For Ear Sake

A special Michael Jackson edition!

Vinyl Lovers is a monthly post that premiers the love individuals have for vinyl records. Each month, one special individual will be chosen to share their love with For Ear Sake by giving a glimpse of their collection, certain records they adore, and stories surrounding their love for the forgotten medium. Vinyl Lovers is not only for vinyl collectors with large collections, but for all individuals that own and love records. It's not about the amount of records you own, but the love you have for what you own. Hopefully this monthly post will inspire people on the verge of starting a record collection, and motivate those that collect to keep digging!

As stated above, this is a special Michael Jackson edition of Vinyl Lovers. The idea turned into reality when I came across a vast MJ record collection owned by the actor, singer, and dancer Jared Bradshaw. Michael Jackson was one of a kind, so I wanted to do something special in remembrance of him. However, this Vinyl Lovers feature isn't only for paying homage to Michael Jackson, but to my devoted readers as well.

A self-portrait of Jared in a room he created solely for his Michael Jackson memorabilia.

When did you become a Michael Jackson fan and why?

I grew up a fan with my parents albums of Thriller and Bad, and realized that as amazing as those albums are, he had so many other recordings to hear. I was always an admirer of his work, but when he performed at the superbowl in 1993, I saw the scope of his talent: dance, theatre, magic, spectacle, voice and his humanitarian side. He performed "Heal the World" after "Jam", "Billie Jean", and "Black or White". I rushed out to get the "Heal the World" single and Dangerous album. I was amazed at his versatility. That sparked the collecting!

It's evident that you're a fan of vinyl. When did your love for Michael shift into a broad vinyl collection of his material?

I was collecting compact discs and singles from the Dangerous album and realized that on Vinyl, there were unreleased songs, remix versions, and entire double LP gatefold DJ promos that included things unavailable anywhere else. Then I went searching in every record store I could find... Just searching for anything MJ on vinyl. The internet and eBay has made it a lot easier! Sites like Music Stack and eBay is where I find the rarest stuff online!

I'm sure as a Michael Jackson fan you've collected other musical formats of his music. Is there a specific satisfaction you get from the vinyl format over the other formats you've collected?

Artwork! Sound! Lyrics! I have an iPod like everyone else, but there's something about taking a vinyl record off of the wall and dropping that needle into the groove. The Jackson Five material from the 70s are really beautifully made... Gatefold covers, lyrics, it's tactile... You can hold it, and it just loses so much in a download from iTunes. Forget the digital booklet. I prefer the real thing!

Sometimes you can find amazing records that weren't released in the US, with great foreign languages, or awful pictures like this 45 from Japan! What were they thinking with this picture sleeve!?

How many albums, EPs, and singles do you have within your MJ record collection?

I really need to do an inventory! My videos online have to be updated. I'm guessing about 240 12" records and 90 7" 45s. Not to mention a couple hundred CDs including The Jackson Five and The Jacksons. I'm on the road performing right now, so I can't do an actual count for you.

When did you decide to create a room solely for your Michael Jackson material?

I had all of my collection in storage, as I travel a lot to perform. When Michael passed two summers ago, I was inspired to get up and put my collection out for all to see. Oprah held a contest before the This Is It film came out (later cancelled out of respect) to find Michael's biggest fan.

What kind of things can be found in your Michael Jackson room outside of your record collection?

Well, the Michael Jackson record player is really amazing! People can't believe it actually works. I have lots of replacement needles. I also have some great gold records, tons of posters, the old MJ dolls from the 80's, and my signed Thriller album is a favorite. Michael was on the cover of every major publication the month he passed. I bought more than 65 magazines with him on the front cover that summer. He was the most famous person on the planet, and when he passed, the world felt it.

This set of 12" dance mixes are a great reason to collect vinyl. These versions are from the HIStory album, and only made it to vinyl. To top it off, they look great!

It's no secret that Michael Jackson touched a lot of lives. Can you share how he personally touched your life?

I'm a performer... I'm an actor, singer, and dancer. I also do Broadway musicals. Michael was the performer. He was so theatrical in everyway. He only did things BIG! Every time I'm on stage there's always a little MJ in my performance – whether it's a pose, a move, a harmony, a vocal influence, a silhouette in lighting, a hat, or a rhythmic grunt. He is definitely the ultimate performer to me.

Michael was special for different reasons. However, people have their own personal reasons as of why he was special. Why do you feel as though Michael Jackson was special?

Well, he really was out of this world. People thought he was so strange, but if you had people chasing you, stalking you, and pulling your hair out or clothes off since you were 8 years old, you'd probably be a little different. He sold more records in his lifetime than anyone (700 million+)! He couldn't go to the grocery store, the movies, or restaurants... So he became isolated and really did live in a bubble. He was religious, and believed God put him on this planet to create; he always wanted to live up to that. He was a perfectionist, and never released something until it was polished. He started so young, and you've heard him speak of his "lost childhood" that he searched for his whole life. He surrounded himself with other former child stars, someone he could relate to and trust. Brooke Shields, Emmanuel Lewis, Elizabeth Taylor, Macaulay Caulkin, Liza Minelli, Mark Lester, Stevie Wonder. These weren't for the media. He literally connected with these people. He was a sponge, and everything he did was a comment and influence from someone else. The greats: a white glove from vaudeville/mime, a spin from James Brown, a fedora from Judy Garland, a white tie belt from Fred Astaire, and white socks from Elvis. He learned from everyone around him, and took it to another level.

Surprisingly, not too many people know of Michael Jackson outside of what the media broadcasts. Can you please share something most people may not know about Michael?

He was shy. He was always more comfortable on stage than in a face-to-face conversation. He rarely trusted people around him, because most individuals always wanted something from him. Performing is all he has ever known. Boy, was he great at it.

I want to give a special thanks to Jared for making this tribute feature possible! We worked with the little resources we had, but it was still an enjoyable experience.