“Who is t?” I asked. I looked through the peephole.
The high-pitched voice was tentative. “It’s Michael. If I’m disturbing you two, I’ll go away.
I opened the door. “No, no …come on in, Michael. Hey, dear, look who’s here.”
“Hey Mike, said Marvin. “Pull up a chair. Have a toke.”
“Oh, no thanks,” said Michael, refusing the joint. “I don’t ever…”
“So I’ve heard. Well, that’s great. More power to you, brother. What’s happening?”
Twenty, years old at the time, Michael fought his shyness to say, I just wanted to come by and say hello to my favorite singer.”
“Love you too, Michael,” said Marvin.
“I wanted to know if I could come by the studio when we get home. You could give me some tips.”
“Man, I should be getting tips from you, Mike. You should be teaching me some of your moves.”
“They’re nothing.”
“They’re dynamite. I know Berry is kicking himself for letting you guys off Motown. He should have met CBS’s price and then some. Are you happy over there at CBS?”
“Very. They finally gave us what you goy from Mr. Gordy a long time ago—creative freedom. I tried to follow your lead, Marvin. My hope was that if you could write and produce your own material, I should be able to do the same. But Mr.Gordy didn’t see it that way.”
“Now radio won’t stop playing that dance hit of yours. What’s it called?”
“’Shake Your Body Down to the Ground.’”
“Sing a few bars,” said Marvin. “Show me your moves. Le me see if I can follow.”
“Sure you can,” Michael reassured Marvin.
When Michael started singing, Marvin did his best to follow a few of Michael’s signature moves. He was not successful.
“Making a fool of myself,” said Marvin.
“You’re doing just fine,” Michael reassured him.
Michael kept singing as Marvin tried negotiating a few spins. Mocking his own attemps to keep up, Marvin broke out laughing.
“I’m hopeless,” he conceded.
“You’re great,” Michael exclaimed with a little giggle.
“I’ll never be Michael Jackson,” said Marvin.
“And I’ll never be Marvin Gaye,” said Michael.
The concert came off beautifully. Marvin’s dance moves remained modest but effective. His singing was sweeter that ever. Even though the Jacksons were enjoying a huge pop hit at a time when Marvin was not on the charts, they treated him with great respect. After the show, Michael wanted to come back to the suite for another long hang with Marvin.
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