Answers From Jennifer Batten(From MJRemix.com)[附中文]

小爱尔达

Yes the answers are finally back. You fans were able to put your questions to Jennifer Batten herself (Michael's tour guitarist) In the interview she talks about touring with Michael, and how she feels now about him. And also a little on how she has been and what she has been upto. Jennifer has told me that she had to deleate some questions as some were repeated. Enjoy people OK, for starters can you give us an idea of what you have been upto in the last few years or so? I've spent a lot of time flying around the earth. This year I went to China, Australia, 4 times to Japan, twice to Canada, and over to Europe as well. Most of it was doing clinics for Digitech for their guitar processing and effects. I also played the World Expo in Nagoya Japan with Taiko drummer Shuichi Hidano and Micki Yoshino last summer doing Japanese traditonal music mostly. It was a great program with a variety of traditional acts. I also played a concert with Micki Yoshino a few months later which was the 2nd annual "Back Bay Blues Festival". The stage was filled with great Japanese players over a 2 1/2 hour period. Mickie is a legend in Japan. I.E. What other artists have you been working with, and what record's you have released. Also what does the future hold for Jennifer Batten? I'm taking a few months off this winter to finish my next CD. There are two records I'm on that came out in the last month. One is called "La Guitara" which consists of 14 great female players like Kaki King and Mimi Fox. It's the brainchild of Patty Larkin who also plays the opening cut. They're touring the CD. I saw them in Portland and it was killer. Muriel Anderson was also on that tour. I'll be playing with them at the NAMM show in Anaheim next month. The other CD I'm on that just came out a few days ago is a tribut to Frank Marino called "Secondhand Smoke" I did a track called "He's Calling". It was cool because I was able to produce the track instead of just lay a solo over someone elses production. Sean from the UK asks: 1. What is it like working with Michael It was a blast. It was a full time party and we were all able to see a good chunk of the world in high style. We only played a few days a week so there was a lot of time to explore. 2. What is your favourite song of Michael's to play on tours? Human Nature. It's the prettiest one he's done I think. I also liked Startin" Somethin" because it was the show opener for a long time and holds special memories. Mark from Michigan, USA asks: Are you still in touch with Michael and do you know if he is planning any upcoming shows? I don't contact him but I'm still in touch with someone who does. I'm not aware of any tour plans he may have Kuntay from Germany asks: 1. Did Michael ever take time to be with the crew and have fun? He was accessable during rehearsals and often shut down amusement parks for us to hang out in without being bothered by fans. While on the road though, he didn't have the freedom of just going out at whim. There were 100 people on the tours and we took up 3 different hotels for the most part. 2. Out of the 3 tours you did with Michael, what was your favourite? The Bad Tour. Everyone got along really well and it was MJ's first solo tour. It was very exciting and was the first time around the world for me. 3. What were your reasons for leaving the band during the 2nd Leg of the Dangerous Tour? There was a 6 month gap, and I got antsy to do something else. 4. Would you go on tour with Michael again if he asked? I'm not sure about that. I'm more interested in doing my own touring now. 5. Did you play during the Royal Concert in Brunei in 1996? Yes. They were still trying to finish the stage when we arrived. Michael needed a certain amount of space to perform on so they built a stage just for him. Workers were going around the clock to finish in time for us. They also built an enclosure above the audience that looked like a living room for the royal family to watch us in comfort. Only certain people were allowed to be in the audience but the Royal Family also allowed anyone to come to the amusement park that surrounded the the venue for free and watch the show on large screens planted around the premises. Lots of people flew over from Singapore and other countries for that. Julian from Germany asks: 1. Who was better to work with musically? Greg Phillinganes or Brad Buxer? That's hard because I liked them both. They're both very different. Greg though I think is on the genius level. His mother said he was playing songs off the radio when he was 4. He's an amazing talent. He played on Giant Steps on my first CD "Above Below and Beyond" 2. Are you still in contact with other band-members of MJ's world tours? Yes. I just spoke to Ricky Lawson the other day. Most poeple stay in touch with him. I also stay in touch with Chris Currel, Jon Clark, Don Boyette, and David Williams. Jim from Birmingham, UK asks: 1. How did you feel when MJ asked you to tour with him? High as a kite. I couldn't sleep for weeks 2. How long did it take you to learn and play the Heartbreak Hotel & Beat It guitar solo's? I gave up on learning the Beat It solo 3 times before I got it. I played it in a cover band several years before the Jackson tour came up. Heatbreak Hotel was easy in comparison. It may have taken 30 or 40 minutes. 3. Has touring with Michael helped your personal music career? Yes. I played for 1.5 billion people with Michael, so there was a recognition after that whether people knew me as Jennifer Batten or the girl with the hair 4. Do you do your own hair on tour? Funny one. It changed over the 3 tours. The first 2 tours, I had extra hair attached to braids for volume. Karen Faye was the one who made it look like it did. I spent 2.5 hours with her before the show to get the look happening. The 3rd tour was a wig. Much easier to get going and remove afterward. I preferred that though it didn't look as good. Daniel from the UK asks: 1. What is it like performing in front of a packed stadium? It's very surreal. I always felt a bit detached. 2. Do you still get nervous each time you go out to perform Not always. It depends on the environment, what songs are played and who I'm playing with and how much rehearsal time I've had. 3. Who are your musical inspirations and favourite guitarists. Jeff Beck is at the top of the list. Then there's Van Halen, George Lynch, Steve Morse---a very long list. I also love a lot of players that play other instruments like everyone in Weather Report. Andrew from Dublin, Ireland asks: 1. Who inspiried you to start playing guitar? My sister. She got a guitar and I didn't. I was very jealous! 2. Who would you love to work with most in the music industry again? Afro Celt Sound System or Crystal Method or Adam Freeland. Leanne from the UK asks: 1. What was it like being Michael's guitarist? It's the best job on the planet. He treated us very well and I loved the tunes. 2. What is your favourite Michael song that you played on? Human Nature and Beat It Katrina from the Faroe Islands asks: 1. Do you see MJ personally? Not any more. 2. Are you a fan of his music? Yes. I like the Off the Wall CD the best- a timeless classic. Preston from Canada asks: What was it like to play along side one of the world's most legendary guitarists Slash, and was he an inspiration for your own guitar abilities? It was fun. I headbanged really hard that night and my neck hurt for days! No he wasn't an inspiration, though I like Guns. I was more into Jeff Beck and Van Halen when Guns and Roses came out. D. Taylor from the UK asks: 1. What was it like to wear those lit up headsets for Beat It? It was a pain. At the end of Beat It everyone ran around the stage and sometimes they'd step on my lazer cabling as I was running and I'd get whip lash!!! I had different get ups each tour and one was a 30 pound dragon attached to my back. It was difficult for me to even move, so they changed it right away. 2. What is your favourite guitar solo? Goodbye Porkpie Hat--Jeff Beck Wired CD John from the UK asks: [ 本帖最后由 小爱尔达 于 2006-7-5 15:18 编辑 ]

小爱尔达

What was Michael like in general? A Very sweet person. I liked him a lot. He was kind and considerate and treated us very well. He's just a big kid that wants to have some fun. Steve from London, UK asks: Jennifer, you have travelled loads of places, touring with Michael. I would like to know, which is your favourite City, and are there any stories that stick out in your mind when it came to touring with Michael? I have a few favorite places and I'll name countries instead of cities: Australia, Japan, all of Scandanavia, and Spain come to mind first. Stories: there are a few but one that sticks in my mind was hanging out with Sheryl Crow who was singing on the Bad Tour, when we were in the Tokyo Disneyland which MJ shut down for us all to play in. We were looking at things in a shop when MJ came up behind us and started talking to us. It surprized us because we'd only seen him surrounded by security whenever we were out with him and never bothered trying to get close. R. Hunter from Australia asks: Can Michael play guitar or any other musical instrument? I've never seen him play an instrument but he can cover any parts and sounds with his voice. I heard he did the first demo to Billie Jean by multi tracking all the parts with his voice on tape. He's a great well rounded talent. Ramón from Puerto Rico asks: 1. How is your relationship with Michael, and what is your perspective of him? I was an employee along with 5 other musicians. We didn't socialize much outside of rehearsals but would do a group prayer before every show. 2. What did Michael expect of you as an artist, was he a strict demandig artist or easy going? He was easy going. He'd review rehearsal tapes and make suggestions for changes to the musical director. It was not high pressure. He was always nice to us. Chris from Canada asks: 1. Whose idea were those crazy costumes and did you, personally, like them? I liked some of the costumes but not others. But ultimately a gig like that is about theatre as much as it's about music. The costumes were all MJ's idea. He'd hire people to draw them up and then make them. 2. How did you manage to get these gigs touring with Michael? I was one of 100 people who auditioned for him in 1987. Cezara from Bacau, Romania asks: 1. Did you enjoy your time touring with Michael? Yes--It was an amazing period of time over the 10 years. Cam from Adelaide, Australia asks: 1. How come you don't record with MJ, you just play on the tours? He's got LA studio musicians he's hired for years that he uses. Also there is a little message/question from Cam: And how come you decided to record Wanna Be Startin Somthin'? Is this your favourite MJ song? I really enjoyed the production he had with that song. There were a lot of little sounds and changes that happen during that song. I used to listen to it on headphones and loved it. Plus being the opening track for many live shows-it holds special memories for me. I think it is awesome as well as your rendition of "Flight Of The Bumble Bee." Your an incredible guitarist and dont get enough notority. Hope to see you touring soon Thank you! Ema from Michigan, USA asks: Who had the idea with the big hair?! Cos it's so cool! It was all MJ's idea to have the hair turned snow white and big. He wanted me to stand out on stage and often all you see in photos is Mj and my hair! Carl from Ireland asks: 2. Do you rehearse for a long time before each world tour? The first tour was the longest rehearsal---2 months straight with no days off, 6-10 hours per day. 3. Are there many songs that were rehearsed that Michael didn'tt actually perform live at all? Yes and I hated that. I wanted to play all the new songs every tour, but sometimes he didn't feel comfortable with them and he'd remove them from the set list after we played them a few times 4. How does Michael decide what songs to drop from certain concerts (I.E. Bad and The Way You Make Me Feel from the dangerous tour, and D.S and Come Togetherfrom the HIStory tour) It must have to do with the way he feels about them after performing them. And when are the band informed of the set list change? Sometimes right before the show. 5.Are the band as devastated as the fans are when these songs are dropped? No. We're hired guns that just do as we're told. There were plenty of great songs regardless of which ones were dropped or added. 6. Do you write down show setlists to keep track of what songs are coming next? If not how do you know what is next? Yes, the technicians would have current set lists taped on the floor in front of us so there were no mistakes. Scliris from Corfu, Greece asks: Did you talk with Michael during his trial or recently, and if so did he tell you any of his plans? No. Daniel from Sydney, Australia asks: Is there some story or anecdote behind the HIStory Tour's wicked make-up that was worn by yourself and the dancers? I have no idea. I didn't like my look on that one, but again, it's all about theatre at that point. Again thank you Jennifer for agreeing to this And thank you to everyone who sent in questions. Absolutely NO part of this may be used on other places, without prior consent to myself

great! hey, do you want to do a translation?

小爱尔达

^_^ ^_^

great interview love it``!

原帖由 小爱尔达 于 2006-2-22 20:58 发表 ^_^ ^_^

what do u mean? would u like to translate this interview?

小爱尔达

i hope i can, i'll try hard 2 do it.i have the honor to serve the MJJCN.....^_^but i should announce 1 stuff,sometimes i kno the english meaning but i can't find the relative chinese...

that's ok I will polish your translation

小爱尔达

thank u Keen~i'll do it right now.could u give this article an appropriate title?

OK, but have you done your job?

小爱尔达

sure,but last week my computer was broken i lost my file,now i should do it again(damn.....-_-)

hellen

hope u to translate it , it will be read by many fans. that's a wonderful feeling. It's a great interview,i like it.

小爱尔达

translatin' is a true hard job....keen!u'r my new idol...

whatsgoingon

nice~

小爱尔达

是的，这些问题最终都得到了反馈。 歌迷们可以把问题发送给Jennifer Batten本人（Michael的吉他手） 在采访中她谈到了与Michael的巡演，还有对Michael的感觉，及一些她的状况。 Jennifer告诉我她删掉了一些重复的问题。 大家一起分享吧 好，作为开始，你能否告诉我们一些你大约最近几年的状况吗？ 我花了很多时间周游全球。今年我去了中国、澳大利亚、4次日本、两次加拿大，及大约整个欧洲。大多时候都是为了给Digitech吉他的处理效果做咨询会而去的。也在去年夏天日本名古屋的世界博览会上与日本太古鼓手 Shuichi Hidano和Micki Yoshino表演日本传统音乐。那是场非常优秀的演出。我还与Micki Yoshino在几个月后一起在巴克湾第二届蓝调节的音乐会上演出。在两个半小时内，台上到处是日本杰出的表演家。Micki真是个日本的神话。 还有，你与其他的音乐家合作了吗？你发行了哪些专辑？你对未来的打算如何？ 我用了几个月的时间来完成我的下一张CD。上个月发行了两张我参与的专辑，一个是《La Guitara》，包含了14位像Kaki King 和Mimi Fox一样出色的女吉他手. 这个主意是由同时担任剪辑工作的Patty Larkin想出的。他们正在为这张CD巡演。我在波特兰也看到了他们，那简直棒极了。Muriel Anderson也在那个巡演中. 我将在下个月阿纳海姆的NAMM Show中与他们一起演出。另一张我参与的CD刚在几天前出炉，那是个送给Frank Marino的礼物，名为《Secondhand Smoke》，我演奏了一首名为He’s Calling的曲子。那很酷，因为我能够自己创作曲子而不是演奏别人的作品。 来自英国的Sean问道: 1. 与Michael一起工作感觉怎么样？ 很刺激。感觉像个全天派对，我们总能看到世界上最新潮的东西。我们一星期只演出几天，所以有很多的时间来探险。 2. 在巡演中曲目你最喜欢Michael的哪一首? Human Nature。我感觉那是他创作的最美妙的一首。我也很喜欢 (Wanna Be)Startin’ Somethin’ 因为很长一段时间它都作为演出的开场，为我们留下了特殊的记忆。 来自美国密歇根州的Mark问道: 你与Michael还保持着联系吗？他是否在计划着什么演出？ 我没有联系他，但我与他有联系的人还保持着联系。我不太清楚他是否有什么巡演的计划。 来自德国的Kuntay问道： 1. Michael有没有花过时间和工作人员们一起娱乐？ 他很随和，在巡演期间他经常关掉整个游乐场以便我们在不被歌迷打扰的情况下闲逛。 可是在路上，他没有随心出去的自由。巡演中有100人，大多数人分别住在3个不同的酒店里。 2.与Michael合作的3个巡演中, 你最喜欢哪一个? Bad巡演。每个人都相处得非常好，那时MJ的第一场个人巡演。 那非常令人激动，对于我也是我第一次周游世界。 3. 你在Dangerous巡演的第二节段时离开乐队的原因是什么呢？ 那时有半年的间隔,我坐立不安地想做些其他的事情。 4. 如果Michael邀请的话，你会再次与他一起巡演吗？ 这我不太清楚。我现在对开始自己的个人巡演更感兴趣些。 5.你在1996年文莱皇家演唱会中演奏了吗? 是的。我们抵达的时候他们（工作人员）依然在努力地完成舞台搭建。 Michael需要一定量的空间来演出，所以他们专门为他布置了一个舞台。工作人员们昼夜不停地工作，以便为我们准时完成。他们在观众席上方为皇家成员们能舒适地观看我们的演出而建了一个看起来像客厅一样的围场。只有一部分人被准许作为观众（进入现场），但是皇家成员也立下了“任何来到游乐园的人都可以围在大屏幕前免费观看演出”的前提。很多人为了这个从新加坡或其他国家乘飞机赶了过来。 来自德国的Julian问道: 1. 在音乐方面与谁一起合作更好? Greg Phillinganes 还是 Brad Buxer? 这很难回答因为他们两人我都很欣赏。他们都很与众不同。虽然我认为Greg的 水平是天才。他的妈妈说他4岁时就跟着录音机弹奏歌曲了。他是个令人惊异的天才。他在我的第一张CD《Above Below and Beyond》里演奏了一曲Giant Steps。 2. 你与MJ世界巡演乐队的其他成员还有联系吗？ 是的，我前几天刚刚与Ricky Lawson通过电话。许多人和他还有联系。我与Chris Currel, Jon Clark, Don Boyette, 和David Williams也保持着联系。 来自英国伯明翰的Jim问道: 1. MJ邀请你与他一起巡演时的感觉如何? 醉了一般。我有几个礼拜睡不着觉。 2. 你花了多长时间去学习弹奏 Heartbreak Hotel 和Beat It 的吉他独奏? 学会Beat It前我曾放弃过3次。参加Jackson的演唱会之前，我曾在一支幕后乐队演奏过几年。Heatbreak Hotel相对来说简单一些。大约花了30或40分钟。 3. 与Michael一起巡演对你的音乐个人生涯有帮助吗？ 是的。我与Michael总共为15亿人次表演过，所以在表演后，观众们会知道有个留着那个发型的叫Jennifer Batten 的女孩。 4. 巡演中你做头发吗? 有趣。3次巡演都不一样。前两次巡演,，我沾上一些头发使它看起来更厚些。是Karen Faye做的。表演前，我和她要花2个半小时的时间把它弄成那个样子。第三次巡演时是假发，更容易装上去叶更容易拿掉。我更喜欢这个，虽然那看起来不是很好看。 来自英国的Daniel问道: 1. 在一个挤满了人的体育场前表演感觉如何？ 很不现实。我总感觉那有点离谱。 2. 每次表演时还会感到紧张吗？ 不总是。那取决于环境如何、什么歌曲、与谁一起演奏和我排练的次数。 3.谁是你的音乐灵感源泉和最喜欢的吉他手？ 首先是Jeff Beck，然后是Van Halen, George Lynch, Steve Morse……还有很多。我还喜欢许多表演其他乐器的音乐家。我也喜欢很多表演别的乐器的艺术家，比如“天气预报”中的每个人。 来自爱尔兰都伯林的Andrew问道: 1. 谁首先启发你去演奏吉他的？ 我的姐姐。她得到了一把吉他，但是我没有。我那时非常嫉妒! 2. 你最想再次合作的唱片方是谁？ Afro Celt Sound System 或者 Crystal Method，或者是Adam Freeland。 来自英国的Leanne问道: 1. 作为MJ的吉他手感觉如何? 那是星球上最好的工作。他对我们很好，我很喜欢那种和谐。 2.你表演的Michael的歌曲里哪些是你最喜欢? Human Nature和Beat It。 来自法罗群岛的Katrina问道: 1. 你亲自去见过Michael吗? 不多。 2. 你是他的歌迷吗? 是的。我最喜欢Off the Wall这张CD，永恒的经典。 来自加拿大的Preston问道: 在世界上最富传奇色彩的吉他手Slash身边演出感觉如何，他是否是你的吉他才能的一个灵感来源？ 很愉快。那晚我随着音乐摇头晃脑时很艰难，我的脖子疼了好几天！他不是灵感来源，不过我很喜欢“枪花”。在“枪炮与玫瑰”出道前我更着迷于Jeff Beck和Van Halen。 来自英国的D. Taylor问道: 1. 在表演Beat It时，戴上那些闪光的头饰感觉怎么样？ 很痛苦。在Beat It快要结束的时候，每个人都要围着舞台跑，有几次在我跑的时候他们踩到了我的吊饰，我必须要快速移动！！！每次巡演我的装束都不一样，有一次还要把一个重30磅的龙粘到我背上。对我来说连续移动起来很难，所以他们把它换掉了。 2. 你最喜欢的吉他独奏是什么? Jeff Beck《Wired》CD中的 Goodbye Porkpie Hat。 来自英国的John问道: 大体来说，Michael是个怎样的人？ 一个非常好的人，我很喜欢他。他很亲切、细心，对我们非常好。他就像个想找些乐趣的大孩子。 来自英国伦敦Steve问道: Jennifer,，你与Michael巡演去过很多地方。我想知道，哪个是你最喜欢的城市，与Michael的巡演中有什么留给你印象很深的故事吗？ 我有几个喜欢的地方，我用国家来代替城市名了：首先想到的是澳大利亚，日本，整个斯堪的纳维亚(半岛),，还有西班牙。 故事：这里有几个，不过有一个使我印象非常深。Bad巡演期间，在日本东京的迪士尼乐园，我和当时在Bad演唱会中唱歌的Sheryl Crow一起到外面闲逛，MJ为我们能在里面玩而关掉了整个游乐场。我们正在商店里看东西，MJ突然从我们身后出现，开始和我们说话。那真的使我们很惊讶，不管他什么时候出现，我们都只在保安人员的包围中看见过他，从来没有费劲地去试图接近他。 来自澳大利亚的R. Hunter from 问道: Michael会弹奏吉他或其他的乐器吗？ 我从来没有见他弹奏过乐器，但是他能用他的声音代替任何部分。 我听说他的第一次独奏是Billie Jean，但是磁带中所有的部分他都是用声音完成的。他真是个全能天才。 来自波多黎的Ramón问道: 1. 你和Michael的关系怎么样？你对他的看法如何？ 我那时也是其它5个音乐家的雇员， 除排练外我们在一起的时候不太多，但是每次演出前我们都会做个集体祈祷。 2. 你心里的Michael是什么样子的？是个要求严格的艺术家还是很易沟通？ 他很容易沟通。作为指挥，他对每次排练时录制的磁带都要评论、给出建议，做些修改。 这没什么大压力。他对我们总是很好。 来自加拿大的Chris问道: 1. 那些疯狂的服装是谁的主意？还有，个人而言，你喜欢它们吗？ 我有一些喜欢的服装但是也有不喜欢的。但是像那样终极的舞台服装是和音乐一样重要的。所有的服装都是来自MJ的想法。他雇人画出来然后再制作它们。 2. 在于Michael巡演时，你怎么安排你的那些服饰？ 在1987年，我是听他号令的100人之一。 来自罗马尼亚巴克乌的Cezara问道: 1. 你对和Michael一起巡演的日子满意吗？ 是的——那是我几十年来最奇妙的时光。 来自澳大利亚阿德莱德的Cam问道: 1. 你与MJ录过音吗，你只是在巡演中演出了？ 他有一批来自LA Studio的歌手们，他雇用了他们很多年。 还有一些来自Cam的消息/问题： 你为何决定去录制Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’？那你是最喜欢的MJ的歌曲吗？ 我很喜爱他的这首作品。其中有许多细小的声音变换。我经常带着耳机去听它，而且非常喜欢。加上那是许多演唱会及表演的开场曲目，它给我留下了特殊的回忆。 我认为你的Flight Of The Bumble Bee的表演也很不错。你是个让人难以置信的吉他手，不要停止你的生涯。希望能早日看到你巡演。 谢谢你！ 来自美国密歇根州的Ema问道: 那个夸张的头发是谁的主意?!那太酷了！ 把头弄成白色还有很夸张都是MJ的主意。 他希望我站在舞台上能很显眼，通常你们看到照片里都是MJ和我的头发！ 来自爱尔兰Carl问道: 2. 你们每次巡演前都要先排联很长时间吗？ 第一次巡演是排练时间最长的——每天6-10小时，没有一天停顿，一直持续两个月。 3.有没有一些歌曲你们排练了但是Michael却从来没有在演唱会中表演过的？ 有，我恨那样。我希望每次巡演都能表演所有新的歌曲，但有时候他对那样感觉不舒服，然后他在表演几遍后，把它们从曲目表里删掉。 4. Michael如何决定在主要的演唱会里表演什么曲目？ (也就是在Dangerous巡演中的 Bad ，The Way You Make Me Feel，HIStory巡演中的D.S, Come Together) 这必须取决于他在表演后对它们感觉如何。 乐队何时获悉曲目表的变动内容？ 有时候是即将演出前。 5.乐队成员们会像歌迷一样因为某些曲目取消而离开了吗？ 不会。我们是说到就做到雇员，因为有许多优秀的歌曲而不必在意哪首被删掉或者添加。 6. 你需要写下要即将表演的曲目表吗？如果不是的话，那你是如何知道接下来的呢？ 需要，技术师会有个最近的曲目表粘在我们前面的台上，所以不会出错。 来自希腊科孚岛的Scliris问道: 在Michael接受审判或者最近的时候，你有没有与他通过话？如果有的话，他有没有告诉你一些他的计划？ 没有。 来自澳大利亚悉尼的Daniel问道: 有没有历史巡演幕后你或者是舞者有趣的故事或奇闻？ 我一点不知道。我不太喜欢我那个扮相，但是再次声明，那全是为了考虑舞台效果的缘故。 再次感谢Jennifer同意接受这个采访，还有，感谢寄来问题的每个人。 来自 Next Best Superstar