Micheal Jackson at SEGA of America / STI (March 10, 1993)
Micheal Jackson was a huge video game fan, and in particular a fan of Sonic the Hedgehog. He was going to work with SEGA on the music on Sonic 3. One evening we got word that Micheal was there at SEGA of American headquarters, I assume working out details for the music on Sonic 3, and he had said he wanted to meet the team behind Sonic.
Knowing this I made sure to stay late that night. I then got a little too focused on what I was working on until I noticed that no one else was in the office. I then went across the hall to the confidence room and sure enough, that’s were everybody was, along with Micheal Jackson.
There were maybe dozen people in the room, including Micheal and a couple others (I am assuming a manager and a bodyguard?).
I slipped into the room and found a seat at the table, across from and a couple people down from from Micheal.
As I sat there I remember thinking that I was sitting across from someone who was probably the single most popular person on the planet, and that there where people who would LITERALLY kill to be where I was sitting.
Micheal was wearing a hat and dark sunglasses (which he never took off). He was also on crutches, my understanding being that he had injured an ankle while rehearsing for a TV commercial.
I don’t remember much about what was talked about other than Micheal was very soft spoken and very, very free with his compliments towards the team and the game.
I know I said something to him or asked him a question… but I can’t remember what.
At the end of the meeting we gave him a STI jacket. I believe it was actually our office manager’s jacket. While there are lots of pictures of him wearing a SEGA letterman’s jacket, I haven’t seen any pics of him wearing the STI jacket.
At the end of the meeting Micheal gave Naka and Yasuhara an extended applause for their work on Sonic 1 & 2.
Our interpreter was a guy named Daisuke and he was SO nervous the whole time, but he did great!
At some point later, Micheal invited Naka and Yasuhara to come visit him and spend an afternoon at ‘Neverland’ ranch. I remember Yasuhara saying something about being impressed with Micheal’s pet giraffe and his ferris wheel!
Micheal’s visit to STI was just after he had been on the Oprah Winfrey Show (February 10, 1993). Unfortunately, shortly there after the accusations of child abuse came out and SEGA distanced themselves, so he never did the music for Sonic 3.
(There is a LOT more to the story about what Jackson did and didn't do with regards to the music for Sonic, but I don't have any direct knowledge about those events)
