour auditions. Batten recalls, 在和猫王模仿者表演玩 她在圣地亚哥住了几年 在几个翻唱团演奏 之後去洛杉矶寻找机会 在1987年的某天 她听到了MJ在寻找乐手参加他的巡回 "They were auditioning about a hundred people so it was pretty intense. When I went, there was just a video camera, no band. The only guidance I was given was to play some funk rhythm stuff so I did that, then I finished off with the Beat It solo because I had been playing that for years in cover bands. I think ultimately that's what got me the gig." 那次的面试有上百人 当我去的时候 那里只有一个录影机 唯一的指示是我要弹一些 放可的节奏 我弹了 最後我弹了Beat it的独奏 我之前在翻唱团弹过这首很多年 我想这是为何我被选上的原因 Batten says that earning her place on Jackson's Bad Tour in 1987 changed her life. 她说参与MJ1987年的BAD巡演改变了她的一生 "It was like a paid vacation. I had been teaching and gigging pretty much seven nights a week and all of a sudden I'm on the biggest tour in the world making ten times the money and only working two or three days a week!" 那就像是去一个人家帮你出钱的渡假 我之前的生活是要每晚教吉他和到处演出 而突然 我在全世界最大的巡演 赚十倍的钱 而一周只要工作两三天 Rehearsals began immediately and they were brutal; seven days a week for two solid months. For the first month the band, singers and dancers would rehearse separately. They all came together for the second month in a production studio, where every element of the show came alive. It was here that Batten first met Michael Jackson. 排演马上开始 而且过程是很严苛的 每周七天都要排练 整整两个月 第一个月 乐团 合音 舞者是分开来排演的 第二个月大家才会合 而整个演出变活了起来 是那时候Jennifer第一次见到了MJ "We heard that if he liked the music he'd start dancing and he did as soon as he walked through the door. We stopped and people who hadn't met him before were introduced to him. I remember seeing his manager Frank Dileo come in with the ponytail and the cigar. It was kind of surreal seeing the two of them together. I just remember Michael looked gorgeous close up. He was just beautiful. 我们听说如果他喜欢那音乐的话 他就会开始跳舞 他一走进门就开始跳舞了 我们停下来 让他认识没见过他的人 我记得看到他的经纪人Frank Dileo留着马尾抽着雪茄 看到他们两人在一起有点不真实 我只记得近看MJ他棒级了 他很beautiful XD "He was very much hands on and he was an extremely hard worker. By the end of rehearsals we were running the show a minimum of once a day, sometimes twice. I would say that's the number one thing I learned from him: the value of rehearsing that much and that intensely, because by the time we hit the stage everybody was relaxed." 他参与了很多东西 是个极度认真工作的人 我们每天都会排演整个演出一次 有时甚至一天 两次 我会说 我第一个跟他学到的事情 就是这门密集频繁的排演的重要性 因为当正式上 台时 大家就变得很放松 Batten recalls opening night in Tokyo saying, 她回忆在东京巡演第一天晚上 "I'd never played for that many people before. On the road Michael took it up another notch. I mean, he was pretty full out at the last rehearsals anyway but that extra excitement of knowing there are people going nuts watching you... There's an extra amount of fire that you can feel onstage with everybody doing their best and trying to give 110%." 我从没在这麽多人面前表演过 正式登场时 MJ把一切带向另一个境界 虽然他在最後一次 排演时已经情绪很高昂了 但是当你知道这麽多人看着你陷入疯狂 更是加了更多火花 特别是你知道所有人都尽了110%的努力达到最好 But soon after hitting the road, Batten says she discovered a more sinister side to working with Michael Jackson. 但在他们巡回後 他才发现跟MJ工作麻烦的一面 "I was approached in the beginning by somebody who said I could make a lot of money by talking to the National Enquirer. I was just appalled. I thought 'that is just sick', you know? I just got this great gig. Why would I sabotage it like that? It seemed like a really evil thing to do." 一开始就有人跟接洽 说我可以跟National Enquirer爆料来赚一大笔钱 我很震惊 我觉得这太恶心了 我才刚拿到这麽好的巡回机会 我为什麽要破坏他 这是一个很邪恶的事 Batten grew to feel sorry for Jackson, who she says was trapped by his celebrity. 她为MJ感到难过 她认为他被他的名气所困 "If he wanted to go anywhere he had to alert the security and he had to really have it planned in advance. If he wanted to go to a store they would have to be called and shut it down for him. He was a prisoner of the hotel room, really." 如果他要去哪 他要先告诉保全 然後他事先要好好计画 如果他要去商店 他们必需先打电 话关闭整个店 他基本上是旅馆中的囚犯 Batten says Jackson compensated by treating himself and his entire entourage to special excursions. Sometimes he had theme parks closed to the public so that he and his team could have some fun without being hounded. 但MJ会招待他自己和整个团队特别行程 他会让整个主题乐园关闭 只有他们才能进去玩 "He did it first at the Tokyo Disneyland. That was just unbelievable. We would go on the rollercoaster rides and when we were done they would just ask us, 'Do you want to go around again?' We were very, very spoiled." 第一次是在东京迪斯尼 太不可思义了 我们会玩云霄飞车 结束後 他们会问我们 还要 再玩一次吗? 我们整个被宠坏了 The Bad Tour ended in January 1989 and the group disbanded. In later years Sheryl Crow, who worked as a back-up singer on the tour, would make several disparaging remarks about Jackson during interviews publicizing her own work. Crow called Jackson a diva who never bothered to learn people's names. Batten refutes this saying, 1989年 BAD巡演结束 大家解散了 不久後Sheryl Crow是那次巡演的合音 在宣传自己唱片 时的几个访问指责了MJ 他说MJ是个天王 完全懒得去记其他人的名字 "I think singers in general are just nuts and ultra-sensitive. One night Michael called Sheryl 'Jennifer'," she giggles, "and I know that pissed her off. But it's like, so what? I mean, you got the biggest gig in the world and it's not like Michael was unaware of who was onstage with him. We were with him for a friggin' year and a half." 我认为很多歌手基本上是疯子 而且太过敏感了 有个晚上MJ把她叫Jennifer 我知道她气 炸了 但这重要吗 要知道你拿到了世界最大的巡演 而且又不是MJ搞不清楚谁在台上 我们可跟他巡回了一年半 DANGEROUS TOUR 危险之旅 In 1992 Batten was called back to work on Jackson's Dangerous Tour. Batten says Jackson seemed like 'the same Michael,' if slightly more fatigued. 92年她被MJ找回参加危险之旅 她觉得MJ还是原来的MJ 不过更疲劳 "I noticed that he was busier and I remember that one time he came to rehearsals and just apologized for not having been there the last few days. He said, 'I was just showered with meetings' and he just repeated it with emotion, 'meeting after meeting after meeting'." 我发觉他更忙了 我记得有一次他来排演 然後为前几天没能来排演道歉 他说我被会议 淹没了 他一直说 一个会议接着一个会议 Jackson's heavy schedule dictated that he was limited in his rehearsal time, which meant that much of the set list was simply carried over from the Bad Tour. Batten said this was a little disappointing to the band because they all wanted to play the new stuff. One of the few new tracks - Remember The Time - was cut from the show after a wardrobe malfunction. She laughs saying, MJ忙碌的行程导致他缩短排练的时间 所以大部分的曲目跟BAD相似 而这让乐团有点失望 因为他们很想演奏些新东西 Remeber The Time後来被剪掉 因为服装有问题 "They had Egyptian costumes and the male dancers had these skirt kind of things. The first time we did it one of the dancers' costumes fell off. That was a little disturbing to Michael." 他们有类似埃及的服装 那些男舞者有类似裙子的东西 我们第一次排演时 有一个舞者 的服装掉了 我想MJ觉得有点困扰 (就因为这样这首就没演出过了?!坐着版不算) Unfortunately, the wardrobe malfunctions didn't end in rehearsals. Speaking about that enormous fibre-optic headdress Batten says, 不幸的是 服装问题在正式演出时也发生了 "At the end of Beat It everybody would run out on the stage," she remembers. "Invariably, I would be running at full force and somebody would step on my fibre-optic cable - it would pretty much knock my head off. That was kind of a drag." 在Beat it最後 大家都要跑上舞台 我正用全速奔跑 而有人踩中了连在我身上的电线 基本上是把我整头都扯掉了 扯的超大力的 Talking about the end of each show when Jackson would exit the stage on a jet pack, floating over the audience's heads Batten said, 而讲到结尾MJ会火箭人消失 "He wanted to come out with the biggest show on earth. He wanted it to be like Christmas for people. His imagination was like a creative tornado. He would come up with his wildest dreams and then hire people to carry it out. It was really amazing to be a part of that." 他想要全世界上最大的演出 他想要带个人们像圣诞节的气氛 他的创造力就像龙卷风一样 他会想出最疯狂的点子 然後找人来实现 能参与其中太棒了 SUPER BOWL PERFORMANCE 超级盃中场表演 In January 1993 Batten accompanied Jackson for his legendary Super Bowl performance, which was watched by 1.5 billion people. She says, 93年Jennifer和MJ演出了超级盃中场 有1.5亿人收看 "I'll tell you, it was the only time I ever saw Michael nervous. It's live and there's only the time of a couple of potato chip commercials to get the stage out into the field. There's one scene where I'm on the corner of the stage with Michael and there's so much fog coming out that we both get lost for a second, but that's the beauty of live gigs. You never know what's going to happen. That was one of my favorite times because it was a one-off special thing that will never be repeated." 这是我唯一一次看到MJ紧张 这是现场直播 而只有很短的广告时间能把舞台弄到球场上 有一瞬间 我和MJ站在一个角落 而有太多雾跑出来 我们两个瞬间都有点迷失了 但这就是现场直播迷人之处 你永远不知会发生甚麽 那次是我最喜欢的时刻 因为那一刻 永远无法被复制 After the Super Bowl there was a long break before the second leg of the Dangerous Tour. It was during the second leg that allegations of child abuse were leveled at Jackson. Batten says matter-of-factly, 在超级盃和危险之旅第二轮巡回之间有很长的空档 在第二轮巡回时MJ被指控孪童案 "I figured it was an extortion case, which I still figure it is. Everybody was concerned about him. I think it pains all of us that he was so attacked and so unfairly. Most artists are sensitive and he was talented times ten, so ultra sensitive, and to be slung that kind of stuff... I mean, you can hear it in his lyrics. It's a real drag because you wonder what kind of music he would have come up with if people weren't attacking him like that." 我认为这是个勒索的案件 我现在还是这样觉得 大家都很担心他 我们都因为他被这麽不 公平的攻击而痛苦 很多艺术家都很敏感 而他的天赋是十倍 所以他更是非常敏感的人 而被这样残酷对待 你可以在他的歌词中听见 你不禁会想 如果人们没这样攻击他的话 他会写出甚麽不同的音乐呢 "Honestly, I think it would have been considered uncool among the press to take Michael's side. I think it would take a brave soul to do that, which is really sad. Really pathetic. Even at the 2005 trial... I know people who were inside the courtroom and then they would watch the news at night and it was complete lies." 老实说 我认为如果有媒体愿意站在MJ这边就会被认为是不对的 要有足够的勇气才能做到 这很悲哀 即使是05年的审判 我知道有人白天在法院 晚上回家看新闻内容都是谎言 HIStory TOUR 历史之旅 In 1996 Batten was brought back onboard for the HIStory Tour, although she recalls that it was 'very last minute.' 96年Jennifer在最後一秒被找回历史之旅巡演 "I got hired a week before I was supposed to start rehearsals, which was a real scramble. It was just nuts. I had to cancel some work." 我是在彩排前一周才被雇用的 一切都很疯狂 我必须取消一些工作 The tour brought with it more costume problems for Batten, who describes her black latex get-up as 'just dreadful.' 这次的服装问题更大了 他形容自己这次的皮衣实在太恐怖了 "That mask I had to wear was just ugh... ghastly. Somebody had shown Michael an art book that was kind of S&M based and all the paintings looked really beautiful. So he had that in mind but when it came to real life it wasn't too beautiful anymore," she laughs. "I just had to remind myself that it was all about the theatre, you know? It's not just about the music." 我要戴的那个面具实在 恩很阴森 有人给MJ一个S&M为内容的美术册 里面的画作都很美 所以他记在心中 但真的做出来时就不再美了 我只能提醒自己 一切都是戏剧效果 而不只是音乐而已 Batten says Jackson got ready for each concert by warming up his voice. 她说MJ每场演唱会前都要暖嗓 "Every night he'd be warming up with his vocal coach. You could hear him doing arpeggios from his dressing room." 每天晚上 他都会跟他声音教练暖嗓 你可以听到他在更衣室内唱音阶 The guitarist says that initially she was alarmed by Jackson's decision to end each concert flanked on either side by young children. 她说 刚开始她觉得MJ每天晚上演唱会结束的方式不太好 "At the end of the show he would disappear down an elevator in the stage with a little boy and a little girl. At first I thought, 'God, because of the allegations you'd think he wouldn't do that'. But then I thought, 'You know what, he hasn't done anything wrong so why the hell should he change his life?' I think that was a little bit of giving a finger to his critics." 结束时 他会和一个小女孩 和一个小男孩 降入台下 一开始我想 因为那些指控 他不该 这样做的 但後来我又想 他又没做错甚麽 为什麽他要改变他的生活呢 我觉得这是他对 那些批评的反击 The HIStory Tour lasted into the Summer of 1997 and would mark the end of the pair's working relationship, but Batten says she never felt disappointed that he didn't bring her back. 历史之旅结束在97年的夏天 这是他们最後一次合作 Jennifer说他并未因MJ没再找他而 失望 "I would just go off and work on my own career. If he calls, great, and if he doesn't, great. It's been a great ride with him anyway." 我就继续我自己的工作 如果他邀请我了 很棒 没有 也很棒 能跟他一起演出很棒 MICHAEL'S DEATH MJ的去世 Batten was in her car on June 25, 2009 when someone called to tell her about rumors of Jackson's death. 那天他在车上 有人打电话告诉他这个消息 "I didn't really believe it when he told me because I had heard so many rumors about Michael over the years, false alarms about everything. I thought, 'Yea, right'. I saw it was true when I got home and I had mixed feelings. I was sad but in a way I thought power to him for going to the other side, because of all the torture that had come at him. I just can't imagine living with that." 当他告诉我时 我不相信 这麽多年我听了太多MJ的谣言 各种事情的假警报 当时我想 最好是这样啦 当我回家发现是真的 我有很复杂的心情 我很难过 但我又为他能去另 一个世界感到高兴 因为他承受太多折磨了 我无法想像该怎麽活着过那样的日子 In the weeks after Jackson's death Batten says she was unable to watch the media coverage, knowing how much of it would be slanted. 在MJ去世後的一周 他说他无法看新闻 因为他知道有多少会被扭曲 "They were respectful for about two or three hours and then they turned it into a tabloid festival. I just couldn't watch it. There were a lot of specials on about him and once in a while I would turn one on and it was just shit. I guess it makes money to just bring up negativity and stir up controversy but it's pathetic and I just can't watch it. It's all about money now, not about truth. People can be very cold." 他们只在最初的两三个小时展现他们对他的尊崇 之後就变成了八卦庆典 我无法看那些 有很多他相关的特别节目 有时我会打开电视看 然後发现都是狗屎 我想只提到一堆负面 新闻和争议点才会赚钱 这太悲哀了 我看不下去 一切只跟钱有关 而非事实 人们有时可 以非常残酷 Unlike some of Jackson's friends and family, Batten says she was able to bring herself to watch 'This Is It,' even if she did have mixed feelings about it. 不像MJ很多的亲朋好友 她说她能去看This is it 虽然看时心情很复杂 "I hadn't seen any video of him for years and just to see his talent, even when he wasn't going full out, the way he sang 'Human Nature' was just chilling. The way his body moves - there was just no other dancer in the world that was like that. So I enjoyed it." 我已经很多年没看过他的影片了 光只看他的天赋 即使他没有出全力 他唱Human Nature时让我起鸡皮疙瘩 他身体的动作 这世界没有另一个舞者像他一样 所以我享受观看这部电影 呼~~~ 好长 -- In a world filled with hate, we must still dare to hope. In a world filled with anger, we must still dare to comfort. In a world filled with despair, we must still dare to dream. In a world filled with distrust, we must still dare to believe. ~~~~By Michael Jackson --

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